Come little children (and adults lacking any sense of cooking knowledge), we’ll take thee away to a land of kitchen enchantment where cooking can be easy, spooky fun, and virtually impossible to screw up!
Yes. I am an adult who needs these kinds of recipes in my life, and I know I’m not the only one out there! Enter author and curator of The Unofficial Hocus Pocus Cookbook for Kids: 50 Fun and Easy Recipes for Tricks, Treats, and Spooky Eats Inspired by the Halloween Classic, Bridget Thoreson to guide kids and adults alike through a series of recipes that honors a beloved Halloween classic and creating simple and delicious Halloween meals and treats – don’t worry, there are no kids on toast anywhere in the book.
I recently went through this cookbook, and as a mom and both a kid/teen who grew up in the 90s, I can assure you that these nostalgic recipes are almost fool-proof, so we won’t be screaming like Winifred that, “My eyes have misted over with the tragic tears of a lifetime of failure.” Along with the apparent recipe homages to the film, like “Dead Man’s Toes” and “Black Flame Candle Pretzels”, all the food chapters call back to a time when we were children of after-school Halloween parties or the spread your parents put out on Halloween itself as the recipes transport you back to the glorious holiday as it looked, smelled, and tasted like as kids of the 90s’. And to boot, Ulysses Press and distributor Simon & Schuster has sent over some sample recipes for you to grab your witch spoon and conjure up before heading over to your local retailer and snatching up these simple spellbinding Halloween (or anytime) recipes!
Krispy Rice Booooooks
These books may not have been bestowed by strange and ridiculously beautiful witches in a dark wood, but since they’re treats meant for children, that is definitely a good thing. Like a magical tome containing powerful and evil spells, these treats will tempt anyone from young magicians to “clever white witches.”
You can get as cute or as ugly as you desire with your decorations, but remember that all great boooo—ooo-ooooks have all-seeing eyes.
SERVES 12
PREP TIME 10 minutes
COOK TIME 20 minutes
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 (10-ounce) package of marshmallows
6 cups crispy rice cereal
12 White Milk Chocolate Hershey’s Kisses
1 tube black or brown cake-decorating icing
1. Place the butter and marshmallows in a microwave-safe bowl and heat on high in the microwave for 2 minutes. Stir, then microwave for another minute. Stir until smooth.
2. Add the crispy rice cereal to the melted marshmallows and stir with a wooden spoon until evenly mixed.
3. Coat a 13 x 9-inch pan with cooking spray. Evenly press the marshmallow mixture into the pan, using a buttered spatula or wax paper. Let cool completely.
4. Once cool, cut into 12 rectangles, 2 x 3 inches each. Press a white chocolate candy, point-down, into the right side of each rectangle.
5. Cut the tip of the icing tube. Squeeze the tube gently to make eyelashes for the candy eyes, scars, or other decorations.
Enchanting Cheese Gougère
A witch is nothing without thy coven, and a chef is nothing without a deceptively easy go-to brunch recipe. This skillet gougère is mostly egg and cheese, but I guarantee it will put a spell on kids and adults alike—trust me. I’m a witch. I know things.
As a quick personal aside, this is an incredibly easy recipe for a budding chef to help with. It was the very first thing my coven concocted together when my daughter started “helping” in the
kitchen at 18 months. If you premeasure the cheese and flour into plastic bowls, even the littlest kitchen witch can help pour the ingredients and gently mix them together.
SERVES 6
PREP TIME 10 minutes
COOK TIME 25 minutes
3 large eggs
½ cup whole milk
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon sea salt, plus more for sprinkling on top
4 ounces grated
gruyère cheese
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Beat the eggs in a large bowl using a fork or wire whisk.
3. Add the milk, flour, and sea salt to the eggs. Mix until all the ingredients are blended.
4. Use a spatula to gently fold in the grated cheese.
5. Melt the butter in a 9-inch cast-iron skillet. Use a spatula to coat the sides of the skillet with the butter.
6. Add the egg and cheese mixture to the skillet and sprinkle sea salt on top.
7. Bake until the eggs are cooked through and starting to brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, and cut into wedges. Serve warm.
Dead Man’s Toes
Unlike newt saliva, oil of boil, or a bit of thine own tongue, a dead man’s toe (especially a fresh one) is not the easiest of potion ingredients to come by. At least it wasn’t in the 1600s.
When you don’t have access to a life potion with young souls already mixed in, the dead man’s toe is a critical component. But now, with modern technology, it’s easy to have access to as many dead man’s toes as you need, whether it’s for a whole party or just a little solo potion-brewing.
