BLACK CAT COOKIES 
1 box chocolate cake mix
½ cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
Sliced almonds
Pink jelly beans
Black licorice candies (available in bulk candy, or by brands such as Mike and Ike)
Red jelly beans
Large string of licorice for the cat’s tail (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine dry cake mix, oil and eggs. Mix at medium speed for about 1 minute. Drop batter by rounded tablespoonfuls, about 2 inches apart, onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Pinch the top of the dough on two sides to form the cat’s ears. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until center of cookies spring back when pressed lightly in center. Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute before removing to a rack to finish cooling.
Place the almonds for the eyes, the jelly beans for the nose and mouth. Place the licorice candies on either side of the nose for whiskers.
If the cookies are cool, use store-bought icing as glue for the almonds and jelly beans. Makes 8 large cookies.
PUMPKIN PATCH CAKES
1 box spice cake mix, plus ingredients called for on package
2 cans vanilla icing
1 box Betty Crocker Fruit by the Foot Variety pack (contains 6 rolls, 0.75-ounce each)
Food colorings
Assorted candies
Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Pour into small Bundt pans and bake according to the pan’s directions. (A pan containing six separate Bundts called for 15 minutes.)
Scoop the icing from both cans into a medium-size bowl. Add a small amount of orange food coloring to the icing and stir to combine. Continue adding color until you get the shade of orange you desire.
Place one Bundt cake upside down (rounded side on the bottom) on a cake plate; frost the top only. Place the second Bundt cake flat-side down on top of first cake. Frost the entire cake with orange frosting, making up-and-down motions with spatula to simulate a pumpkin. Use Fruit by the Foot, candies, chocolate, gumdrops, black licorice or jelly beans to decorate.
Makes 6 pumpkin cakes or 12 miniature Bundt cakes.
Note: Miniature Bundt pans are available for $18 at Michael’s.
WITCH’S WARTS
¼ cup butter, cubed
8 ounces semisweet chocolate
½ cup heavy cream
2 (11-ounce) bags 3 Musketeers Fun Size Bars, chopped into small pieces
Melt butter. Remove from heat and add the semisweet chocolate. Cover and let rest for about 3 minutes to melt the chocolate, and then stir until smooth.
Add the heavy cream gradually; stir until totally incorporated and chocolate loses its shine. Refrigerate until slightly firm, approximately 20 to 30 minutes.
Roll into balls and then into chopped 3 Musketeers Bars, pressing gently to adhere. Makes about 60 warts.
BROOMSTICKS
1 (10-ounce) package large pretzel rods
2 (4-ounce) bars of white chocolate
1 box Betty Crocker Fruit by the Foot Variety pack (contains 6 rolls, 0.75-ounce each)
Using a microwave-safe container, place chocolate in microwave at medium (50 percent) power for 1 to 11/2 minutes. Remove and stir. If not melted, return to microwave and repeat heating step, stirring every 30 seconds to prevent scorching.
Dip pretzels in melted chocolate. Place on wax paper to dry. (Optional: Remove 1/4 cup of the melted chocolate and mix with a small amount of orange food coloring; stir thoroughly. Using a tablespoon, pour a thin line of orange icing back and forth over the white chocolate-dipped sticks.)
Unwrap a Fruit by the Foot roll. Cut off a 1-inch piece, fray the ends with kitchen scissors, wrap around the bottom of the pretzel. Wrap tightly and squeeze to adhere. Makes 12 broomsticks.
Note: Fruit by the Foot is pliable and will mold into different shapes. Here, green sections of the tie-dyed Fruit by the Foot were used.
CANDY CORN BROWNIES
½ cup cocoa
2/3 cup butter
1 ¾ cups sugar (divided use)
4 eggs
1 ¼ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
2 cups white chocolate chips
½ cup brown sugar
¾ cup corn syrup
¾ cup peanut butter
3 cups Special K crisp rice flakes cereal
1 cup candy corn
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 9×13-inch pan and set aside. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine cocoa and butter; heat at Medium (50 percent) power until butter melts. Stir to combine. Stir in 11/2 cups sugar, and then beat in eggs.
Add flour and baking powder and stir. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until set. Immediately sprinkle with white chocolate chips and let stand for 5 minutes; spread chips to cover.
In microwave-safe bowl, combine brown sugar, remaining 1/4 cup sugar and corn syrup. Microwave on High (100 percent power) for 2 minutes, stir, and then microwave on high for another minute until boiling. Be careful, this mixture is hot.
Remove from microwave and stir in peanut butter until melted. Stir in cereal, then candy corn. Carefully spoon over brownies and spread to cover. Cool completely, and then cut into bars. Makes 1 dozen.
Snipped from Dallas News Sept 17 2008