Thursday, October 27, 2011

Ghost Cheese Cupcakes for Halloween

    Halloween...

It's creepy and it's kooky,
mysterious and spooky...

But isn't it fun?!

Colorful, decorative, with memories that make you shiver, laugh, and howl.

Did you run down the street when you went trick or treating?


 Did you play pranks or were you the polite person who said please and thank you after "Trick or treat"?

Did you love wearing masks? Did you shun them because you couldn't breathe?

Did you have the one friend who loved to jump from around corners and scare the spit out of you?

What was your favorite candy? What candy did you absolutely hate?

Did you ever perform in a Halloween play? Do you like books about ghouls, ghosts, witches, the paranormal? Do you like a regular book that has a slightly paranormal element?  Did you love the TV show Bewitched?

Have these questions made you wade through memories? If so, mission accomplished. I did, too. And I've been smiling throughout.

One of the other things I remember is having Halloween parties. Pizza, candy, orange-colored everything.  Cupcakes should always be part of a party, don't you think? And if you can make them "spooky" for Halloween, all the better.

I got these cute cupcake liners (up, to the left) at, of all places, Barnes and Noble bookstore. Aren't they adorable? There were enough for 2 dozen cupcakes. I made one dozen cupcakes and a 9 x 9 sheet cake, so I still have a dozen cupcake decorations for next year. Yay!

Note: This recipe will make 2 dozen cupcakes or 1 dozen cupcakes and one 9 x 9 cake. Perfect for kids and adults.


GHOST CHEESE CUPCAKES
GLUTEN-FREE

INGREDIENTS:

         1 1/2 cups sweet white rice flour
         3/4 cup tapioca flour
         1 teaspoon Kosher salt
         1 teaspoon baking soda
         3 teaspoons baking powder
         1 teaspoon xanthan gum
         4 eggs
         1 1/4 cups white sugar
         2/3 cup Best Foods mayonnaise (GF)
         1 cup milk
         2 teaspoons gluten-free vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).


Mix the sweet rice flour, tapioca flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and xanthan gum together and set aside.

Mix the eggs, sugar, and mayonnaise until fluffy. 

Add milk and vanilla and mix well. Add the flour mixture. Mix well again.

Using soup ladle, pour batter into the cupcakes liners. 

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 15-17 minutes. 
Cakes are done when they spring back when lightly touched 
or when a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.

Put on wire rack to cool so they don’t get “moist” on the bottom.

Let cool completely then frost, if desired.

FROSTING:
4 oz. goat cheese  - room temperature
3 oz. cream cheese – room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar (more if necessary)
½ cup pure maple syrup

Mix all in a blender. 

May be saved in the refrigerator in an air-tight container.


NOTE: this recipe can be made "normally". Just replace the flour with regular flour and don't use the xanthan gum. And you can use real vanilla




 Boo!





We're having mini-CONTESTS some days this week. 
Leave a comment TODAY answering one of the questions above, 
and you'll be entered for today's contest. 
I'm giving away these perfect-for-fall coasters! 
Absorbent, made by "Counter Art."
Not scary at all.








The winner will be announced in a post right before midnight tonight, EDT.





* * * * * * * *
 

23 comments:

  1. Yummmm. My favorite Halloween memory was coming home from school to discover my mom had gotten me a present-a Disney Halloween record! I loved it! I was a polite kid-never playing pranks. Although Snickers are the preferred treat, it's not Halloween without candy corn and Smarties!(In fact-I just reached for some Smarties now.Yes, I raid the Halloween candy consistently.) I also adore books with a paranormal twist. And who doesn't love Bewitched? Thanks for the stroll down memory lane and Happy Halloween!

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  2. Candy corn...I remember chasing pieces of it that had escaped under the furniture--when I could still fit under the furniture. Now it's Milky Ways, which I eat only on Halloween (that bag I hide from the local kids--we had over 100 come to our door last year).

    This recipe sounds like fun, if I can track down the flours (I have a wealth of xanthan gum). And I've found that my cat Dexter likes goat cheese. He can help with clean-up.

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  3. Me and my friend used to play pranks. Oh what fun times they were.

    My favorite candy was the Baby Ruth bar.

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  4. I definitely was not a mask person. Heck, I never even wore turtle-necks when I was a kid because I was afraid I would suffocate while pulling it over my head. :) My favorite costume was a Little House on the Prairie style dress that my mother made for me. Not scary at all and perfectly fine with me, I've always hated being scared!

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  5. Katreader, I raid the candy closet too. And I don't get greeters in my neighborhood any more. Waah. Too steep hills. So I get a bag that I break out and send to the "kids" in my family keeping the Tootsie Rolls and pops for me.

    ~Avery

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  6. Sheila, this recipe can be made normally, just replace the flour with regular flour and don't use the xanthan gum. And you can use real vanilla. I'm going to go back and insert this note beneath the recipe! Thanks for the reminder.

    ~Avery

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  7. Busy Mom, a prankster? Did your folks know? Bwahahaha.
    ~Avery

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  8. Janel, the fear of getting stuck when pulling something over your head I totally get. I did that when I was about eight. Still remember the sweater. It was read and scratchy and I could NOT breath. The shrieks!! I still get a closed in feeling on elevators, full planes, and packed rooms or even packed streets (like New York's Broadway during the holidays - yipes!).

