That flavorful time of year is upon us with apples, pumpkin everything, cinnamon, and more. This year, I wanted to give you two recipes for approachable, fun, and inexpensive dishes you can enjoy with friends and family at a home Halloween party or even for a horror movie marathon. Both are oldie but goodie dishes that everyone will enjoy!
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MUMMY DOGS
Ingredients
• 1 8-ounce tube of crescent dough
• 8 bun-length hot dog
• Yellow Mustard
• Ketchup
Preparation
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Open the crescent dough tube and unroll the dough onto a work surface. Pinch together the seams to create a rectangle. Cut the dough lengthwise into 8 long strips.
• Take a strip of dough and wind around the hot dog while pulling gently to stretch the dough. Crisscross the dough occasionally so it looks like the wrappings on a mummy.
• About ¾ of the way down, leave a narrow strip of hot dog exposed so you can add eyes after baking. Place the wrapped dog on the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough and hot dogs.
• Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes.
• Remove the hot dogs from the oven. Place a small dob of yellow mustard in the open area of the hot dog to create eyes. Using a toothpick, put a dab of ketchup in the center of each eye to make a pupil.
CARAMEL APPLES
Ingredients
• 2 cups of sugar
• ¼ cup of light corn syrup
• ½ cup of heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter
• ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
• Kosher salt
• 6 very crisp apples (such as Honeycrisp, Red Delicious, or Pink Lady) washed thoroughly and dried.
Instructions
• Add the sugar, corn syrup and 1/2 cup water to a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir a few times before the sugar begins to boil to combine the ingredients. Attach a candy thermometer to the inside of the pan and bring the syrup to a boil. Cook until the syrup begins to turn an amber color, then swirl the syrup to even out the color. Continue to cook until the syrup is a deep amber and the thermometer reads between 375 and 380 degrees F, then remove from the heat.
• Carefully pour in the cream while gently whisking to combine. Stir in the butter, vanilla and a pinch of salt until smooth.
• Pierce the apple through the stem end, about halfway through with candy apple sticks. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray.
When the temperature of the caramel reads around 190 degrees, dip an apple, using the stick as a handle and swirling to coat completely.
• Allow excess caramel to drip off the bottom and use a spatula to help remove any large amount of caramel. Repeat with the remaining apples, gently heating the caramel on the stovetop over low heat, stirring, if it gets too thick for dipping. Allow the caramel to set and cool completely before wrapping apples, about 1 hour.
Note: If you are going to add toppings, dip the apples into whatever topping you want immediately after coating with caramel.
Bon Appetit!