{ Orange Oreo Halloween Fudge }

Going along with the "Homemade Halloween Candy" theme, 

from Monday's post... today we're making 

Orange Oreo Halloween Fudge!

Because after all, there's no such thing as "too much sugar" on the week of Halloween. 

And of course, there's no such thing as Halloween without Orange Oreos. 

(These are my philosophies.)

To begin, grease & line an 8x8 inch pan (or cake pan) with parchment paper. 

In a saucepan, combine the butter, sugar, and 1/2 a can of evaporated milk on medium-high heat.

Stir constantly as the mixture comes to a boil, then continue to cook & stir for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Once removed from the heat, pour in the bag of white chocolate and add 1/2 the jar 

of marshmallow fluff. Stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.

Finally, fold in 1 and 1/2 cups of the crushed Orange Oreos and a pinch of salt. 

(The fudge will turn orange!)

Pour the fudge into your parchment lined pan, and smooth it out. 

(Eli finally found a use for this mallet...)

Sprinkle on the remaining 1/2 cup of crushed Orange Oreos, and press them in lightly.

Chill the fudge for about an hour, until firm. Then slice and enjoy!

~INGREDIENTS~

Makes about 25-30 small fudge bites.

1/2 cup of sugar

3/4 stick of butter

1/2 of a (5 oz) can of evaporated milk

1/2 of a (7 oz) jar of marshmallow fluff

1 (12 oz) bag of white chocolate chips

2 cups crushed Orange Halloween Oreos

A pinch of salt

(This recipe is cut in half from the original - which made more than enough for me! 

However, if you're making this fudge for a larger crowd, double the recipe above.)

{Recipe adapted via Lilyshop}

enjoy*

{ Homemade Halloween Candy: Twix Bars }

It's officially the week of Halloween!!!

In celebration, I'm sharing this super fun recipe for 

Homemade Halloween Candy!

Everyone has a favorite Halloween candy - and mine happens to be 

the crispy, caramel-y, chocolatey Twix bar. (What's yours?!)

These homemade bites of goodness taste just like the real thing, and they're such 

a yummy alternative to store-bought candy. Plus, baking & assembling them 

is a fun (and surprisingly simple) little Halloween activity, for all ages!

{This recipe & photography is also being shared with Lexi of Glitter, Inc. 

For additional photos, be sure to click here!}

~INGREDIENTS~

For the shortbread layer…

1 stick of softened butter

¼ cup sugar

1¼ cup flour

1 tbsp. milk

½ tsp. vanilla extract

A pinch of salt

Preheat your oven to 350 F, and prepare an 8x8 inch pan by greasing

and lining the bottom with parchment paper.

(I used a cake pan, since I don't have an 8x8 for some reason... 

It worked fine, though - just trimmed off the rounded edges!)

In a bowl, cream together the softened butter and sugar using an electric mixer. 

Once smooth, slowly incorporate the flour. Lastly, add in the milk and salt. 

The dough will be very crumbly, (this is normal!) 

Pour dough into the greased pan, and press down until packed in tight. 

Bake for about 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.

Once the shortbread is cooled, remove it from the pan and use a sharp knife to 

slice about 18 rectangles. (They don’t have to be perfect!) 

Line them up on a parchment lined baking sheet.

For the caramel layer…

About 20 unwrapped caramel squares (Kraft works well)

1 tsp. cream, or milk

Next, unwrap and microwave the caramels and cream, until melted. 

Using a spoon, carefully spread caramel onto the tops of each shortbread rectangle. 

(It helps if you let the caramel cool slightly after melting so that 

it doesn’t run off the sides of the shortbread.)

Place the caramel-layered shortbread into the freezer for about 5 minutes to set. 

For the chocolate coating…

1 (11.5 ounce) bag of milk chocolate chips 

2 tsp. coconut oil (optional)

While they are chilling, microwave the chocolate chips and 

coconut oil in 30-second increments, until melted.

Remove the caramel shortbread from the freezer. 

Flip each of the cookies over, and spread a thin layer of chocolate on the bottom.

