I Love Autumn

Embrace the season with some fun kid-friendly treats even grown-ups will like. 

Acorn Donut Holes

Cook's notes: Easy no bake autumn treat.
Ingredients:

• Glazed doughnut holes
• Chocolate Sprinkles and/or Crumbled Toffee Bits
• Pretzel Sticks
• Nutella Spread (you can use peanut butter or chocolate frosting too)

Directions:

• Spoon out Nutella, sprinkles, toffee crumbles, and pretzel sticks into four separate bowls.
• Dip the top 1/3 of the donut hole into the Nutella, then choose either the toffee crumbles or the sprinkles and dip the Nutella covered area of the donut hole into those
• Insert a pretzel stick in the top, center of the donut hole . . . this will be your acorn stem!

Autumn Party Mix

You will need

• 1 bag of Autumn Mix
• 1 bag of Indian Corn
• 1 bag of Reese's Pieces
• 1 can of Party Peanuts
• 1 cup of Sunflower seeds
• 1 cup of Raisins
• 1 cup of Cran-Raisins
• 1 cup of Mini Pretzels

Directions:

• Mix and enjoy.

Owl S'mores
You will need

• graham crackers
• marshmallows
• chocolate chips
• yellow candy melts
• candy corn

Directions:

• Cut one marshmallow in half and place both pieces on a large graham cracker (2 stuck together).
• Put a candy melt on top of the marshmallows.
• Heat in the microwave for about 2-5 seconds, just enough to make the marshmallows puff up, but not get too hot. (Time depends on your microwave – make sure to do a few test runs.)
• Take out of microwave and add a chocolate chip on the yellow candy melt and the candy corn beak while the marshmallows and candy are still warm. Everything should stick together nicely.
  

Monster Eyeball Cookie 

You will need

Ingredients:

• 1 box yellow cake or white cake mix
• 1/2 cup butter softened
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese softened
• 1 egg
• food coloring
• candy eyeballs available at WalMart, JoAnn's, Party City

Directions:
Beat butter, vanilla, egg and cream cheese until fluffy. Mix in cake mix and beat well. 
Separate dough into three or four batches (depending on how many colors of cookies you are making) and add in 1 dollop of food coloring to each batch, beat cake mix until well mixed.

• Chill your cookie dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. 
• Roll dough into 18 (1-inch) balls. 
  
• Place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet lined with parchment paper. 
• Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. 
• Remove cookies and gently press eye balls into cookies. Let cool on baking sheet 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack. 

BAKING TIPS FOR MONSTER EYE COOKIES

• I recommend using gel food coloring vs liquid food coloring. Gel food coloring will not change the consistency of your cookie dough the way liquid food coloring will. Food coloring paste is also an awesome alternative.
• If you have a kitchen scoop, put it to good use on these cookies. Scoopers are a great way to ensure your cookies will all be the same size.
• Chilling your cookie dough for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator helps your cookies not spread out so much when baking.