Googly eyes on a candy surprise. With minimal instruction, kids can create this fun Halloween treat to share with the family.

HALLOWEEN CANDY BARK RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

1 cup dark chocolate melting wafers

1 cup orange colored white chocolate melting wafers

1 cup white chocolate melting wafers

2 cups of your favorite candies, chopped

1/4 festive sprinkles (we love River Road!)

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 300 degrees

Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Place all 3 kinds of chocolate melting wafers onto the parchment paper, trying to keep them in a rectangle shape.

Place them into the oven just until they are melted.

With a spoon, swirl the chocolate to fill any gaps and to swirl the different colors together.

While the chocolate is still warm, top with candies and sprinkles.

Cool in the refrigerator for roughly 1 hour until the chocolate is completely set.

Crack the bark into irregular pieces

Recipe and Styling by Anna Calabrese / Photography by Dave Bryce

Try these other Halloween recipes:

Halloween Mummy Pastries

Pumpkin Risotto

Earl of Darkness Chocolate Tart

Cookies are adaptable.

My usual M.O. is to make small cookies–you know, so you can take two and call me in the morning without too much guilt. But a houseful of teenagers may dictate saucer-sized cookies. You love oatmeal cookies but the thought of raisins makes you feel like you rode the Thunderbolt one too many times? Dried cranberries to the rescue; or chopped dates, or snipped apricots… You get the idea.

One of my favorite adaptable recipes is for snickerdoodles, those spicy, slightly old-fashioned, crunchy-along-the-rim-but-soft-in-the-middle treats that feel like a hug from your grandmother. My mother’s version when I was growing up included not just cinnamon, but a touch of ground clove, so obviously, they’re my favorite. But there are lots of other versions out there that I would be a fool to forego.

One such: Chai Snickerdoodles. I know, right? All the warm spice of a chai tea but in cookie form. Perfect for a blustery November afternoon.

CHAI SNICKERDOODLES RECIPE

(yield: 24)

INGREDIENTS

2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1 cup butter, softened

2 large eggs

1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F

1. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

2. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cardamomand allspice. Measure out a 1/2 cup of the sugar mixture in a shallow bowl and set aside.

3. With a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and remaining spiced sugar until smooth and whipped, about 3 minutes.Beat in eggs and vanilla.

4. Sift the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt onto a sheet of parchment or waxed paper; using the paper as a funnel, gradually add to the butter-sugar mixture and combine well without overmixing. Sifting is importanthere, as you really want the cream of tartar and baking soda to be evenly distributed amongst the dry ingredients before you beat them into the butter.

5. Using a #40 cookie scoop, portion dough into small balls and roll them in the reserved sugar mixture. Place 2 in. apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges begin to brown and set, but center remains soft. To ensure crunchy edges, cool for 2 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Store, covered, at room temperature.

ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE

What makes these little gems so adaptable is the spice mixture. If you haven’t already overdosed on all things Pumpkin Spice by now, try subbing 1.5 tablespoons of your favorite PS mixture for the cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and allspice above.(I recommend making your own PS: 1 part cloves, 2 parts ginger, 2 parts nutmeg, 4 parts cinnamon).

Or how about this: skip the cinnamon, cardamom and allspice but add a heaping teaspoon of cracked black pepper, and you’re on your way to gingerbread or pfeffernusse. Or if you’re a purist, bump up to all cinnamon (although I’m telling you, a ¼ teaspoon of clove makes a world of difference…) .

Recipe and story by Doug Florey, aka Dr. Cookie/ Styling by Anna Calabrese / Photography by Dave Bryce

Try these Doctor Cookie recipes as well.

Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Coconut Macaroons

Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies

Cookies are timeless.

Like Labor Day barbeques, lemonade, and illegal backyard fireworks. Like fireflies in Mason jars.

Like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Or better yet, peanut butter eaten off the back of a spoon, while standing alone in a dark kitchen at 1 am. You know you’ve been there; we all have.

Peanut butter is timeless because it satisfies that troika of tastes: sweet, salty, and unctuously rich. Whether you prefer yours with strawberry jam, marshmallow fluff, or bacon and bananas, there is something about peanut butter that transcends time and returns us all to childhood.

You remember: sunny, hot September Sundays followed by long, gentle twilights, when your biggest concern was catching more lightning bugs than stuck-up Cousin Marigold, visiting from Connecticut.

Maybe cookies aren’t actually timeless–maybe they’re time machines.

PEANUT BUTTER SANDIES RECIPE

(yield: approximately 18)

Adapted from the New York Times

INGREDIENTS

1 stick butter, room temperature

¾ cup brown sugar

½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt

1 cup peanut butter–creamy or chunky, totally your call

1 egg

1 cup All-Purpose flour

Additional salt and sugar for topping

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

1.Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. With a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until smooth and whipped, about 3 minutes.

3. Add the peanut butter and egg; mix until well incorporated. Add the flour and salt and stir just until combined.

4. Using a #40 cookie scoop, portion dough onto prepared pans. The cookie will be rough on the top, which is what you want. Since they don’t spread, and we aren’t using the tried-and-true fork crosshatching, the dough balls can be fairly close together on the cookie sheet. Just be sure to leave enough room between them to allow the air to circulate, so that they bake evenly.

