HALLOWEEN; NO TRICKS, JUST TREATS.

Byline: Natalie Haughton Daily News Food Editor

Halloween brings out the kid in all of us, but this year don't let the kids have all of the fun.

Get in the spirit on Saturday and scare up some fun with treats designed for adults and children alike. Gather some friends and relatives for a devilishly good celebration.

We've rounded up a casual collection of colorful options - many dishes with an orange-and-black color theme. Some have a more sophisticated flair for grown-ups, while others are fun, ghoulish and cute - and designed to appeal to the younger set. Mix and match the recipes, designing a menu to suit your schedule and guests. Don't get spooked - the recipes are easy enough for even novice cooks to scare up.

Appease a house full of hungry witches or monsters with a Roasted Red Pepper and Sun-Dried Tomato Spread. Process roasted peppers from a jar with a little olive oil, garlic, basil leaves and sun-dried tomatoes. Give it a little bite with red pepper flakes. Serve with assorted crackers or veggies - or use the mixture as a sauce for cooked pasta or risotto.

A festive cheese ball shaped like a pumpkin is another appetizer option. Decorate it with a jack-o-lantern face with olives and roasted red pepper strips. If a hot soup is your choice to warm costumed partygoers, whip up a velvety Pumpkin Bisque and pumpkin-shaped Cheddar Cheese and Chive Biscuits. Bake the bisque in a large pumpkin for a rich pumpkin flavor and serve in either small ceramic pumpkin-shaped dishes or mini-pumpkins that have been carved out and baked.

Ghosts and goblins alike will howl when they taste the Fast Turkey Black Bean Chili. Substitute chicken for the turkey, if desired, or brown ground beef with the onion and proceed as the recipe directs.

In the colors of the season, toss together a salad with red onions, oranges, ripe olives and greens, and dress with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Although it sounds odd, a Caribbean-inspired creation, Coconut Black Bean Risotto, is irresistible and great to serve with grilled chicken.

Other entree choices include noodles sauced with Fresh Tomato Sauce, livened up with pieces of Kalamata olives and capers. In keeping with the black-and-orange Halloween color scheme, another possibility is Bolognese Sauce - made with Italian sausage, ground beef, red wine and Italian-style tomatoes - and served over black pasta made with squid ink. If you find it more appealing, you can also sauce the squid-ink black pasta with a Tomato-Shrimp Sauce. The pasta is available fresh in the refrigerator section of specialty food shops like Bristol Farms. Call in advance to make sure it is available before you make a special trip.

Dazzle the trick-or-treat crowd with a pizza with a jack-o'-lantern face that can be put together in a jiffy with Boboli - a ready-made, prebaked cheese crust - as the base. Top with pizza sauce and shredded Cheddar cheese and make an appealing face with ripe olives and cut-up red or green bell peppers. A quick bake and it's ready to serve. If smaller individual pizzas are more to your liking, make them on English muffins - or even the smaller Boboli rounds.

Our Halloween Pumpkin Cake, which we've been making for years, is always a howling success. Use it as a party or dinner centerpiece decoration and then end the festivities by serving it. It's made effortlessly with a cake mix - yellow, chocolate or spice - and canned pumpkin, eggs, water and oil. To obtain the round pumpkin shape, bake in a 1-1/2-quart glass Pyrex bowl. Frost with orange butter cream icing and use raisins for the eyes, nose and mouth and licorice for the stem.

Create another spooktacular cake with a look reminiscent of a cemetery. You can whip it up in a jiffy with a brownie mix and prepared ready-to-spread frosting from a can. Use Kit Kat candy bars, with top edges cut at an angle to resemble tombstones. Green-tinted coconut is used to make the ``grass,'' while white chocolate candy bars are used for the steps and door to the cemetery.

Kids will love Sweetie Spiders. You can make them almost instantly by putting 6-inch-long pieces of licorice into chocolate cream sandwich cookies and adding eyes to the top with red cinnamon candies such as Red Hots.

Other fun foods to consider serving for a Halloween bash:

Black bean soup with sour cream spider webs on top (pipe on concentric circles of sour cream from a plastic sandwich bag with one corner cut off; then pull a toothpick from the center of the circle to the outside edge).

Halloween-shaped open-face sandwiches - cut out slices of pumpernickel or dark rye bread with Halloween-shaped cookie cutters. Top with pimiento cheese spread or a roasted red pepper spread prepared by processing together cream cheese, garlic pepper, a little milk, chopped fresh basil, red wine vinegar and roasted red peppers from a jar in a food processor. Garnish with faces made with ripe olives where appropriate.