Place the chocolate covered bottoms down onto the parchment paper, 

and refrigerate for another 5 minutes until the chocolate is set.

Finally, spread a thin layer of chocolate on the top and sides 

of each caramel shortbread cookie—in order to completely coat them.

For decorating…

Halloween sprinkles (optional)

Place them back onto the tray, decorate with each 

with Halloween sprinkles, and chill.

 Cover and store in the fridge or freezer until you’re ready to eat them! 

You could also wrap each individually and give them away to friends.

Sharing is caring! :)

Little side note...

(The only issue I had with this recipe is that the shortbread was not as crisp as an original Twix bar. To fix this, you could bake the shortbread off for another 5-10 minutes after slicing, like you would biscotti, to make it extra crisp. They’re still delicious either way, though!)

~INGREDIENTS~

{Makes 18 "fun size" Twix bars.}

For the shortbread layer…

1 stick of softened butter

¼ cup sugar

1¼ cup flour

1 tbsp. milk

½ tsp. vanilla extract

A pinch of salt

For the caramel layer…

About 20 unwrapped caramel squares (Kraft works well)

1 tsp. cream, or milk

For the chocolate coating…

1 (11.5 ounce) bag of milk chocolate chips

2 tsp. coconut oil (optional)

For decorating…

Halloween sprinkles (optional)

{Shortbread recipe adapted via Tablespoon}

enjoy*

{ Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Granola Bars }

I love the idea of making a huge batch of healthy, homemade granola bars 

during the weekend - and then being completely set on quick, 

grab & go snacks for the coming week.

Considering that I just began class this past Thursday, I figured I should finally 

try my hand at making homemade granola bars - for all the long school days to come. 

(And I know, it's crazy to think that I just now started my classes. UCLA functions 

on a quarter system, rather than by semesters, which makes for 

odd - and slightly obnoxious - scheduling...)

Anyway, I made sure that these granola bars were fit for the season, 

with the addition of - you guessed it - pumpkin. Can't get enough of that stuff. 

They taste sort of like an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie, with a hint of Fall spice, 

& they're really simple to make. 

Here's how:

Toast the oats, coconut, almonds & pumpkin seeds at 350 for 10-15 mins, 

until golden brown.

Once toasted, place them into a large bowl and allow them to cool. 

Add in oat flour (this holds everything together), chopped dates, coconut sugar, cinnamon, 

and nutmeg. Mix until evenly distributed throughout the toasted oat/coconut/nut mixture.

Once these dry ingredients are mixed, pour on the wet ingredients - pumpkin puree, 

applesauce, vanilla extract, melted almond butter, and melted coconut oil.

Stir until everything is moistened.

Lastly, fold in the mini chocolate chips. (If your toasted oats are 

still warm, the chocolate chips will melt - so make sure they've cooled!)

Pour the granola mixture onto a parchment lined baking 

sheet, form into a large rectangle with your desired thickness. 

Sprinkle on & press in some additional chocolate chips if you'd like.

Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes, until set. Let it cool, cut into bars & enjoy!

~~~

{You could also use a 9 by 9, or 8 by 8 inch pan to make these thicker. 

They may need to bake for a bit longer, though. I used the baking sheet because 

it was all I had. It worked fine, they were just a bit thinner - still chewy, though!}

~INGREDIENTS~

Toast these in the oven...

1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1/2 cup slivered almonds 

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

1 1/2 cup rolled oats

Dry ingredients...

1/3 cup of oat flour (rolled oats, blended until fine)

1 tbsp coconut sugar (or brown sugar...or even honey!)

10 dates, finely chopped
A sprinkle of nutmeg (optional)
1 tsp cinnamon


Wet ingredients...

1/4 cup pumpkin purée

1/2 cup apple sauce

1 tsp vanilla

2 tbsp. almond butter (or peanut butter)

1 tbsp. coconut oil

Fold in...

1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
(plus extra for sprinkling on top of bars before baking)

(The dates don't taste like much, they just add sweetness and chew. 

But you can leave them out, or replace them with raisins if you'd prefer!)

{Recipe adapted via Whole Foods: Chewy Coconut Granola Bars}

enjoy*