Pretzel and cookie 'broomsticks' a Halloween treat

When I was a kid, Halloween night meant donning a simple costume (designed more for warmth than to mimic a TV hero) and canvassing as many streets as possible, filling my pillowcase with a sweet bounty of candy and homemade treats. Along our favorite route my friends I would be invited in for hot chocolate.

So much for nostalgia. Today's Halloween festivities center on themed parties and impromptu get-togethers. While there's a part of me that wishes my son could have experienced those free-wheeling Halloweens from long ago, I see a culinary world of possibilities for 21st century trick-or-treat parties.

Halloween inspires bakers to fashion treats into ghoulishly decorated desserts like jack-o-lantern cookies and spider web cakes. The holiday's spooky atmosphere keeps these sweet and edible designs from morphing into cutesy overload.

Halloween parties give us the opportunity to experience the wild side of the culinary world, to kick up a little flour and have fun in the kitchen before the serious side of the holiday baking season descends upon us.

Standing among the candy displays at the store it occurred to me that I might play a little trick of my own this year by conjuring up a treat that boasts both sweet and savory tastes along with crispy and crunchy textures.

My idea started with a simple cookie base. Add a party staple, a savory pretzel rods in this case, and I could envision a witch's broomstick. The dough ball becomes broom bristles and the pretzel magically changes into the handle.

After baking a batch of edible broomsticks, I sensed the recipe needed a few witchy tweaks. The devil is truly in the details when you set out to recreate a familiar object that conveys a specific theme; appearance must trick the eye to create a visual connection between the food impostor and the real deal.

To enhance texture of the broomstick bristles I omitted the egg and other leavening ingredients; a change that greatly reduced the puffing up during baking. As a result, the ridges created by the fork tines remained defined.

This modification also set the crispy texture, but the cookie base still lacked background flavor. Peanut butter to the rescue!

Replacing half the butter with creamy peanut butter provides a nutty essence that complements rather than controls the overall taste theme, proving once again that a powerful ingredient can save a recipe.

My first recipe called for melted milk chocolate drizzled over the broom handle and bristle top, but it struck me that a witch would dabble in the dark side of chocolate so I swapped semisweet chocolate chips to offer deeper color and flavor.

A finishing touch of melted peanut butter chips drizzled over the dark chocolate visually ties the broomstick handle to the bristle base.

Trick your guests with these hauntingly realistic and tasty treats. One bite and they'll be swept away!

• Annie Overboe, a Culinary Institute of America graduate, lives in Villa Park. Send questions to Baking Secrets, Daily Herald Food section, P.O. Box 280, Arlington Heights, IL 60006, or food@dailyherald.com. Questions will not be responded to personally.

Nutty Broomsticks

10 long pretzel rods

½ cup light brown sugar

¼ cup unsalted butter, softened

¼ cup peanut butter

3 tablespoons milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1½ cups all-purpose flour

Topping

2 teaspoons shortening or butter

⅔ cup semisweet chocolate chips

⅓ cup peanut butter chips

1 teaspoon butter

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Very lightly grease two baking sheets or line with parchment paper.

With a serrated knife, carefully cut pretzel rods into equal lengths; set aside.

In medium bowl with mixer on low speed, beat brown sugar, butter, peanut butter, milk and vanilla extract until combined. Increase to medium speed and beat mixture until smooth. Scrape bowl well.

Stir in flour and mix on low until blended. Press into large dough ball. Add 1 teaspoon additional milk if dough feels dry. Scoop dough into 20 balls, about 1¼ inches in diameter.

Place 10 pretzel rods in two rows, 2 inches apart, on each baking sheet. Place a ball of dough through the cut end of the pretzels and press the pretzel rod ¾ inch into the dough ball. Using the tines of a fork, press down on each dough ball to create deep ridges that resemble broom bristles. Bake 11-13 minutes or until cookie portion is set, but not browned.

Cool broomsticks on pan 10 minutes. Carefully remove to cooling rack for 1 hour.

In a pot over medium-low heat, melt chocolate chips and shortening, stirring until smooth. Spoon melted chocolate over section where cookie meets the pretzel, about 1 inch each way. Allow chocolate to set 30 minutes.

In another pot, melt peanut butter chips and butter, stirring until smooth. Drizzle over chocolate and partially up broomstick handle. Set until firm. Store covered.

Serves 20.

Baker's hint: For a peanut-free treat, in the dough increase butter to cup and omit the peanut butter. White or milk chocolate chips can be substituted for the peanut butter variety.

@Recipe nutrition:Nutrition values per serving: 156 calories, 7g fat (4 g saturated), 16 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber, 3 g protein, 8 mg cholesterol, 121 mg sodium.