For a ghoulish red punch, add candy Red Hots to hot apple cider for a burst of cinnamon flavor and to lend bright red color.

Don't forget candy corn or M&Ms for decorating a cookie-shaped dessert pizza (you can bake brownies in a 12-inch pizza pan or use slice-and-bake cookies from the refrigerator-deli section of the supermarket). You can also toss them in your favorite cookie dough or use the candies to make jack-o'-lantern faces on slice-and-bake cookies.

Also slice the top off oranges, scoop out inside, cut up and use to make a fruit salad (mix cut-up fruits with whipped topping, a little sour cream and coconut) to fill oranges. Or fill oranges with orange Jell-O that is not quite set and refrigerate until serving time. Just before serving, let kids draw faces on the oranges with felt-tip pens. Oranges can also be filled with orange sorbet or sherbet and kept frozen until serving.

Get in the party mood this Halloween and celebrate in style with some of these tricks for treats.

FAST TURKEY BLACK BEAN CHILI

1 onion, chopped

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 large cloves garlic, crushed through a press

1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder

2 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin 

1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt 

1 can (28 ounces) ready-cut tomatoes, undrained

1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste

2 cans (16 ounces EACH) black beans, rinsed and drained

2 to 3 cups diced cooked turkey OR chicken

Optional accompaniments: Sour cream, shredded Cheddar cheese, chopped fresh tomatoes and chopped green onions

In a large pot, cook onion in oil over medium-high heat, stirring often, until onion is soft. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, salt, undrained tomatoes, tomato paste and black beans. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, 10 minutes. Stir in turkey and cook, uncovered, 5 minutes longer.

Serve topped with sour cream, cheese, tomatoes and green onions, if desired. Makes 5 to 6 servings.

ROASTED RED PEPPERS AND SUN-DRIED TOMATO SPREAD

1 cup roasted red peppers, prepared fresh OR from a jar, drained and coarsely chopped

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 clove garlic, smashed

8 medium fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

Red pepper flakes

1 cup sun-dried tomatoes (rehydrated OR, if in oil, drained)

Place all ingredients in a bowl of a food processor. Puree to desired consistency.

Serve with crackers and/or melba toast. Can also be used as a sauce for pasta and risotto or as a dip for vegetables. Makes 6 to 10 servings.

PUMPKIN BISQUE

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)

1 can (about 16 ounces) solid pack pumpkin

6 cups homemade chicken broth OR 4 cans (14 ounces EACH) chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a 4-quart saucepan. Add onion and cook until soft but not browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in pumpkin, chicken broth, ginger, nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. Simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until heated through.

Garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds. Makes 8 servings, 2 quarts.

CHEDDAR CHEESE AND CHIVE BISCUITS

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup solid vegetable shortening

1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese plus 2/3 cup for garnish

2 tablespoons fresh OR 1 1/2 teaspoons dried chives 

3/4 cup milk

Black pepper to taste

Fresh chives for garnish

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl or food processor fitted with a steel blade. Cut in shortening or process with several on/off turns until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add 1 cup cheese and chives; mix. Add milk and ground pepper. Mix until mixture is moistened or in processor until dough forms a ball.

Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface. Knead gently 8 to 10 times. Roll out dough to 1/2-inch thickness, cut with a floured pumpkin cutter. Place on an ungreased 14x20-inch baking sheet. (Dough may be rerolled to make remaining biscuits.)

Bake in preheated 425-degree oven 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Sprinkle remaining 2/3 cup cheese on biscuits (about 1 tablespoon per biscuit) 5 minutes before done. Garnish with fresh chives. Makes 8 to 10 biscuits.

RED ONION, ORANGE AND OLIVE SALAD

1 large red onion, thinly sliced OR chopped

2 blood OR regular navel oranges, thinly sliced OR chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

1/2 to 2/3 cup toasted pine nuts

1/2 cup sliced ripe olives, drained

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

About 6 cups mesclun greens

Place red onion, oranges, oil, vinegar, pine nuts, olives, salt and pepper in a medium mixing bowl and toss gently.

Divide mesclun greens among 6 salad plates and top each with an equal amount of salad. Serve immediately. Makes 6 servings.

Adapted from ``The $50 Dinner Party'' by Sally Sampson (Simon & Schuster).

COCONUT BLACK BEAN RISOTTO

Serve alongside grilled chicken breasts. Start the risotto about 10 minutes before you start the chicken.

