Every year I try to find one new addition for my collection of Halloween recipes.  I think this one is going to be the one this year.  Until now, I had never even heard of pumpkin dip.  This sounds like it would be good with ginger snaps or vanilla wafers…like mini pumpkin pies for my Halloween party.

Easy Pumpkin Dip

• 2 blocks of cream cheese, softened (8 ounces each)
• 1 large can plain pumpkin (30 ounces)
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 tsp. ginger

Whip together all ingredients with a hand mixer, and you’re done!  Serve on a platter with ginger snaps and/or vanilla wafers.  Or, hollow out a small pumpkin and place dip inside for a really creative presentation.

Did you know you can transform your favorite deviled egg recipes into spooky eyeballs for Halloween?  I’ve done this for my Halloween party for the last few years, and they always get gobbled up pretty fast.  With a little bit of ketchup and stuffed olives, it’s a snap.

In a large saucepan or stockpot, boil enough eggs to make the desired amount of deviled eggs.  Adding some salt to the boiling water will make it easier to remove the shells later.  You can make your deviled egg filling from any recipe, but here’s the recipe I use:

• A dozen hard-boiled eggs, peeled
• 1 can deviled ham (4.5 ounces)
• 1/4 cup sweet relish
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 4 tsp. mustard
• 12 green olives (stuffed with pimientos)
• Ketchup

Cut boiled and peel eggs in half lengthwise, remove yolks, and set aside whites.  Place egg yolks in a small mixing bowl and mash with a fork.  Add ham, mayo, relish, and mustard.  Mix well, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Fill egg whites with filling.  Top with olive halves to create the eyeball look.  If you want to make bloodshot eyeballs, use ketchup to create blood vessels.  This is easily done by placing the desired amount of ketchup in a disposable plastic bag.  Make a small hole in the bag and use it like an icing bag.  You can also poke a hole in a fast food ketchup packet. If you’re taking these to a Halloween party, I  recommend using a deviled egg carrier, as they like to slide around.

The photo above shows sliced black olives with a dot of ketchup in the center rather than stuffed green olives, and they’ve colored their egg filling green.  Anything goes here!

Here are more Halloween recipes for an especially fun Halloween night.

These pumpkin sandwich cookies filled with cream cheese frosting are a favorite Halloween treat at my house. They’re kind of unique, because contain pumpkin and chocolate chips. You can serve them on a Halloween trays or wrap them individually as a take home treat for the guests at your Halloween party.  Here’s the recipe:

• 1 cup solid pack pumpkin
• 1 package (16 ounces) refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
• 1 container prepared cream cheese frosting

Preheat oven to 350.  Line a colander with a layer of paper towels.  Place the pumpkin on top of the paper towels, and allow it to drain for 20 minutes.  Allow the chocolate chip cookie dough to soften at room temperature for about 20 minutes.  Then, mix the cookie dough with the drained pumpkin, chocolate chips, flour, and pumpkin pie spice.  Drop in rounded teaspoonfuls on greased cookie sheets, and bake for approximately 9 minutes. Allow to cool for a few minutes, remove from cookie sheets, and make sandwiches using two pumpkin cookies and about a teaspoon (or two!) of the cream cheese frosting. So good! Recipe:  How Stuff Works.