Gingerbread Ghosts

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/3 cup molasses
2 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt

In a large bowl, blend together the sugar and butter. Add the molasses. Fold in the sifted flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a large baking sheet.
On a lightly floured board, roll out the dough until it is 1/8 inch thick. Cut out the cookie with a ghost-shaped cookie cutter and place on the baking sheet. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let cool throughly on a wire rack before decorating with frosting.

Chocolate Spiders

4 cups semisweet chocolate baking chips 
Melt chocolate chips in top of double boiler. Let stand over the water until water is cool, about 10 minutes. Place wax paper on cookie sheet. Pour chocolate into a pastry bag that is fitted with a 1/8-inch or 1/4-inch tip. Squeeze chocolate onto wax paper in the shape of spiders. If chocolate is runny it needs to be cooled longer. Chill the spiders for about 10 minutes. When hard peel off wax paper. Store in refrigerator laid flat.

Popcorn Balls

2 ½ quarts popped popcorn 
1 14-oz package light caramels 
1/4 cup light corn syrup 
2 table spoons water 
Keep popcorn warm in a 200 degree oven. Melt caramels in top of double boiler over simmering water. Add corn syrup and water and mix until smooth. Slowly pour over popcorn in a large bowl. Stir to mix well. With greased hands, shape into balls about the size of softballs. Let cool completely before wrapping with plastic wrap.

Witches Fingers

1 cup butter, softened 
1 cup icing sugar 
1 egg 
1 tsp almond extract 
1 tsp vanilla 
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour 
1 tsp baking powder 
1 tsp salt 
3/4 cup whole blanched almonds 
1 tube red decorator gel 
In bowl beat together butter, sugar, egg, almond extract and vanilla; beat in flour; baking powder and salt. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Working with one-quarter of the dough at a time and keeping remaining dough refrigerated, roll heaping teaspoons full of dough into finger shape for each cookie. Press almond firmly into one end for nail.
Squeeze in center to create knuckle shape. Using a paring knife make slashes in several places to form knuckle. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet in 325 degree over for 20-25 minutes or until pale or golden. Let cool for three minutes.
Lift up almond; squeeze red decorator gel onto nail bed and press almond back in place so gel oozes out from underneath. Remove from cookie sheet and let cool. Repeat with remaining dough. Makes about 5 doz fingers!

Creepy crawlers

12 large apples
1 8-ounce jar raspberry jam
4 tablespoons butter
12 gummy worms

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Core apples from the stem end to 1/2 inch from the bottom. Do not push through. Stuff each hole with 1 teaspoon each jam and butter.
Place in a pan and bake uncovered for 35 to 45 minutes, depending on the size of the apples. When done, the apple should be tender but not mushy. Remove the apples from the oven. Let cool 15 minutes.
Now set each apple in a bowl and spoon syrup from the baking pan around it. In top of each apple, insert a gummy worm with at least half of its body protruding.
Makes 12