Halloween monster claws cookie recipe uses Nestle candy

Monster Claw Cookies from Nestle's verybestbaking.com are plain sugar cookies with slivered almonds set in a shaped mound of chocolate and peanut butter. The Nestle website verybestbaking.com has lots of great Halloween recipe ideas. In addition to our featured Halloween Monster Claw Cookies, there are several humorous options, including instructions to make "Dracula's Dentures" and a "Voodough Doll" complete with stabbing pins made of toothpicks and wads of taffy.

For those who prefer a harvest or fall theme, there are many pumpkin recipes such as the highly rated soft pumpkin cookies or the Pumpkin Spice Ghost Cake, which is covered in cream cheese frosting,  decorated with Raisinets, black licorice and optional candy corn. The ghost cake is simplified by the use of a spice or carrot cake mix to which a cup of canned pumpkin is added.

Apples are another fall flavor to celebrate, and numerous varieties are starting to appear in markets. To make more fun of sampling the various types, try searching "Halloween" at verybestbaking.com. Tips for the old-fashioned game of bobbing for apples are among the site's articles with Halloween party ideas for kids.

For those who'd rather bake with apples, we suggest our previous recipe for apple muffins from "Sesame Street 'B' is for Baking." 

 Halloween recipe: Monster Claws

1 package (16.5 ounces) Nestle Toll House refrigerated sugar cookie bar dough, prepared according to package directions (or use your favorite sugar cookie recipe)

3/4 cup Nestle Toll House semi-sweet chocolate morsels, melted according to package directions

2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

2 tablespoons slivered almonds, toasted if desired

3 fun size Nestle Butterfinger candy bars, chopped

1. Combine melted morsels and peanut butter in small bowl; stir until smooth. Spread mixture evenly onto cookies in a foot shape.

2. Place four almond slivers halfway into the wide end (top of the foot) of the chocolate. The almonds should stick out from the cookie.

3. Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of the chopped candy bar over the chocolate.

-- Courtesy of Nestle's verybestbaking.com