Halloween Spider Cookie Pops

[donotprint]Looking for some simple Halloween party treats? Don’t let these creepy-crawly chocolate raisin cookies scare you – plump raisins make the best ‘spiders’. Just glue raisins with frosting and draw icing ‘legs’.  Share the baking fun with the kids and get creative with colored frosting and raisin faces,

and how about chocolate-y tombstone brownies too!

Then scare up these easy Pumpkin-Raisin Party Cupcakes

and some Apricot Snack Mix for your favorite boys and ghouls. And of course, carve a pumpkin. Check out Rita’s oddball pumpkin carving for a twist on the traditional jack-o-lantern face.[/donotprint]
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Halloween Spider Cookie Pops

Makes about 32 cookies     Prep time: 15 minutes      Bake time: 24 minutes    Plus decorating time.

1        cup butter or margarine, softened
1-1/2   cups firmly packed brown sugar
2        eggs
2        teaspoons vanilla
6        ounces (1 cup) semi-sweet chocolate pieces, melted
2        cups all-purpose flour
1        teaspoon baking soda
2-1/2   cups quick oats or regular oats
1        cup Sun-Maid Natural Raisins
about 3 dozen Popsicle or craft sticks

Decorating Glaze (recipe below)
Colored icing tubes or pens

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
Combine butter, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla; beat until well blended.
Stir in melted chocolate, then flour and baking soda.  Mix well.
Mix in oats and raisins.
Space sticks 4-inches apart on baking sheet.  Drop a rounded 2-inch ball of dough onto the end of each stick.  Butter the bottom of a glass, dip in flour, and gently press cookie dough to 1/2-inch thickness.  Repeat with remaining dough.
Bake at 350°F 10-12 minutes until slightly puffy and firm on the edges.  Cool on pan 3 minutes.  Remove with spatula to cool on wire racks.

Decorating Glaze:
Melt 1/2 cup butter in a medium saucepan.  Add 1/4 cup milk.  Gradually whisk in 1 pound (about 3-1/2 cups) powdered sugar. (Sift sugar first if it is very lumpy.)  Stir vigorously with a fork for 3-4 minutes until mixture turns white and opaque. Mixture should be thick, smooth and pour able; add more milk or sugar if needed. Working quickly before glaze stiffens, generously spoon glaze over cookies allowing excess to run off edges. Let set until dry to the touch.  Decorate.

Short-cut method: Add food coloring to purchased frosting.  Spread on cookies. Use icing tubes to pipe on spider webs.  Make a spider using a raisin for the body and icing for the legs.

Make-ahead refrigerator cookies:
You can use this dough for a slice-n-bake cookie. Shape dough into a 1-3/4 inch diameter log.  Wrap in plastic and refrigerate up to one week, or freeze for longer storage.  Slice 1/2-inch thick rounds.  Place on baking sheet on sticks and bake as directed above.

Original recipe for Sun-Maid Growers. Top cookies photo by Susan DeVaty. Cupcakes photo by Kelly Burgoyne.