Cause A Frockus

Classic Halloween recipes

Oct 8, 2014 | by Becky Oeltjenbruns

Halloween is coming up – may the parties commence! If you’re hosting, there can be a lot to consider so we’re here to help you every step of the way. In addition to carefully picking your decorations and setting up fun games, you’ll want to select great food to keep your guests in awe of your retro party planning skills! We’ve already helped you with the general festivities, now let us present three authentically vintage snack options.

These treats are guaranteed to keep your guests happy and energized as they party on. With the 1958 edition of Good Housekeeping’s Ten P.M. Cook Book as our guide, check out these classic Halloween recipes and let us know what you’re serving in the comments…

Molasses-Popcorn Balls

Perhaps nothing says Fall like popcorn balls. These are easy to prepare and will be a sure hit. Keep in mind this will make about ten balls, so plan accordingly.

Ingredients
1-1/2 quart popped popcorn
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup light molasses
1/2 cup corn syrup
1-1/2 teaspoon vinegar
1-1/2 tablespoon butter (margarine is a great alternative)

Directions
Find a very large bowl that will comfortably hold all the popcorn. Place the popcorn in the bowl and sprinkle with salt, shaking it around to get it evenly distributed. In a saucepan, combine the molasses, corn syrup, and vinegar. Give it a quick stir and cook over medium-high heat until you’ve either achieved 240 degrees Fahrenheit or you remove a little dollop and you can shape it into a soft ball in cold water. (To figure out the temperature, you’ll want to use a candy thermometer – be sure to place this in the saucepan at the very beginning.)

Continue to cook until the temperature increases to 270 (or your mixture becomes a bit more fragile and brittle.) Quickly remove the mixture from heat and add in your butter. Stir gently, but don’t overdo it! Pour this yummy concoction over the popcorn and with a spoon, stir until the kernels are well coated.

Once this is done, shape the popcorn into small balls (about 2-1/2″ in diameter is recommended). Don’t push down to form the balls – you want a little bit of air in there, it shouldn’t feel like a solid mass. Top tip: grease your hands with melted butter before you form the balls – otherwise this becomes a tad frustrating!

Old-Fashioned Doughnuts

We all love a good doughnut and while it’s become trendy to serve gourmet flavors, the classics are hard to beat. Your guests will truly enjoy these and you’ll be impressed by how easy they are to prepare. The following ingredients will yield about 2-1/2 dozen yummy doughnuts.

Ingredients
3-1/2 cups sifted flour (all-purpose works well)
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground mace (allspice is an acceptable substitute)
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
3 tablespoon soft shortening
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup buttermilk

Directions
Sift the dry ingredients together (minus the sugar). In a separate bowl, mix together the eggs, shortening, sugar, and buttermilk. You’ll want to mix them thoroughly. Into this bowl add the dry mixture and beat until smooth. You’ll want to let the final product cool for at least an hour in the refrigerator.

After this break, sprinkle flour on a clean and dry surface. Roll the dough out until it’s 1/2″ thick roughly. With a doughnut cutter (floured of course), cut out the doughnuts. For all those trimmings, form into a ball, roll out again, and cut.

Next step is to fry them. For this, give the doughnuts a bath in shallow, heated oil. The book’s authors recommend about 1-1/2″ depth. When the doughnut rises to the top, turn it with a long fork, through the middle hole – you won’t want to pierce it. Turn it as many times as needed until the doughnut is golden brown.

Drain the warm doughnut on paper towels. You can serve as it is or if you want an extra sweet touch – dust with powdered sugar or a sugar/cinnamon mix.

Hot spiced pineapple juice

With all these sweet selections, your guests will want something to quench their thirst. This recipe screams Fall and has such a pretty color to it. Just think of all the fun ways you can display this beverage.

Ingredients
5 cups pineapple juice
Two sticks of cinnamon, about 2″ in length
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
Lemon slices
Cloves, to taste

Directions
Simmer the pineapple and cinnamon sticks over low heat for about ten minutes. Add in the sugar and lemon juice. Remove the cinnamon sticks. If you’d like, pour into cups and serve hot with lemon slices or cloves floating, as decoration. Keep in mind this will make about 8 servings.

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Cause A Frockus would like to thank Good Housekeeping, Home Cooking, UNL Food, and the people who post their imagery without restriction.

For our readers: What are you serving this year? How much sweet and savory do you plan on incorporating?

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