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The Fun Kind of Fright (With Chocolate) 🍫
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Hi Reader, Growing up, Halloween was less about costumes and more about strategy. Sure, I dressed up—usually some cheap polyester costume from Bradlees—but the real mission was chocolate. I’d map out routes through the neighborhood like Eisenhower planning D-Day, making sure we hit the houses that gave out full-size bars before my cousin Barry could clean them out. The costumes were forgettable, but the loot? That was legend. Mini peanut butter cups, chocolate bars disguised as ghouls, even the occasional plain apple (a gross betrayal of the innocence of childhood, if you ask me). My godmother Dina and my mom would ration the haul, which meant I spent most of November trying to sneak contraband from the kitchen cabinet while she screamed about cavities. How to Let Chocolate Steal Halloween
More Halloween treats, ideas, and strategies! WHAT'S INSIDE...
New York Times' Chocolate Chip Cookies⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.9 from 137 votes
Say hello to the recipe that started an Internet craze and made bakers rethink how to make cookies. This originally appeared in an article I wrote for the New York Times on July 9, 2008. What makes them so damn special is the dough is refrigerated for 36 hours for a more complex flavor and greater variation in texture. Sea salt is the finishing touch.☞ Try this recipeHalloween Chocolate Covered Apple Slices
These chocolate dipped apple slices are a simple way to get your kids into the Halloween spirit. Easy enough for them to make, with a little help, these treats come together quickly and look amazing even without a lot of decorating skills. They're the perfect treat for a Halloween party, trick-or-treating, or munching when no one is looking. Oh, did we mention that they taste great, too?☞ Try this recipeCandy Bar S’mores
“Fun-size” Halloween candy definitely fits the bill (I’m into mini Kit Kats and Almond Joys or regular-size Reese’s cups), but luckily, leftover candy from Easter, Valentine’s Day, and Christmas make it possible for us to have creative holiday-themed s’mores year round.☞ Try this recipePumpkin Swirl Brownies
These pumpkin swirl brownies are made with cream cheese and taste as if pumpkin spice cheesecake swirl collided with chocolate fudge brownies.☞ Try this recipeLeftover Halloween Candy Bark
Leftover Halloween candy bark takes those bottom-of-the-bag bits and repurposes them into something altogether inspired. Use your favorites or any combination that tickles your fancy.☞ Try this recipeHalloween Meringue Bones
Halloween meringue skeleton bones are a scary sweet that's perfect for kids of all ages, whether you decorate a cake with them or pass them out at your All Hallow's party.☞ Try this recipeSpooky Halloween Mummy Treats Kids Will Love
Halloween mummy treats are both ghoulish and sweet treats that are also a cinch to make. Melt some chocolate, dip some Rice Krispie squares, and decorate. Perfect for sharing with your favorite little monsters.☞ Try this recipeChocolate Cake With Salted Caramel Frosting
This stunning dessert is made with two layers of rich chocolate cake that's filled with salty-sweet caramel buttercream frosting.☞ Try this recipeHalloween Caramel Apples
These caramel apples are enrobed in a buttery caramel coating made with butter, sugar, cream, maple syrup, and dark molasses. A great Halloween treat for the kids.☞ Try this recipeSalted Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Flaky sea salt, nutty brown butter, toasted milk powder, and sweet chocolate chunks combine to make the perfect cookie.☞ Try this recipe |
Leite's Culinaria
Why, hello! Leite's Culinaria is the James Beard Award-winning site that helps home cooks and bakers put dinner on the table and laughs in the kitchen. Hungry for more? Join more than 30,000 food lovers and subscribe.
Hi Reader, I’ll admit it: For years, I thought pumpkin’s sole purpose was pie. And not even a pie I liked all that much. (Yes, I said it. Send unto me thy angry and indignant electronic correspondence.) Then I met You Know Who. The man is mad about pumpkin. I mean totally loony (which I can say, given my numerous and varied mental health diagnoses over the decades). It started innocently enough. He wanted a pumpkin pie. Sure, I said. Back then, I was still cooking from the back of boxes and...
Hi Reader, Some people spend Sundays reading stories. I spend them weaving one—with onions, garlic, and a pot that’s been on the stove so long it deserves royalties. Growing up, Sunday Supper was less meal, more epic saga. Think Tolstoy's "War and Peace." By the time I woke, the kitchen was already buzzing: Mama Leite browning meat with the ferocity of a Russian peasant, my grandmother muttering prayers over the stockpot, not unlike one of Macbeth's witches. By noon, the whole house smelled...
Hi Reader, In our house, butter is both sacrament and argument fodder. The moment I drop a few knobs in a skillet, The One deftly fishes them out when I turn my back. Whenever he tries to be virtuous and make mashed potatoes with (blech) CHICKEN STOCK AND HERBS, I drop a whole stick into the pot while he's setting the table. He even proclaimed one night that his potato travesty was every bit as good as my beurre-soaked taters. I just politely nodded as I sniggered to myself.But the chill of...