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Pumpkin Power!

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Crispy Cobweb Bars
Tricks 'n' Treats Cupcakes

(Family Features ) - How does a homely gourd become an eerie sentinel for a darkened stoop? With the right tools, an assortment of patterns and a fun-loving spirit, this Halloween you can populate your porch with a whole gallery of eye-catching ghouls!

Pumpkin Masters combines easy carving, family fun and exciting Halloween designs to make jack-o'-lanterns that will thrill everyone who sees them!

Simply Scary, Easily Eerie

To create a fantastic carved pumpkin, first assemble your project necessities: a smooth, basketball-sized pumpkin, a pencil, scissors, tape, a Pumpkin Masters carving kit (including patterns, carving tools, Scraper Scoop and Super Poker) and a battery-operated light or a candle.

Once you've placed your supplies in a large, well-lit workspace, here's the sequence for going from plain old pumpkin to "gee, what a jack-o'-lantern!":

Draw, then cut out, a six-sided lid for your pumpkin.
Use the Scraper Scoop to clean out the insides.
Select a Pumpkin Masters pattern and tape it to the outside of the pumpkin.
Transfer the pattern using the Super Poker to poke along the pattern lines.
Remove the pattern and begin to carve dot-to-dot, working from the outer edge of the design.
When the carving is complete, place the light or candle in the bottom of the pumpkin (and don't forget to take a picture!).

Remember, parents should supervise when children are using tools. Carving is fun, but safety comes first! For more great carving ideas, check out www.pumpkinmasters.com.

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Crispy Cobweb Bars
Yields 24 squares

1 cup corn syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter
6 cups crispy rice cereal
6 ounces chocolate morsels
6 ounces butterscotch morsels
Cake Mate orange decorating icing

Place corn syrup and sugar in bowl. Microwave about 2 minutes, until sugar dissolves. DO NOT boil. Remove from microwave and stir in peanut butter until melted.
Stir in crispy rice cereal. Spread into greased 9 x 12-inch pan.
Place chocolate and butterscotch morsels in bowl. Microwave about 2 minutes, then stir until fully melted. Pour over pan of peanut butter crispies.
Let cool completely. Cut into squares and decorate with orange icing.

Tricks 'n' Treats Cupcakes
Yields 24 cupcakes

1 (18.25-ounce) package cake mix
1 (16-ounce) tub frosting
Cake Mate Halloween cupcake liners
Cake Mate orange, black and white decorating icing
Cake Mate Halloween decors
Cake Mate Halloween candy pieces

Prepare cake batter according to package directions for cupcakes.
Place 24 cupcake liners in muffin pan, and fill about two-thirds full with batter. Bake according to package directions.
Let cupcakes cool completely; cover with frosting.
Create designs using orange, black and white icing.
Sprinkle decors over cupcakes, and top each with a candy piece.

SOURCE: Pumpkin Masters™ / Cake Mate®