Halloween is quickly approaching but during COVID-19 trick or treat has been suspended in most states for our grandchildren.

As grandparents you’ve likely been thinking about fun activities to do with your grandchild/ren. Whether you’re at home, there are plenty of ways to make this a fun "Halloween Spooktacular” a night to remember.

Here are a few ideas to get started:

Spooky and sweet treats like baking sweets with your sweeties is a great way to teach them kitchen skills, pass down family recipes and have fun. For your little grandchildren who are not quite at the stage of measuring out ingredients, opt out for desserts that you can decorate. Grandchild/ren can easily top sugar cookies and cupcakes with icing and sprinklers - pick festive Halloween colors like purple, green and orange. Here is a recipe for the little grandchildren to enjoy Halloween.

Googly Eyes Pretzels

Ingredients
• Square Pretzel Snaps
• Hershey Kisses or Hugs
• Googly Eyes
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees F.
2. Place pretzels flat on baking tray. Remove all broken pieces.
3. Unwrap Hershey kisses and place on top each of the pretzels. If using Hershey Hugs, they melt faster then plain milk chocolate so adjust the baking time
4. Place baking tray in oven for 10 minutes (less for Hugs) until kisses get shiny and soften.
5. Immediately remove from the oven, place m & m on top. Place them in refrigerator or freezer to set, about 15 minutes.

For our grandchild/ren who are a little older and can follow directions, we can spend the afternoon creating an edible haunted house made with cookies, golden graham cereal and candy. This dessert is to die for!!!

Here is a recipe for the older grandchild/ren to enjoy Halloween.

Haunted House Cookie Dough

Yields: 1

Cook Time: 5 hours 0 mins

Total Time: 8 hours 0 mins

Ingredients

12 c. all-purpose flour

4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

2 c. cornstarch

4 c. unsalted butter

4 c. granulated sugar

1 1/2 c. canola oil

2 tbsp. pure vanilla extract

1 tbsp. kosher salt

8 large eggs

Directions:

Heat oven to 375°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together 3 cups flour, 1 cup cocoa powder and ½ cup cornstarch.
Using an electric mixer on medium-high heat, beat together 1 cup butter, 1 cup sugar, 2 Tbsp. oil, 2 tsp vanilla and 1 tsp salt until smooth, about 2 minutes. Beat in 2 eggs. Reduce mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture, mixing just until incorporated. Transfer dough to a clean bowl, covering loosely with plastic wrap, and repeat 3 more times to make 4 total batches of dough (keep batches separate).
Divide 1 batch of dough into 2 pieces and roll between sheets of parchment to ¼ in. thick. Repeat with the second batch of dough. Divide and roll the third batch of dough to 1/8 in. thick pieces. Refrigerate the rolled dough pieces for 20 minutes, or until firm.

Meanwhile, to make the ground piece that will go under the house, roll the remaining batch of dough into a rough 15-in. oval and place on a prepared baking sheet. Bake until firm, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

From the 1/8-in.-thick dough, using the templates, cut out the door, windows and shutters (save the scraps). From the ¼-in. rolled dough pieces, using the templates, cut out the remaining house pieces, rerolling scraps as needed. Arrange the pieces, in like sizes, on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 1-in. apart (you will bake the cookies in batches; chill the unbaked dough until ready to bake).
In batches, bake the cookies until firm, 15 to 20 minutes, depending on cookie size. Let cool on the baking sheets, about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Reduce oven temperature to 175°F. Arrange the cookies on wire racks about ¼-in. apart. Transfer to the oven along with the ground piece and allow to dry for 1½ to 2 hours, or let stand in the oven overnight with the heat off.
Make 2 batches of royal icing (you will have about 7 cups). Tint 2 cups brown and transfer to a pastry bag with a fine tip. Transfer 1 cup of the remaining icing to a pastry bag with a fine tip. Separate the remaining icing into thirds and tint 1 gray, 1 orange and 1 purple. Transfer ½ cup of each color to separate pastry bags fitted with fine tips. Use a few drops of water to thin the remaining icing for flooding and place in separate resealable plastic bags; snip off 1/16-in. from the corner.
Using the thicker icing (in the pastry bags), outline the windows, shutters and overhang pieces, then fill using the flooding icing. Let dry completely, then use the thicker icing to decorate.
Using the brown icing, glue shutters to wide windows at a slight angle. Let dry completely. Affix windows to front and sides of house using small dollops of icing. Let dry completely.
To assemble the base box, pipe a line of brown icing down the long edge of 1 side piece and attach to the back piece, standing upright. Pipe brown icing onto 2 conjoining sides of the base and slide into place in the crook of the 2 standing pieces, then add the remaining side. Carefully adhere the front to the base and sides and set aside to dry.
To assemble the roof, outline the front of the platform with brown icing. Pipe brown icing on 1 side of a roof side piece and attach to the roof back so that both pieces are slanted inward and resting on the platform. Repeat with remaining sides then top with the rooftop. Set aside to dry.
To assemble the attic, pipe a line of brown icing down the edge of an attic side and attach to the attic back. Repeat with remaining 2 sides to form a box. Pipe a line of brown icing around the rim of the box, then pipe icing on one edge of an attic roof side piece and attach to the attic roof back so that both pieces are slanted inward and resting on the rim of the box. Repeat with remaining sides then top with the attic roof. Set aside to dry.
To assemble the doorway, pipe a line of brown icing along the edges of the 2 entryway side pieces and attach to the front entryway. Pipe brown icing around the top edge and add the top of the entryway. Allow to dry before affixing the decorated overhang.
When all pieces are dry, begin assembling the house. Pipe a line of brown icing around the top edges of the base box then gently place the roof platform on top. Add the attic by piping a line of brown icing around the bottom of the box and gently pressing onto the roof, leaving ½-in. space at the front and back (enough room for candy corns). Once the house has dried completely, adhere to the ground piece using royal icing.
Pipe brown icing along the back edges of the entryway then slide into position at the front of the house between the 2 long windows. Add the wafer cookie stairs then glue the door to the entryway with a dab of icing. Follow the slide show to complete the decorating details.
Tip: Reinforce your house by piping lines of brown icing over the seams after the pieces are assembled.

