Dare to scare with frightful fare

Family Features

From little monsters to grown-up goblins, Halloween is when sweets truly take center stage.

Make this Oct. 31 a day to remember with these spine-tingling celebration tips.

Host a Spooky Story Night. Have family and friends dress up in their costumes and come over to tell haunting tales. Make a story chain by having each person tell a portion of a story and take turns adding embellishments and silly twists.

Practice Safe Trick-or-Treating. Contact your neighbors and suggest meeting as a large group to trick-or-treat together. Create a map of trusted houses for the group to visit, with each family hosting for a half-hour of games, snacks and refreshments. Rotate until everyone gets to play host.

Enjoy a Family Bake-tivity. On the night before Halloween, gather the kids to bake these simple but eye-catching cupcakes adorned with “cobwebs.” Enjoy them the next night when it’s your turn to host the neighborhood trick-or-treaters.

For more ghoulish recipes, visit www.meals.com.

Cobweb Cupcakes

(24 servings)

1 package (18.25 ounces) devil’s food or yellow cake mix

2 (2.1 ounces each) Nestl Butterfinger Candy Bars, chopped

1 container (16 ounces) prepared vanilla frosting

1 cup (6 ounces) Nestl Toll House Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels

1 small tube white decorator icing or gel

1 package (1.38 ounces) Nestl Goobers Milk Chocolate-Covered Peanuts

Prepare cake mix batter according to package directions; add chopped Butterfinger to batter. Bake according to directions for 24 cupcakes. Cool completely. Frost cupcakes.

Place morsels in small, heavy-duty plastic bag. Microwave on high (100%) power for 45 seconds; knead. Microwave at additional 10- to 15-second intervals, kneading until smooth. Cut small corner from bag; squeeze to pipe concentric circles on top of frosting. Using wooden pick or tip of knife, pull tip through chocolate from center to last circle to create a cobweb effect.

Make 2 dots using decorator icing on each of 24 Goobers to resemble spider eyes. Place in center of each cobweb.