1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut for garnish

1 tablespoon unsalted butter OR olive oil

1/2 Spanish onion, minced

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups arborio rice

1 cup white rice

6 to 7 cups chicken OR vegetable broth

1/4 cup crumbled feta OR goat cheese

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/3 to 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

2 roasted red bell peppers, chopped

1 1/2 cups cooked black beans, drained and rinsed

Place a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and, when hot, add coconut. Cook, shaking skillet occasionally, until coconut is golden, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a small plate and set aside.

Place a large straight-sided pan over medium heat and, when hot, add butter. Add onion and garlic and cook until onion is translucent, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add rice and stir until coated with onion mixture. Add wine and cook until completely absorbed.

Add chicken broth, 1 cup at a time, and cook until all broth has been absorbed by rice, about 18 minutes.

Off heat, add cheeses, cilantro, peppers and beans. Transfer to a large heated serving bowl and serve immediately. Garnish with toasted coconut.

From ``The $50 Dinner Party'' by Sally Sampson (Simon & Schuster).

FRESH TOMATO SAUCE AND NOODLES

Fresh Tomato Sauce (recipe follows)

4 quarts water

1 pound egg OR spinach noodles

Prepare Fresh Tomato Sauce, reserving 2 cups. Refrigerate or freeze remaining sauce.

In a 6- to 8-quart saucepan, heat water to boiling. Add noodles. Boil, uncovered, 2 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until al dente (tender but firm). Begin testing for doneness when noodles rise to surface of water. Drain noodles. Do not rinse.

Serve Fresh Tomato Sauce over noodles or mix noodles and sauce. Makes 4 servings.

FRESH TOMATO SAUCE

1 can (28 ounces) whole Italian-style tomatoes, drained

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 tablespoon chopped fresh OR 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves

1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley OR 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes

1 teaspoon grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon olive OR vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

6 medium tomatoes, diced (about 4 1/2 cups)

3/4 cup pitted Kalamata OR ripe olives, halved

1 tablespoon capers (optional)

Place all ingredients except fresh tomatoes, olives and capers in a food processor or blender. Cover and blend until smooth. Stir in tomatoes, olives and capers.

Use sauce immediately, or cover and refrigerate up to 48 hours or freeze up to 2 months. Makes about 4 cups.

From ``Betty Crocker's New Italian Cooking,'' MacMillan USA.

BOLOGNESE SAUCE

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

2 medium carrots, finely chopped (about 1 cup)

1 medium onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)

1/2 pound bulk Italian sausage

1/2 pound lean ground beef

1/2 cup dry red wine OR beef broth

3 cans (28 ounces EACH) whole Italian-style tomatoes, drained and chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1/2 teaspoon pepper

In a Dutch oven, heat oil and butter over medium-high heat until butter is melted. Cook carrots and onion in oil mixture 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until carrots and onion are crisp-tender.

Stir in sausage and ground beef. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sausage and beef are browned and no longer pink. Drain.

Stir wine into sausage mixture. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, until wine is evaporated. Stir in remaining ingredients. Heat to a boil; then reduce heat. Cover and simmer 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Use sauce immediately or cover and refrigerate up to 48 hours or freeze up to 2 months. Makes about 6 cups sauce.

From ``Betty Crocker's New Italian Cooking,'' MacMillan USA.

SAVORY FUSILLI 

1/4 cup olive OR vegetable oil

1 tablespoon capers

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 cans (28 ounces EACH) whole Italian-style tomatoes, drained and chopped

1 small red jalapeno chile, seeded and chopped

1/2 cup sliced imported Kalamata OR ripe olives

1/2 cup sliced pimiento-stuffed olives

1 tablespoon chopped fresh OR 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1 tablespoon chopped fresh OR 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves

1 package (16 ounces) long fusilli OR rotini pasta

Freshly ground pepper

In a 10-inch skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook capers and garlic in oil, stirring frequently, until garlic is soft. Stir in tomatoes and chile. Heat to boiling; reduce heat.

Cover and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in olives, oregano and basil. Cover and cook 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta as directed on package. Drain. Mix pasta and tomato mixture. Serve with pepper to taste. Makes 6 servings.

From ``Betty Crocker's New Italian Cooking'' MacMillan USA.

PENNE WITH TOMATO-SHRIMP SAUCE

Water

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 small dried hot red chile OR crushed red pepper flakes to taste

2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed

2 cups cored and chopped tomatoes, seeded if fresh, drained if canned

1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary OR 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary

Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

1 pound penne OR other cut pasta OR 1 pound black squid ink pasta

3/4 to 1 pound medium-to-large shrimp, peeled, cut up if very large

1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat 1 minute. Add chile and garlic and cook, stirring, until garlic becomes brown (this is a somewhat strong-tasting sauce). Remove and discard pepper and garlic. Add tomatoes. Cook, stirring, until tomatoes begin to liquefy, about 5 minutes. Add rosemary, salt and pepper. Cook another 5 minutes.