5. In a small bowl, combine a tablespoon of sanding sugar (although regular white sugar works fine, too) with a teaspoon of coarse kosher salt. Using a pinch at a time, sprinkle this mixture over the top of each cookie. Don’t skip this step. Seriously.

6.Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until cookies are set and golden-brown. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for several minutes then carefully move them to racks to cool completely. Serve and store at room temperature.

ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE

By now, you know what I’m about to prescribe: chocolate. As always, use your favorite (in our house, that means a 4 oz bar of special dark) chopped into small shards and mixed by hand into the dough before scooping. Of course, you could always bake them unadulterated by chocolate, then dip the craggy tops into melted chocolate once the cookies have cooled. Or drizzle them with melted chocolate. Listen, it’s peanut butter and chocolate: you can’t go wrong.

Recipe and story by Doug Florey, aka Dr. Cookie/ Styling by Anna Calabrese / Photography by Dave Bryce

Try these Doctor Cookie recipes as well.

Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Coconut Macaroons

Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies

Cookies are cozy.

The best cookies are alchemy: flour, butter, and sugar combine to magically become a hug, a bit of cheer on a blustery fall evening. A gentle reminder that it’ll be okay, despite what that IRS letter says.

Nothing says cozy like a s’more–that classic combo of chocolate, graham cracker, and molten marshmallow. The smell of a campfire, the primal satisfaction of roasting something on a stick over glowing embers. The inevitable pain of burning the roof of your mouth on aforementioned marshmallowy lava…

These bar cookies are just what the doctor ordered for those chilly autumnal days when a s’more is what you’re craving, but you’re fresh out of campfires. All the delicious fun, with no damage to your hard palate. Whether you invite your brother-in-law who did your taxes last year is up to you.

S’MORES BAR RECIPE

(yield: 25)

INGREDIENTS

1 10 oz (approx.) bag of regular or mini marshmallows

1 stick unsalted butter

1 10 oz (approx.) box graham cracker cereal (Golden Grahams)

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

½ cup semisweet chocolate chips

INSTRUCTIONS

(Now, listen: these are NOT difficult cookies to make, but they do require that you are in the moment. Broiling is an inexact science, and one that demands an undistracted eye. Trust me, you don’t want to end up with the fire department in your kitchen while you, chagrined, explain you were playing Wordle and forgot about the smoldering pan in your oven…)

Heat the broiler to high and set the rack in the upper third of the oven.

1. Grease the sides and bottom of a 9” pan, then line the bottom with parchment, leaving the sides long enough that they come up and out of the pan–this will act as a sling and allow you to remove the bars more easily. Set this assembly aside.

2. Separately, generously grease a quarter-or half-sheet pan, then add the marshmallows. Broil until deeply browned and smoking, about 1 minute. (Watch closely, as broilers vary.) Stir to expose untoasted sides and broil once again until browned and just starting to smoke. Remove from the oven, leaving the broiler on.

3. In a large pot, melt the butter over medium-high. Stir frequently until the hissing subsides and the butter smells nutty and is browned, 3 to 5 minutes. (Keep watch: browning butter goes south almost as quickly as broiling marshmallows.)

4. Turn off the heat, then add the salt and the marshmallows, being careful not to burn yourself on the hot marshmallow pan; stir vigorously until the marshmallows are melted and combined with the butter.

5. Working quickly, addthe cereal and stir to combine.

6. Add the chocolate and again, stir to combine. How homogenized you want your s’mores bars is up to you–if you stir till the chocolate is completely incorporated, you’ll get a uniform bar; stir briefly and you’ll get a more varied bite.

7. Immediately scrape the mixture into the prepared 9” pan and press firmly.Broil until the top is golden and charred in spots, about 1 minute, watching closely.

8. Let cool completely, then cut into 25 squares using a serrated bread knife. Store, covered, at room temperature.

ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE

You: I don’t like Golden Grahams.

Me: Don’t make these cookies.

Seriously, you’ll be disappointed if you try using broken up graham crackers.If you truly can’t abide Golden Grahams, I recommend a bowlof ice cream instead

Recipe and story by Doug Florey, aka Dr. Cookie/ Styling by Anna Calabrese / Photography by Dave Bryce

Try these Doctor Cookie recipes as well.

Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Coconut Macaroons

Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies

TABLE Magazine takes comfort food seriously. Well, the truth is that we take all food seriously, but it’s especially true when we can take ingredients past their prime and transform them into something delicious. Our riff on the classic Pain Perdu or French Toast comes with a little boozy kiss of both comfort and joy, and it’s not even the holiday season!

PAIN PERDU RECIPE

Ingredients
4 eggs
3 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp grated orange zest
2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup half heavy cream
3/4 ounces aged bourbon
Day-old bread loaf, challah, or french bread
Unsalted butter
1/2 pint fresh blueberries
2 ripe bananas
Maple Syrup
Powdered Sugar

Directions

• In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, vanilla extract, heavy cream, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange zest, bourbon, and salt.
  Slice the bread into thick slices.

• Pour the egg mixture into a large baking pan and soak a few slices of bread for 4 minutes, turning once.

• Heat saute pan over medium heat. Add butter. Take each slice of bread and place it in the saute pan. Cook for three minutes on each side until browned.

• Add butter into the pan as needed and continue to cook the remaining slices.

• Sprinkle with powdered sugar, and a touch of syrup. Serve hot with blueberries and bananas.

Story and Recipe by Gabe Gomez