Halloween Bake-Off

I started the annual Halloween Bake-Off at my office only a few months after I started working there. I don't really know why it started or even what I made that first year but it has become a seasonal tradition that has extended to all other major holidays.

When I was trying to decide what I was going to make for our 2010 bake-off, I came across the cutest Jack-o-lantern cookie cutters from Wilton.

That meant I would have to tackle my least favorite thing in the baking realm... royal icing.

Royal icing and I have not been friends.

Regardless, I had to make these cutie sugar cookie pumpkins with custom designed faces. Okay, okay. Royal icing is not that bad. The only challenge was the size of the cookie, they're massive! I had to really make sure the icing was the right consistency to flood the middle evenly.

Here's my pumpkin gang I brought for this year's baking event.

This happy lil' guy is my fave! I made him for my boyfriend, but he thought it was too cute to eat.

*wink* *wink*

My fellow cake-making office mate made this phenomenal mummy cake!

The fondant strips are flawless and the gummy worms add the perfect creepy touch!

My friend/roommate/colleague made yummy pumpkin swirl brownies.

Another crafty co-worker made this spooky eyeball "cauldron" cake.

Our Halloween feast was complete with homemade gourd pie and pumpkin cheesecake. Shamefully, I have to admit my favorite thing on the table was the juice-filled gummies in the skull cup (bottom left). I'm pretty sure that says "Hey guys, thanks for all your hard work baking, but I'm just gonna these store-bought gummies the first place prize."

Haha... like there was going to be a prize! That's the trick to this treat.


Happy Haunting!