Zombie Pretzel Cookies

It's time for a super cute and fun ZOMBIE cookie using Rold Gold Pretzel Thins! I made these fun pretzel dipped cookies despite my last promise to NEVER, EVER MAKE ANYTHING WITH THOSE DREADFUL CANDY MELTS! However...my competitive nature lured me back to give it another go.  I just could not let those confectionery buggers get the best of me. 
This is a terrific recipe for the "melting chocolate challenged" folks, like me because they don't have to be perfect! They're Zombies! They're supposed to look cock-eyed and a little disheveled. My kids loved them, said they tasted like Mother's Circus Animal Cookies! That's a win in my book!...not that I'm keeping score or anything.


Castellon's Kitchen-1(Yay!)   Candy Melts-2

Zombie Pretzel Cookies 

(Makes 12)

12 Rold Gold Pretzels, Pretzel Thins

1/2 bag of light green candy melts plus 3 chips of black to darken the green to a moldy hue

black melting chocolate

red melting chocolate

white melting chocolate

24 candy eyeballs

Chocolate jimmies

Prepare the Zombie Eyes:
From the pack of Candy eyeballs, pick out the misshaped candy eyeballs and some that are off-center. Pair these wonky ones with the small perfect eyeballs. Mixing the big and the small eyeballs will make for great zombie eyes. Set aside.
Now, place 10 or so black candy melts chips in a small zippered sandwich bag and melt in microwave for one minute at half power. Knead until melted.  Cut small hole into a corner of the plastic bag. On a separate piece of parchment paper, Squeeze out small dots of black chocolate and then place a candy eyeball onto the black chocolate. Refrigerate until set.

 

Prepare Zombie Teeth:
Melt two white chocolate chips on a piece of parchment for about 20 seconds in the microwave. Using a butter knife, smooth out the chocolate into a thin coating. Let harden. Using a sharp knife, cut white chocolate into small irregular squares. These will be the zombie teeth. It's okay if they break or look jagged, that adds to the zombie feel of the cookies. Plus you can now proudly state that they're supposed to look like that and not worry that you've done them wrong. We'll call it dramatic license. :)

Prepare Zombie Dipping Chocolate:

Prepare the moldy green chocolate by heating 1/2 bag of light green chips plus 3 chips of black in a small bowl, according to package directions. Add 1/2 T of shortening if you need to thin the chocolate out a bit. 
Once thoroughly melted, drop pretzels in one at a time and use a fork lift it out of the chocolate. Gently tap the fork on the side of the bowl to shake off extra chocolate. 


Place chocolate covered pretzel on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining pretzels. 
While the chocolate is still wet, sprinkle tops of pretzels with chocolate jimmies to create the zombie hair. 

Next, place your Zombie eyes into the wet chocolate. Don't worry if your chocolate covered pretzel has hardened, simply scoop a tablespoon of your moldy green chocolate from your bowl into a zippered sandwich bag and melt in microwave. Dot a small amount of the green chocolate on the pretzel and place the zombie eyes. Ta-Dah!

Zombie Mouth:

Place 10-12 chips of red melting chocolate into a zippered sandwich bag and melt for about 30 seconds at half power. Knead until melted, heating as necessary. Cut a small corner of the bag and pipe a small line of red chocolate to make the mouth. Using a toothpick, place 3-5 zombie teeth into the red chocolate. Again, if they look goofy and caddiwampus...Dramatic license! Just repeat these words as you place the teeth..."BRAINS!...I NEED BRAINS!"

Get your kiddos into the Halloween spirit and make mobs of these undead cookies! Enjoy! Happy Halloween!

Guacamoldy Mousse

Today is my 46th birthday and I got to spend most of the day by myself which is exactly what I needed. My kids were at school, husband at work and I effectively shrugged off all unnecessary obligations, much to the dismay of some of my friends that were anxious to do something with me last weekend and today. Last year, I celebrated my "Half way to 90" birthday by renting a limo with my girlfriends where we painted the town with wine and vodka sodas, like we were in our twenties again. It was tons of fun. But this year, not so much. These last few months have been tough ones for me and to be honest, I just didn't feel like celebrating my birthday. I don't have it in me to fake it and be social because inside I just feel sad. Next week, I fly out to Texas to bury my father who passed away in July. His last wish was to be buried near his parents in Texas, so next week my brother and sisters will finally lay him to rest. Maybe it's not just sadness that I feel, I guess I also feel guilty because I've been so busy with getting through all the daily things in life that I haven't spent any time, since his memorial, grieving for my father. I feel numb like I'm just moving through obligation to obligation. Not happy, not upset, but just automatically taking care of the task at hand, with little outward feelings about it. But inwardly, I have lots of feelings...like "I hate doing this" "Why am I having to take care of all these things?" and "I just want to be left alone".
As next weekend approaches, I feel anxious and sad. Next weekend makes it final because buring him next to his parents is the last bit of help my father will need from me. He won't need my help anymore and since I've spend the greater part of the last 15 years caring for him in some way each week, I find myself feeling the gravity and finality of losing him. ...I love you Daddy. 

