Pumpkin Spice Roll-Out Cookies

We made a batch of these Pumpkin Roll-Out cookies to see if they were something Asher would want to take for his class Halloween party on Friday.  Asher and I made them together on Sunday afternoon while Fraser was napping and the boys had them for dessert after dinner!  The result was a nice soft not to sweet cookie (unless you add icing to it). 

Pumpkin Spice Roll-Out Cookies

Ingredients

Cookies

·         1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
·         1/2 cup coconut palm sugar
·         1/2 cup pumpkin puree
·         1 teaspoon vanilla extract
·         2 cups whole wheat flour
·         1/2 teaspoon baking powder
·         2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
·         1/4 teaspoon salt

• Icing

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1-2 tablespoons milk or water

Preparation

• In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking Powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.
• In the bowl of a standing mixer or with an electric mixer, cream together the butter and coconut palm sugar for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
• Add the pumpkin puree and vanilla extract and beat until incorporated.
• Turn the speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture. Continue to mix until the dough comes together.
• Shape the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. When the dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 325F.
• Roll out the dough onto a lightly floured surface to 1/4 inch thick, and use cookie cutters to cut into shapes.
• Transfer to a Parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes.

Asher made the icing for the cookies

For the icing: combine the ingredients in a bowl and stir until smooth.

These turned out great!  Recipe modified from weelicious. 

Healthy Halloween School Party Snacks

There all kinds of great Halloween themed food ideas floating around on pinterest but as a mom who's kids go to daycare first in the morning and then have to walk their halloween party snacks to school from there I need to make something that can travel. 

So sending a big watermelon head Monster with Lime Googly eyes and fruit spewing from his mouth, although awesome and very cute, is just not doable unless I'm delivering! Same does for the veggie skeleton below.  Such awesome ideas that I wish I could make work but I need something that can travel

And don't you just love all those CUTE banana ghosts and pealed oranges made to look like pumpkins?  Only trouble is the cute ghosts will be brown ghosts by the time the party starts and those oranges will be dried out am I right??  Such a cute idea but it just wont work for a school party snack. 

So what to make?

Here are my requirements:

1. It must be Healthy
2. Travel well
3. Halloween themed

I've come up with a list of Healthy Halloween themed snacks that I think would travel fairly well in case any other mama's are like me and need some inspo.  

Halloween Themed Popcorn Mix

Gosh you could throw anything into a popcorn mix to make it Halloween themed! One year I chopped up apricots and drizzled dairy free dark chocolate over popcorn for a healthy Halloween themed popcorn mixture!  Or simply add plain popcorn or store bought boom chicka pop to a gift bag and draw a Halloween face on it.  You could even fill up those clear gloves with popcorn for a popcorn hand! So many options for this healthy snack.

 

Jack-O-Lantern Oranges or Orange fruit cups 

I love to just leave the peals on the oranges and draw a jack-o-lantern face on the peal or use fruit cups for the same effect.  

 

Cheese & Meat cut outs using Halloween cookie cutters

I made this snack tray when Asher was in Kindergarten and it was a hit!  I just cut out tortillas, cheese slices and meat slices, packed them into small baggies and sent them along with him.  I did communicate with his teacher and another school mom that it would need to be put onto the tray but it worked out well. 

Spider Crackers and Peanut Butter with Pretzel legs 

Use Sunbutter for these if you are working with a nut free classroom or school :)

Spider Eggs 

How fun are these?  It's super simple to put together this fun spider egg treat for your kids or students. And here is the Free Spider Eggs Printable to go with it!

Frankenstein Grape Cups

I made these a few years ago and they were a total hit with my boys!  

Veggie and Dip or Apple and Caramel Dip cups

I would put these into cups with lids for portability like the above cups used for the Frankenstein grape cups but I love the idea of doing a caramel apple cup or veggie cup!

Frightening Fruit Cups

Whether it's Frankenstein grape cups like the above post  or oranges with Jack-O-Lantern faces I think we have proven that any fruit in a cup can be turned into a fun themed snack with a sharpie and some creativity.  Just add a lid for travel!

 

Healthy Frankenstein treats

What a great idea!  These treats would require very little time to put together but are super adorable.

Cheesy Ghost Sticks

I made this school lunch for my boys last year complete with the Cheesy Ghost sticks, Jack-O-Lantern Fruit Cups and Frankenstein Cucumbers but I also sent about 25 of these Cheesy Ghost Sticks to class for the school party and it was a huge hit!  Not to mention how easy it was to put together!

Mummy Go Go Squeeze

What a great idea for an allergy friendly healthy snack.  Fraser loves go-go squeeze pouches and mummies so I could totally see him loving this one!