Smart Woman: Trendy Treats
By: Lane Stone
Updated: October 28, 2010
Halloween is coming and that means it's time for trick or treaters and lots of sweets.
Americans will buy 600 million pounds of candy to celebrate the spooky holiday.
But if you want something different for your big or little goblins, we have a treat you can make right in your own kitchen.
In this North Carolina kitchen, Halloween is all about cupcakes. Katie used to be a clinical social worker, her sister Anna worked in marketing. Now, they've baked their way into the cupcake business.
For these special Halloween cupcakes, Katie combines sugar, oil, and eggs. Then she mixes cinnamon, cloves and ginger into one and a half cups of flour.
She adds some canned pumpkin, then uses an icecream scoop so all the cupcakes come out the same size.
Meanwhile, Anna whips up a simple frosting of cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and a little trick.
"I like to keep the ginger in the freezer which makes it easier to grate" said Anna, co-owner of "The Cupcake Bar".
Fresh grated ginger gives these Halloween cupcakes a kick.
"And you get the little bit of tart of the cream cheese and the zest of the ginger and it's a great combination." said Anna.
Once the cupcakes are out of the oven, a pastry bag makes frosting easy.
Then, the sisters use fondant which they say is like edible play-dough. Just roll it out and use little cookie cutters to make your favorite scary shapes.
They're Halloween treats even big kids can enjoy.
"Most of the grown ups I know would rather have this than a lollipop" said Katie.
"Definitely tastes like Halloween" said Anna.
Cupcakes are one of the hottest food trends on the culinary scene right now.
You can get all the ingredients for those special Halloween cupcakes, even the fondant for the decorations, at just about any grocery store.
To get the full recipe or find out more about Anna and Katie's "Cupcake Bar" bakery, go to www.ivanhoe.com.







