Castellon's Kitchen: Skull and Crossbones Cookies

Each year brings new challenges and sometimes the same challenges. For me, those challenges are with melting chocolate. I do this to myself each year with my Halloween blogs...I attempt to make something with melting chocolate. Ugh! My last few attempts using this confection were very challenging to say the least. I began to score my efforts with melting chocolate after I had a little success and last time I checked in, the score was Melting Chocolate 2, Castellon's Kitchen 1. But I think I've just tied the game against melting chocolate on this one. These skull and crossbone cookies turned out super duper cute and believe it or not, they look pretty much like I envisioned in my head, which is success in my book. Usually, my ideas in my head become a compromised version of what I imagined.

So even though I've tied the game with melting chocolate, I must admit that I went in for reinforcements and bought a melting chocolate warmer from Michael's. See? It's not cheating. It's getting a first round draft pick to assist. I was losing this fight with chocolate and I had to find a way to enjoy using these sweet little buggers. I needed help, don't judge me.😁

It's fantastic if you ask me! It melted the chocolate just perfectly and then kept it warm so it stayed easy to work with. Plus it cleaned up easily because the warming pot is silicone. After use, cool the chocolate and then break it apart and either toss it or store in a plastic bag for reuse. I think I'm going to win this battle against the Melts afterall!

Final score: Castellon's Kitchen- 2 (Double Yay!) Melting Chocolate- 2

Skull and Crossbones Cookies

Makes 2 dozen

2 bags white melting chocolate
24 Snack Factory® Pretzel Crisps®
48 Pretzel sticks
96 mini marshallows
2 T vegetable shortening (as needed)

Melt chocolate according to package directions. adding 1-2 T of vegetable shortening to thin out melting chocolate, if needed.

Use a fork to lower a pretzel crisp into chocolate to coat and tap fork against the side of the bowl to remove excess chocolate. Place chocolate covered pretzel on a parchment paper covered cookie sheet. Repeat with all pretzels.

Stick mini marshmallows on each end of the stick pretzels and then coat with chocolate. Place the second crossbone over the first one while the chocolate is still wet so that it will set as an "X" just under the skull.

Smear some chocolate on parchment paper and when it's almost set, use a sharp knife to cut 'teeth" for the skulls.

Let set and then break up the teeth and place teeth onto skull pretzel using the tip of the knife or tweezers. Avoid using your fingers as the chocolate will melt. If you don't want to go to the extra work of placing the teeth, use the tines of a fork to make an impression in the chocolate when almost set. Place cookies in the refrigerator for 10-20 minutes to completely cool the chocolate and then Enjoy!

Happy Halloween!