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Welcome to Boo-Ville

Witch Caps
Scarecrow Cupcakes
Pumpkin Cookie Pops

(Family Features) - This Halloween, help transform your neighborhood into Boo-Ville, where all ghosts are friendly and being "boo'd" is fun.

To get into the spirit, make these tasty treats, using trick-or-treat favorites. (Remember snacking is part of the fun, so have enough candies on hand.) With other ready-made ingredients, you can conjure up some Halloween fun in about 30 minutes.

You've Been Boo'd!

Get everyone in a fun mood and start a new tradition this Halloween season. In the days prior to Halloween your family and you can secretly leave goody-filled bags on a friend's doorstep, with a special poem encouraging them to continue the fun! Click on www.brightideas.com/boo to print the "You've Been Boo'd" poem and activity sheet and start spreading some fun in your neighborhood.

This Halloween there's something new —
This sweet surprise we call a "BOO"!
Red & Yellow left it here
To bring a bit of "ghostly" cheer.
It's not a fright, it's not a scare ...
It's just a secret smile to share.

You've been "BOO'D"! It's your turn now
To pass it on ... we'll tell you how.
Choose a neighbor, friend, or anyone
Who needs some special "spooky" fun;
And when you've made your secret pick,
Let Red & Yellow do the "trick"!

Put a "goody" bag beside the door;
Include this poem, and one thing more —
Some M&M'S, for candy fun —
Now Red & Yellow's "BOO" is done!
Don't sign your name, don't leave a clue;
'Cause that's the "magic" of a "BOO"!

Enjoy the latest, greatest way
To celebrate the holiday.
With Red & Yellow on your team,
This Halloween will be a "scream"!
It's easy and it's fun to do ...
Let's spread the joy and share a "BOO"!

Witch Caps

1(14-ounce) bag M&M'S Milk Chocolate Candies for Halloween
1bag Starburst Original Fruit Chews Fun Size, optional
1(16-ounce) container chocolate frosting
8(3 1/2-inch) packaged chocolate cookies
8 chocolate ice cream cones
Candy corn or licorice laces, optional

Measure 1 cup chocolate frosting. Frost cookies and then place one chocolate ice cream cone on top of each cookie. Cover cones with frosting, and then arrange M&M'S in random patterns.
To make brim of cap as shown: Sort 32 fruit chews into 4 piles, making sure each pile is same color. Unwrap, flatten slightly, and then snip into thin strips, resembling fringe. Arrange fringe around cones for hair. Otherwise, make cap's rim with either candy corn or licorice laces that have been cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces and place side-by-side around base of cone.

Makes 8 caps

Scarecrow Cupcakes

2 (13-ounce each) bags Cookies & Snickers Fun Size Bars, unwrapped
1 (13-ounce) bag Twix Caramel Cookie Fun Size Bars, unwrapped
1 (14-ounce) bag M&M'S Peanut Butter Chocolate Candies for Halloween or M&M'S Milk Chocolate Candies for Halloween
1 (13-ounce) bag Snickers Fun Size Bars, unwrapped and chopped
1 (18.25-ounce) box yellow cake mix
1 (16-ounce) can vanilla frosting
6 shredded wheat biscuits
1 tube brown decorator's icing

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cupcake pans with paper cupcake liners.
Prepare yellow cake mix according to package instructions.
Fold chopped Fun Size bars into batter before transferring to cupcake pans. Bake 18-21 minutes. Remove from oven, transfer to wire rack, and let cool completely.
Tint vanilla frosting beige by blending with 1 tablespoon brown decorator's icing. Spread beige frosting on cupcake.
To decorate cupcakes, use photograph as guide:
Hats: Place 1 Fun Size bar at top of each cupcake, and top with Caramel Cookie bars to resemble rim on hat.
Hair & Neck: Arrange strands of shredded wheat under hat and around neck.
Face: Use Peanut M&M'S for eyes and nose. Create mouth with remaining brown decorator's frosting.

Tip: Consider using cut licorice laces, snipped fruit chews or shredded coconut instead of shredded wheat biscuits for "hair."

Makes 24 cupcakes

Pumpkin Cookie Pops

1 (14-ounce) bag M&M'S Milk Chocolate Candies for Halloween
1 (18-ounce) roll refrigerated sugar cookie dough
1 (16-ounce) can vanilla frosting
Orange and green food coloring
25 colored craft sticks

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
Cut approximately 25 1/4-inch slices of cookie dough. Place on cookie sheets. Slip a colored craft stick's 2-inch tip underneath each cookie. At top of cookie and directly on opposite side of craft stick make small dimple in dough.
Bake cookies 15 minutes. Remove from oven, transfer to wire rack, and let cool completely.
Tint 1/4 cup of frosting with green food coloring. Transfer to resealable plastic bag, snip small corner, and set aside.
Tint remaining frosting with orange food coloring. Spread on cookie tops. Use green frosting to pipe pumpkin stems around dimples. Use M&M'S to decorate cookies like jack-o-lanterns.

Makes 25 pops

For more spook-tacular recipes and great ideas for family activities visit www.brightideas.com.

SOURCE: M&M'S Seasonal Brands