    ~Avery

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  9. I just love reading. I recently finished the first two books from "A Witchcraft Mystery" by Juliet Blackwell. Plus, I just placed an order for my first Krista Davis books and am looking forward to diving in. I have really enjoyed reading your books and love your recipes. Thanks for keeping me entertained.

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  10. Honestly, I did put my name in the comment above. Sorry. It's Jenni. Love your books. Keep them coming.

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  11. Interview with a Halloween junkie:
    Q: Did you play pranks or were you the polite person who said please and thank you after "Trick or treat"?
    A: I was always the polite one but still had plenty of fun. Polite kids get lots of treats! Loved the candy and being a secret somebody out in the evening streets!
    Q: Did you love wearing masks? Did you shun them because you couldn't breathe?
    A: I never liked wearing masks as they did inhibit breathing. However, I loved costumes and makeup. I still do to this day in fact. Halloween is the one night a year that everyone, adults included, can be someone else for once. It is fun to step out of yourself for the evening and be anything you want!
    Q: Did you have the one friend who loved to jump from around corners and scare the spit out of you?
    A: As I grew up the very youngest of four children, it was my older brother and sisters that loved to scare me. Halloween was not the only good time to scare their baby sister…they loved to hide in closets or around corners to scare me all times of the year! Thinking back though, this family fun and our Halloween pranks probably supported my love of Halloween today!
    Q: What was your favorite candy?
    A: My favorite candy growing up was always Rockets. Now it would be anything that includes chocolate!
    Q: What candy did you absolutely hate?
    A: I could not stand Halloween kisses! I could always rely on my Dad and brother to eat any candy I didn’t like…and even some I did! Funny how the Halloween bag was always a little lighter in the morning than it was when I went to bed the night before!
    Q: Did you ever perform in a Halloween play?
    A: I never performed in a Halloween play, though in retrospect that would have been fun!
    Q: Do you like books about ghouls, ghosts, witches, the paranormal?
    A:I absolutely love paranormal fiction that includes witches. If that is intertwined in a cozy mystery…even better! We all need a little bit of ‘magic’ in our lives!
    Q: Do you like a regular book that has a slightly paranormal element?
    A: The addition of a slight paranormal element can add a bit of excitement and ‘magic’ to any book.
    Q: Did you love the TV show Bewitched?
    A: I loved watching reruns of Bewitched growing up. Now I own all the seasons in DVD to watch again! I even had my picture taken with the bewitched statue in MA on my honeymoon!
    Q: Have these questions made you wade through memories?
    A: These questions have absolutely reminded me of some wonderful memories! Thank you for the opportunity…and for your fantastic books as well!

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  12. Unknown - thanks for chiming in! Juliet's books are so much fun and Krista's you will adore!

    ~Avery

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  13. KittCatt - you have the DVD set of Bewitched? Wow. You're hooked! Thanks for all the answers. And the compliment. :)

    ~Avery

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  14. Did you play pranks or were you the polite person who said please and thank you after "Trick or treat"? Polite, for which I'm now grateful, as looking back, most pranks were played on elderly neighbors. As one today, I can appreciate that pranks aren't fun.

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  15. I love this cool Halloween treat! And...no, I sure didn't like wearing those masks. All that condensation! :)

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  16. Fun prize and the recipe rocks! Happy Halloween, Avery! ~ Cleo

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  17. I sometimes read books with a little twist but I prefer the cooking/mystery or book shop/mystery books. I like the chop 'em up & kill 'em too. I remember those wax teeth and the little wax bottles with some sort of liquid inside. We would trick or treat around our neighborhood & then go to my grandmother's house & trick or treat there too!!!

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  18. I remember being scared out of my wits when a huge guy dressed as Frankenstein came down our dark street on Halloween night with his hands outstretched and doing that lumbering, stumbling monster walk - never letting up once. And I was the adult taking my kids around the block. I'm a chicken! I will have to buy Milky Way and Almond Joy for the kids this year and take my cut off the top.
    The coasters are adorable!

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  19. I loved reading all these memories! Unknown, I hope you enjoy my books!

    ~ Krista

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  20. Krista,

    I am sure that I will love your books too. I have been meaning to get them and time just gets away from me somehow. All of the books that I have read from any of your group have been wonderful. As a matter of fact, after I read them I pass them onto my 77 year old Great Aunt Rose. She reads them as well and loves them all. Keep up the GREAT WORK!!! I truly enjoy the work that all of you is doing.

    Jenni

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  21. Dr Bombay, Dr Bombay, help me win the coasters today!

    Yes, I watched "Bewitched" on the original run of the series. and even liked both Darin's.

    Even my daughter is named Samantha. :o)
    Tonya
    bubs (dot) girl (at) yahoo (dot) com

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  22. Tonya, you are too cute. You liked both Darins? So did I, actually. Were they really different? LOL. And your daughter is Samantha. Fun, fun. Can you wiggle your nose?

    ~Avery

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