SERVES 8
PREP TIME 15 minutes
COOK TIME 20 minutes
8 hot dogs
1 package Pillsbury crescent rolls
Homemade Mustard
½ cup dry ground yellow mustard
½ cup water
⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
⅛ teaspoon smoked paprika
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a cookie sheet or coat with nonstick spray.
2. Cut each hot dog in half crosswise to make 2 short hot dogs.
3. Open the crescent roll container and unroll the dough. Cut into 16 similar-size triangles.
4. Roll each hot dog half with a crescent roll triangle so that the cut half of the hot dog is wrapped in the dough and the uncut half is sticking out.
5. Using a sharp paring knife, make 2 or 3 thin, shallow slits on the top side of each hot dog right at the edge of the crescent roll dough (this will be the knuckle).
6. Cut a long half-oval out of the top of the hot dog at the uncut end, to look like a fingernail bed.
7. Place the hot dogs on the greased cookie sheet, cut side up, and bake for approximately 12 minutes.
8. While the hot dogs are baking, make the Homemade Mustard. Combine the mustard, water, vinegar, flour, salt, turmeric, garlic powder, and paprika in a small saucepan over medium heat.
Whisk well as you bring the mixture to a boil. Let the mixture boil for 8 minutes, stirring to keep it from burning. Then remove from the stove top and let cool for 5 minutes.
9. Remove the hot dogs from the oven and use the mustard to “paint” the toenails of the hot dogs. Serve with extra mustard for dipping.
10. Transfer any unused mustard to a jar, seal, and store in the refrigerator.
Harvest Festival Pizza
Pizza is a perfect food for young witches to start helping with in the kitchen—there’s limited cutting, the ingredients are easy, and everyone can pick their own toppings. For some added vitamins and autumnal flair, try this harvest vegetable pizza with seasonal squash, onion, broccoli, or even sweet potato. Even a little one who doesn’t normally love vegetables will “lose their head” over the “cheese and Crust!”
SERVES 6
PREP TIME 1 1/2 hours
COOK TIME 20 minutes
4 cups flour (use bread flour for a crispier crust or all-purpose flour for a doughier crust), or more as needed.
1 teaspoon sugar
1 packet instant dry yeast
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups warm water, or more as needed
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 small eggplant
1 green zucchini (or one red onion)
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1/2 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese
1. Attach the dough hook to a stand mixer. Pour the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt into the mixer bowl. Turn the mixer on medium speed to combine the ingredients.
2. While the mixer is combining the dry ingredients, add 1½ cups water and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil.
3. Mix until the dough forms into a solid ball. Use your hands to assess the consistency of the dough. For dough that is too dry, add water 1 tablespoon at a time while mixing. For dough that is too sticky, add flour 1 tablespoon at a time while mixing.
4. Remove the dough onto a floured surface and gently knead, then form into a smooth, firm ball.
5. Use the remaining 1/2 tablespoon olive oil to grease the inside of a large bowl. Transfer the dough to the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough sit in a warm area for about 1 hour, until it expands to twice its original size.
6. Remove the dough to a lightly floured surface and divide it into 2 equal-size pieces. Cover each piece with plastic wrap and let it sit for an additional 10 minutes.
7. Set the rack low in the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. If you will be using a pizza stone, insert it in the oven now.
8. Chop the eggplant, zucchini, and cherry tomatoes to the shapes and sizes you want for your pizza toppings.
9. Unwrap a dough ball of dough and stretch and pound it into the shape and size you want. Place it on a rimmed baking sheet or stone.
10. Pour the crushed tomatoes over the dough and spread evenly with a spoon or spatula.
11. Sprinkle on the garlic powder and Italian seasoning.
12. Sprinkle the cheese over the surface of the pizza.
13. Distribute the vegetables over the pizza surface. Repeat steps 9 to13 for the second ball of dough, or you can freeze the extra dough for up to 3 months.
14. Place one pizza in the oven on the pan or stone and bake until the cheese is bubbling and the pizza is lightly browned on the bottom, about 20 minutes.
15. Remove the pizza from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Then transfer to a board to cut and serve.
The Unofficial Hocus Pocus Cookbook for Kids: 50 Fun and Easy Recipes for Tricks, Treats, and Spooky Eats Inspired by the Halloween Classic is available now over at AMAZON, BARNES & NOBLE, and WAL-MART!
