Baking is a tradition on Halloween, and aside from the cookies and cupcakes, there are other recipes, which can be used to make the occasion even more special. Below are a few recipes to get and keep you in the mood of ghosts, goblins and wicked black cats.

Wicked Cupcakes

1 ½ ounces fine-quality semisweet chocolate, chopped

¼ cups prune juice

¾ cup all-purpose flour

¾ cup sugar

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoons salt

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

? cup buttermilk

¼ cup vegetable oil

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Frosting:

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup of peanut butter (smooth or chunky)

4-ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

4 cups confectioners' sugar

2 tablespoons milk

1 drop food colouring (green), optional

Chocolate wafer cookies

Liquorice strips

Toasted coconut

Small candies

Special equipment: 12 (½-cup) muffin cups with paper liners

For the cupcakes: Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 300 degrees F. Set liners in muffin cups.

Put the chocolate and prune juice in a microwave safe bowl. Heat in the microwave on low power, stirring occasionally, until completely melted.

Whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In another bowl, beat the egg and yolk with an electric hand mixer at high speed until slightly thick and lemon coloured, about three minutes. Slowly add buttermilk, oil, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture to eggs, beating until thoroughly combined. Add the flour mixture and beat until just combined.

Divide the batter among muffin tins, filling them ½ of the way. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cupcakes comes out clean and the tops spring back when pressed gently, about 25 minutes. Cool the cupcakes in the tin on a rack for ten minutes then remove from the tin and cool completely.

For the frosting: Beat the butter, peanut butter, and cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually add the confectioners' sugar and milk mixing until the frosting is smooth. Add food colouring as desired. Refrigerate the frosting until firm.

To decorate the cakes: For the witch's hat, score a circle in the middle of a cupcake. Cut a deep cone-like shape with a knife held at an angle. Rotate the cupcake to complete the circle and remove the centre. Repeat with all the cupcakes. Generously scoop or pipe enough frosting into the centre of each cupcake to fill the whole and to come over the cake to make a face. Top with a chocolate wafer cookie. Put a dot of frosting in the middle of the wafer cookie and invert the cone shaped piece of cake on top to make a witches hat. Use skinny liquorice, toasted coconut or cereal flakes for hair and candies for eyes and/or nose. Refrigerate for up to 30 minutes before serving.

Cheese Eyeballs Recipe

½ lb (2 c) Cheddar cheese, grated

½ cup Margarine

½ tsp Salt

1 tsp Paprika

1 cup Flour

6 oz Bottle stuffed green olives

Preheat oven to 400°F. Shred cheese in work bowl of food processor, then place metal chopping blade in work bowl and add margarine. Combine salt, paprika, and flour in separate bowl. Turn on food processor, and slowly add flour mixture through the feed tube. Stop processing as soon as ingredients are combined. Measure approximately one tsp of this mixture and form an "eyeball" around an olive. Turn the olive in the eyeball so that it is staring outward. This recipe will yield about 24 eyeballs. Line up the eyeballs on an un-greased cookie sheet. Bake in the oven for approximately 15 minutes.

Cool Spider Cupcakes

24 baked cupcakes, paper liners removed

1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP, thawed

Chocolate sprinkles

Black liquorice pieces and small candies for garnish

Frost tops and sides of cupcakes with whipped topping. Decorate with chocolate sprinkles. Insert liquorice pieces into tops of cupcakes to create spider legs. Top with candies for eyes.

Dinner In A Pumpkin

For a Halloween treat, paint a face on the pumpkin with acrylic paints before it's baked.

1 medium pumpkin

1 lb ground beef sautéed with onions, celery and pepper (I just used the beef)

¼ cup soy sauce

2 Tbs brown sugar

4 oz mushrooms (fresh or canned, sliced and drained)

1 can cream of chicken soup

2 cups hot cooked rice

Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a ten-inch circle in centre of a baking sheet; set aside. Place pumpkin on a firm surface. Using a sharp knife cut out stem end and about three inches around stem. Cut on a diagonal by slanting knife from outer edge of pumpkin in toward centre. Reserve top. Remove seeds and pulp; discard.

In a medium bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients. Spoon mixture into pumpkin. Replace top. Place pumpkin on greased baking sheet. Bake about one hour in preheated oven until pumpkin is tender. Serve cooked pumpkin along with meat filling. Makes 6-8 servings.

1 tub (8 oz.) Cool Whip

Frozen blueberries or raisins

1½ cups boiling water

1 pkg. (8-serving size) JELL-O, any red flavour

1 cup cold water

Ice cubes

Using a small ice cream scoop, place two scoops whipped topping into each of ten dessert dishes for eyeballs.

Place a blueberry or raisin in each scoop for the pupil. Freeze 30 minutes or until firm.

Meanwhile, stir boiling water into gelatine in large bowl at least two minutes until completely dissolved. Mix cold water and ice cubes to make 2½ cups. Add to gelatine, stirring until slightly thickened. Remove any remaining ice. Pour about ½ cup gelatine around each eyeball, leaving the top of the eyeball exposed.

Refrigerate 1½ hours or until firm.

Ghosts in the Graveyard

Package (16 oz.) chocolate sandwich cookies

3½ cups cold milk

2 package (4-serving size) Chocolate Instant Pudding

1 tub (12 oz.) Cool Whip, thawed

Crush cookies in zipper-style plastic bag with rolling pin or in food processor.

Pour cold milk into large bowl. Add pudding mixes. Beat with wire whisk two minutes. Let stand five minutes. Stir in three cups of the whipped topping and ½ of the crushed cookies. Spoon into 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining crushed cookies.

Refrigerate one hour or until ready to serve. Store leftover dessert in refrigerator.

To Decorate Graveyard: Decorate assorted cookies with decorator icings to make tombstones. Stand tombstones on top of dessert with candy corn and pumpkins.

Drop dollops of remaining whipped topping onto dessert to make ghosts.

Boo Cups: Layer pudding mixture and remaining crushed cookies in 12 to 16 paper or plastic cups. Decorate as desired.

Popcorn Balls

2 ½ quarts popped popcorn

1 14-oz package light caramels

¼ cup light corn syrup

2 tbsps 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.

Ghost Cookies

Using your favourite cookie recipe, you can shape the cookies into little ghosts. Your kids can decorate them with different colour icing, or use M&M's right after they are taken out of the oven.