I realize that this was not the best introduction for this recipe..This is just what I wanted to write about today...

Guacamoldy Mousse

1  large avocado
1 -8oz. package cream cheese, room temperature

1/2 c. fresh cilantro, loosely packed
1/2 cup Serrano chile 
juice of 2 limes
1 t. salt (to taste)
2 t. cumin
1 t. onion powder
1 t. garlic powder
red chile flakes (to taste)
1 cup cold water, divided
2-1/4oz. envelopes unflavored gelatin


Tape up openings of Halloween Mask like this...

Spray inside of taped mask with cooking spray.Set aside.

Combine avocado, cream cheese, cilantro, chiles and lime juice in a food processor and puree until smooth. Add cumin, salt, onion and garlic powders and red chile flakes until desired spiciness and set aside. 
(Note: I made this recipe spicy so adjust amount of chile to your preference. Reduce the amount of Serrano chiles and/or omit the red chile flakes if milder spice is desired.)
 
In a small bowl, add 1/2 cup of the water and the two envelopes of gelatin and stir. Heat the other 1/2 cup of water in the microwave until boiling, about 1-2 minutes. Add the boiling water into bowl of gelatin and stir until fully dissolved.
With the food processor on high, add the gelatin to the food processor insert to slowly incorporate the gelatin to the avocado/cheese mixture. Continue to puree on high until all the gelatin has drained out of the insert. 

Taste your mousse and add more salt or seasonings as needed.
 
Pour the mixture into the prepared mask mold and cover with plastic wrap. refrigerate for 2 hours or until mixture is set. To serve, invert mask onto a platter. The mask is not rigid so it's easy to coax the mousse out with a little squeeze of the mask. For more rigid molds, place bottom of the mold in hot water for about 30 seconds and then invert on your serving plate.
Serve with tortilla chips. 

Other Halloween-inspired appetizers to try:
Ghoulish Goat Cheese Torte                     Spiderweb Eggs                            Amputated Appetizer

Black Magic Spellcakes (Black Velvet Cheesecake)

I'm ready for shorter days and cooler weather. I'm ready for fall. I'm ready for brisk morning walks and coming home to delcious smells of simmering Crockpots. I'm ready for jeans and boots and sweaters. I'm ready for cold nights and extra blankets, scented candles and cinnamon coffee. I want comfort foods and Halloween...

Ahh yes, Halloween. The only holiday where I can dress up and pretend to be someone else for one glorious night....or one glorious month if I do it right.:) I want to decorate with headstones, orange lights and spiderwebs. I want to carve pumpkins, and eat creepy Halloween inspired foods while sipping on bubbling drinks. I want to eat Halloween candy for dessert...or even better, these super rich and decadent Black Velvet Cheesecakes! 
The perfect mini cheesecake that is easy to prepare and oh so yummy! Make them for your next Halloween gathering. They're the perfect finale to a dark and festive Halloween meal of, Spiderweb Eggs, Love at First Bite Linguini and Fangtinis. Enjoy!
 

 

Black Magic Spellcakes

Makes 12


1- 8 oz. package plus 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips, melted
2 T milk or cream
1 t. black gel food coloring
black sugar granules

Crust
1-2 cups Chocolate Oreos, finely crumbled 
1 T butter, melted


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line muffin tin with paper baking cups. 

Beat cream cheese and sugar in a medium bowl until fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs one at a time. Set aside.
Place Chocolate chips and milk in a double boiler and heat until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool for 2 minutes or so. 
Slowly add melted chocolate to cream cheese batter and beat until incorporated. Add black gel food coloring until you get a deep black batter. 

Place Oreo cookies in a food processor and pulse until you get fine crumbs. Add melted butter and process again until incorporated. 

Line cupcake pan with baking cups and add about 1-2 Tablespoons of Oreo Cookie crumbs to the bottom of each baking cup. (I used a small cookie scoop) With the back of a small spoon, press and smooth out the crumbs so that it forms a packed crust that lines the bottom of the cupcake liner. Fill each of the baking cups three-fourths full with chocolate cream cheese mixture. 
Bake for 15 minutes. Cool for 20 minutes and then refrigerate for at least 2 hours. 
Once cooled, remove paper wrappers and dip the cheesecakes in black sugar sprinkles. Enjoy!

Other Halloween-inspired dishes to try:
Black Velvet Creme Cakes            Candy Corn Peppermint Patties            Candy Corn Sugar Cookies