Getting Into The Halloween Spirit

Get into the Halloween spirit by making Playful Pumpkin Sandwich Cookies

This post is sponsored by Pillsbury™. All opinions are my own.

One of the craziest things about moving to Dallas was the lack of a transition to fall - my very favorite season that holds my very favorite holiday and birthday. In Minneapolis, it was easy to "get into the Halloween spirit" since the weather would cool off dramatically, the leaves would start changing and there were apple orchards and pumpkin patches everywhere. Here in Dallas, it's still close to 100 degrees (it's literally over 100 as I write this, AC is blasting my shorts and tank top clad self), there isn't a single turned leaf and there won't be for another two or more months, and there is not one apple orchard I'm aware of within driving distance of me. Needless to say, I've had to get creative on how I get myself (and my family!) into the Halloween spirit.

One of those ways is to decorate. I only decorate for two holidays - Halloween/fall and Christmas. Hubs won't do the outside of the house until it's October, but he'll appease my love for all things pumpkin by bringing down the Fall and Halloween decorations at the end of August. It's helped becoming a blogger so that I can look at him and use a post as my excuse to decorate ridiculously early. "Honey, I have to have something to photograph! I need a good backdrop. Please bring down the Halloween decorations so I can decorate, mmmmk?" Can't argue with that, can you?!

The other thing I love to do is make "fall" or Halloween-inspired foods. I've confessed before that while I'm a great cook, I'm a terrible baker. There's science involved with the leavening ingredients that means I have to follow a recipe just so, and I prefer to take a recipe as a suggestion, not a demand that needs to be followed.

While Halloween is notorious for trick or treaters, it just so happens that my kids actually hate chocolate. I kid you not, these kids will attempt to pick out the chocolate chips of a chocolate chip cookie. Granola bar with chocolate on it? They spit it out! In fact, they don't like candy. I'm sure this will change eventually, but for now I'm winning at motherhood with "those kids" who prefer to eat fruit over candy... And I'll hold on to that winning hand for as long as I can! A treat they DO enjoy, however, are cookies. Good old fashion sugar cookies are a big hit with these kiddos.

This year, I got my kids into the Halloween spirit by not just baking them Pillsbury Ready to Bake!™ Pumpkin Shape™ Sugar Cookies, but my upping it a notch and making them sandwich cookies! Henry's new favorite thing is to tell me how he loves "sam'iches" - whether they be of the cookie variety, PB & J variety or grilled cheese variety. I think it's adorable when he says, "Mommy, can I have a sam'ich? Let's have sam'iches!" So to get him excited for Halloween and pumpkin season, I made this super easy baking recipe:

Playful Pumpkin Sandwich Cookies

- 1 24 count Pillsbury™ Ready To Bake™ Pumpkin Shape™ Sugar Cookies

- 1 container Pillsbury™ Halloween Funfetti® Vanilla frosting

Bake the cookies per the instructions on the box. Allow to fully cool before slathering on a decent amount of frosting. Make the cookie a "sandwich" by adhering another cookie to the frosted side of the frosted cookie. Roll the edges in the sprinkles for a fun effect! Makes 12 sandwich cookies.

We took our cookies outside because this isn't my first rodeo: Messy sweets and toddlers means outdoor consumption is necessary to save frosted hand prints from getting EVERYWHERE! Henry ate half of one, then grabbed another cookie off the platter and ate half of that when I wasn't looking. Otto came to the rescue and ate his cookie and both of Henry's half eaten cookies, no problem. That kid is a eating machine.

Because we live in a "non-fall" city, we have to go out of our way to get into the Halloween spirit! Decorating early and baking fun pumpkin sugar cookies from Pillsbury™ (which are affordable and already stocked at your local Walmart!) are two of the ways I hope to foster a love for fall in my kids.

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