When summer comes to a close, my mind immediately starts thinking about the exciting holidays coming up in the fall and winter. Every holiday is an excuse to cook up some delicious apps and dishes for friends and family. From football to hockey to Halloween to Christmas, this stretch between the end of the summer and New Year’s Eve is, to me, the most exciting time of year.

I came across these Halloween poppers on Pinterest about a year ago—they were everywhere! This year, I remembered them, and decided to whip up a delicious filling to put in these scary little appetizers. It only took one try to get this tasty recipe just the way I wanted, which is nothing shy of a miracle. The pumpkins, not so much…

It took me three tries to perfect these pumpkins. They’re actually brownies, which I wanted to cover with either orange chocolate or orange candies (those were the first two tries—not a success!). I finally tried coating them in orange frosting and rolling them in Halloween-themed sprinkles…success! These yummy treats are perfect for this year’s Halloween party or as a special snack to make with the kids.

Hallow-peño Popper Mummies

Ingredients:

10 jalepenos, halved

1 container of Pillsbury crescent rolls

4 oz. cream cheese

5 oz. cooked chicken, finely chopped

2 tbsp. seasoned bread crumbs

1 small garlic clove, minced

salt to taste

Candy eyeballs (usually available in local grocery stores during October)

Preheat oven to 375. Remove all seeds and white membranes from peppers (I recommend wearing gloves when doing this; the heat may burn your hands for a little while). Combine chicken, cream cheese, bread crumbs and garlic and mix well. Add salt to taste. Fill each jalapeno with stuffing. Open crescent rolls and slice long pieces of dough to wrap around the popper. Wrap, leaving enough room for the eyes. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Remove, let cool for two minutes, then place candy eyes on the poppers—feel free to use plastic googly eyes instead, just remember to remove them before eating! Serve poppers while hot.

Halloween Brownies…or Pumpkins!

Ingredients:

12 oz orange frosting

7 oz. sprinkles

1 package brownie mix (I used Betty Crocker fudge brownie mix – make sure you have the proper ingredients for the type of brownie mix you use)

14 tootsie rolls

28 candy eyes (available at most grocery stores in October)

Cook brownies according to package instructions. Let cool for 15 minutes, then freeze for 20 minutes or until firm. Then, scoop the cooked brownies out of the pan and mold into 1 ½ – 2 inch balls. Coat them with orange frosting, then roll in sprinkles. Place the tootsie roll in the top center. Frost the backsides of the candy eyes and place on the brownie. Makes about 14 pumpkins.