Grandparents during this “Spooktacular” holiday it’s all about balance. We can enjoy a of hair raising excitement without giving our grandchild/ren nightmares if you pick the movies. Grandparents here is a list of family-friendly recommendations:

Casper
Hocus Pocus
Halloweentown
Mostly Ghostly
Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween
Goose Bumps
Monster house

DON’T FORGET THE POPCORN!!!!!

Grandparents let’s read some “Spooktacular Stories” to our grandchild/ren, that means you’ll have to leave “Stephen King” on the shelves and consider diving into these tales come Halloween. Grandparents here is a list of books for enjoying this Halloween:

Harry Potter
Room On The Broom
The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid Of Anything
The Night Before Halloween
I Spy Halloween
Spooky Pookie
Coraline
Dracula

Grandparents Halloween is fun for all ages from the young to the young at heart. Whether you watch a movie or gather around the fireplace for story time, spend this special holiday enjoying your grandchild/ren!!!!

Grandparents Creating Halloween Fun Activities With Their Grandchildren

Halloween is quickly approaching but during COVID-19 trick or treat has been suspended in most states for our grandchildren.

As grandparents you’ve likely been thinking about fun activities to do with your grandchild/ren. Whether you’re at home, there are plenty of ways to make this a fun "Halloween Spooktacular” a night to remember.

Here are a few ideas to get started:

Googly Eyes Pretzels

For our grandchild/ren who are a little older and can follow directions, we can spend the afternoon creating an edible haunted house made with cookies, golden graham cereal and candy. This dessert is to die for!!!

Here is a recipe for the older grandchild/ren to enjoy Halloween.

Haunted House Cookie Dough

Yields: 1

Cook Time: 5 hours 0 mins

Total Time: 8 hours 0 mins

Ingredients

12 c. all-purpose flour

4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder

2 c. cornstarch

4 c. unsalted butter

4 c. granulated sugar

1 1/2 c. canola oil

2 tbsp. pure vanilla extract

1 tbsp. kosher salt

8 large eggs

﻿

Directions:

Heat oven to 375°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk together 3 cups flour, 1 cup cocoa powder and ½ cup cornstarch.

Divide 1 batch of dough into 2 pieces and roll between sheets of parchment to ¼ in. thick. Repeat with the second batch of dough. Divide and roll the third batch of dough to 1/8 in. thick pieces. Refrigerate the rolled dough pieces for 20 minutes, or until firm.

Meanwhile, to make the ground piece that will go under the house, roll the remaining batch of dough into a rough 15-in. oval and place on a prepared baking sheet. Bake until firm, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

In batches, bake the cookies until firm, 15 to 20 minutes, depending on cookie size. Let cool on the baking sheets, about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Reduce oven temperature to 175°F. Arrange the cookies on wire racks about ¼-in. apart. Transfer to the oven along with the ground piece and allow to dry for 1½ to 2 hours, or let stand in the oven overnight with the heat off.

Using the thicker icing (in the pastry bags), outline the windows, shutters and overhang pieces, then fill using the flooding icing. Let dry completely, then use the thicker icing to decorate.

Using the brown icing, glue shutters to wide windows at a slight angle. Let dry completely. Affix windows to front and sides of house using small dollops of icing. Let dry completely.

To assemble the roof, outline the front of the platform with brown icing. Pipe brown icing on 1 side of a roof side piece and attach to the roof back so that both pieces are slanted inward and resting on the platform. Repeat with remaining sides then top with the rooftop. Set aside to dry.

To assemble the doorway, pipe a line of brown icing along the edges of the 2 entryway side pieces and attach to the front entryway. Pipe brown icing around the top edge and add the top of the entryway. Allow to dry before affixing the decorated overhang.

Pipe brown icing along the back edges of the entryway then slide into position at the front of the house between the 2 long windows. Add the wafer cookie stairs then glue the door to the entryway with a dab of icing. Follow the slide show to complete the decorating details.

Tip: Reinforce your house by piping lines of brown icing over the seams after the pieces are assembled.

Grandparents during this “Spooktacular” holiday it’s all about balance. We can enjoy a of hair raising excitement without giving our grandchild/ren nightmares if you pick the movies. Grandparents here is a list of family-friendly recommendations:

Casper

Hocus Pocus

Halloweentown

Mostly Ghostly

Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween

Goose Bumps

Monster house

DON’T FORGET THE POPCORN!!!!!

Grandparents let’s read some “Spooktacular Stories” to our grandchild/ren, that means you’ll have to leave “Stephen King” on the shelves and consider diving into these tales come Halloween. Grandparents here is a list of books for enjoying this Halloween:

Harry Potter

Room On The Broom

The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid Of Anything

The Night Before Halloween

I Spy Halloween

Spooky Pookie

Coraline

Dracula

Grandparents Halloween is fun for all ages from the young to the young at heart. Whether you watch a movie or gather around the fireplace for story time, spend this special holiday enjoying your grandchild/ren!!!!

Text Copyright @ 2020 By Gloria Williams Founder/President