How to Make Ghosts in the Graveyard

Two Methods:Make the Cookie PizzaMake the Appetizer

A ghosts in the graveyard tray makes a fantastically creepy Halloween presentation. You can choose between making either a sweet cookie pizza version for dessert or a non-sweet veggie and crackers version as an appetizer.

Ingredients

Ghosts in the Graveyard Cookie Pizza

  • 1 pkg. prepared chocolate chip cookie dough
  • 2 cans chocolate buttercream frosting
  • 5 to 8 chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed
  • 1 cup confectioner's sugar
  • 1 tbsp. milk
  • 1 tbsp. corn syrup
  • 3 drops almond or vanilla extract
  • Assorted pre-made cookies (rectangular shapes for tombstones, ghost shapes, etc.)
  • Decorative Halloween candy or black and orange sprinkles (optional)

Ghosts in the Graveyard Appetizer

  • 1 10-oz. (284 g) container of prepared hummus
  • 1/2 cup spinach, chopped
  • 8 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
  • Fresh celery spears, leaves intact
  • Fresh broccoli spears
  • Black olives
  • Crackers in assorted shapes
  • Pretzels (combination of pretzel-shaped and sticks) or baby carrots

Method 1
Make the Cookie Pizza

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    Set out your packaged cookie dough and let it reach room temperature.
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    Preheat your oven to the temperature specified on the cookie dough package.
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    Spray a round pizza pan or baking stone with nonstick cooking spray.
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    Place the cookie dough onto the round pan. Roll it into a circle, leaving 1-1/2" (4 cm) between the edge of the dough and the edge of the pan so that the cookie can expand.
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    Bake the cookie dough for the time specified on the package. Check the dough after the cooking time has elapsed. If the edges are too brown and the center is underdone, cover the edges with aluminum foil and continue baking the cookie until the center is set.
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    Remove the cookie from the oven and allow it to cool completely. Spread buttercream frosting over the cooled surface of the cookie using an offset spatula. Sprinkle the frosting with crushed cookie crumbs to create the "dirt" for your graveyard.
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    Whisk together the confectioner's sugar, milk, corn syrup and almond or vanilla extract in a bowl. This icing will serve as a glaze that you can use to decorate your cookies.
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    Separate your icing into 2 different bowls. Put 2/3 of the icing in one bowl and 1/3 of the icing in another bowl. The smaller quantity is icing that you will dye black for lettering and other decorations.
    • If you don't have black food coloring, mix 1 teaspoon of red, 1 teaspoon of yellow and 3 teaspoons of blue food coloring in a separate bowl. Then, add it to the icing that you've set aside for lettering.
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    • Use a pastry bag with a 3/4" (2 cm) tip for decorating with the icing.
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    Decide how you want to decorate your graveyard elements. These will serve as the gravestones and ghosts in your graveyard. Use some of these ideas for inspiration:
    • Cover ghost-shaped cookies with white icing. Outline the cookie with icing and let it dry. Fill in the cookie with squiggles of white icing. Use a toothpick to spread the icing squiggles flat so that they cover the surface of the cookie. Let them dry and add black dots for eyes.
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    • Write "R.I.P." in white icing on top of chocolate-covered rectangular cookies. If your cookies are light in color, use black icing for the lettering. You can also make smaller gravestones by cutting round cookies in half.
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    • Cover cat-shaped cookies in black icing and give them two white eyes. You can do the same with bat-shaped cookies, and you can add fangs.
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    Allow your decorated cookies to dry. Set them upright in the buttercream frosting to create your spooky graveyard. Sprinkle Halloween candies or sprinkles over the top of the frosting, if desired.

Method 2
Make the Appetizer

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    Fold the spinach and the hummus together in a bowl using a flat plastic spatula.
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    Spread the hummus mixture over a rectangular dip tray or other shallow tray. This mixture will serve as the grassy surface of your graveyard.
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    Place the celery spears and broccoli spears upright in one corner of the tray. These veggies are the "trees" in your graveyard.
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    Cut eye and mouth slits into your hard-boiled eggs with a sharp paring knife. Stuff olive pieces into the holes using a toothpick to create facial features for your "ghosts."
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    Decorate your crackers with an edible marker (you can find these at craft stores). The crackers are your tombstones.
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    Place pretzel sticks or baby carrots upright in each corner of the dip tray. Press them into the hummus so that they stand up straight.
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    Use pretzels between the sticks or carrots to build the fence for your graveyard. You can also build the fence with upright carrots, if you wish.
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    Scatter the "ghosts" and "tombstones" throughout the graveyard. Your guests will disassemble the graveyard, dipping the crackers and other elements in the hummus as an appetizer.

Tips

  • You can use any kind of prepared cookie dough to make the cookie pizza.
  • If you don't own pastry bag with tips, you can snip a tiny corner out of a plastic resealable bag to use as a substitute for a pastry bag. Pour your decorative icing into the bag and squeeze it out of the snipped opening to decorate.
  • Look for pre-made decorator icing at your grocery store or cooking supply store if you're in a rush and don't have time to make decorative icing at home.

Warnings

  • Hard-boiled eggs shouldn't be left out a room temperature for more than 2 hours. Store peeled eggs in a bowl of cold water in the refrigerator for up to a week. Change the water daily.

Things You'll Need

  • Round pizza pan or baking stone
  • Nonstick cooking spray
  • Aluminum foil
  • Offset spatula
  • Whisk
  • 2 bowls
  • Black food coloring
  • Pastry bag with 3/4" tip
  • Bowl
  • Flat plastic spatula
  • Sharp paring knife
  • Toothpick
  • Edible marker

Sources and Citations

Article Info

Categories: Halloween Food & Treats