This sauce may be covered and refrigerated for 1 day or 2, or put in a covered food container and frozen several weeks. Reheat before adding shrimp.

Salt boiling water and cook pasta; when it begins to soften, stir shrimp into sauce and most of parsley. Cook 3 to 4 minutes.

Drain pasta when tender but still firm. Then dress with sauce and remaining parsley. Makes 4 servings.

From ``How to Cook Everything, Simple Recipes for Great Food'' by Mark Bittman (MacMillan USA).

FAST HALLOWEEN PIZZA

1 package (16 ounces) prebaked refrigerated 12-inch in diameter cheese crust (Boboli)

1/2 cup pizza sauce

1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese

1 can (2.2 ounces) sliced ripe olives, rinsed and drained

Red and green bell pepper

Place crust on a baking sheet. Spread sauce evenly over crust. Sprinkle cheese evenly over all. Use olives and bell peppers, cut up, to make a jack-o-lantern face on pizza.

Bake in preheated 500-degree oven 8 to 10 minutes or until crust is golden and cheese is melted. Cut into wedges to serve. Makes 3 to 4 servings.

TACO DIP

1 can (17 ounces) refried beans (use hot and spicy beans if desired)

Bottled taco sauce

Guacamole Dip (recipe follows)

1 pint dairy sour cream

1 package (1 1/2 ounces) taco seasoning mix

2 to 3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

4 green onions, chopped

3 tomatoes, chopped

1 can (2.2 ounces) sliced ripe olives, drained

Tortilla chips

Mix refried beans and 1/4 cup taco sauce. Spread bean mixture in bottom of a 10-inch fluted quiche dish or pie plate. Top with Guacamole Dip, spreading evenly. Mix together sour cream and taco seasoning mix. Spread carefully over guacamole.

Sprinkle with cheese, green onions, tomatoes and ripe olives. Refrigerate until serving time.

Just before serving, stand tortilla chips up around sides of serving dish. Serve with additional tortilla chips. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

GUACAMOLE DIP: Mash together 2 to 3 ripe avocados, peeled and seeded. Mix in 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 tomatoes, chopped; 3 to 4 tablespoons diced green chiles; dash Tabasco sauce; garlic salt and seasoned salt to taste. Adjust seasoning as necessary.

FESTIVE CHEESE BALL

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

2 to 3 cups shredded mild Cheddar cheese

3 tablespoons chopped pimiento, roasted red pepper OR chopped red pepper

1/2 cup chopped green pepper

1/3 cup chopped green onions

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons lemon juice

Dash cayenne pepper

Dash EACH garlic salt and seasoned salt

Pitted ripe olives, parsley and pimento 

In a bowl, beat cheeses with an electric mixer until thoroughly blended. Add pimiento, green pepper, green onions, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, cayenne pepper and salts; beat until well mixed.

Shape mixture into a ball. Using ripe olives, cut in shapes desired, make jack-o-lantern face on cheese ball. Refrigerate until serving time.

At serving time, surround cheese ball with crackers. Garnish ball with parsley and pimiento as desired. Makes 1 cheese ball.

NOTE: Mixture can also be doubled and shaped into 1 larger cheese ball.

CHOCOLATE FONDUE SUPREME

This is the easiest way to make fondue and it tastes great. Use your favorite fruits and even cake cubes for dipping.

1 pound bittersweet OR semisweet chocolate

1 cup whipping cream

2 tablespoons rum

1 bunch seedless grapes

1 pint fresh strawberries, rinsed

1 can (20 ounces) pineapple chunks, well drained

1 apple, thinly sliced and tossed with a little lemon juice

3 oranges, peeled and segmented

8 large marshmallows

In a 2-quart glass bowl, combine chocolate and cream. Heat in a microwave oven on high power 2 to 2 1/2 minutes or longer, until mixture is smooth and melted when stirred. Heat 1 to 1 1/2 minutes longer or until warm throughout. Stir in rum.

Transfer to a fondue pot and keep warm.

Arrange fruits and marshmallows attractively on a serving platter. To serve, have guests, using fondue forks, dip fruit and marshmallows as desired into warm chocolate. Makes 2 1/2 cups fondue.

NOTE: For a smaller gathering, this recipe can be halved.

From ``365 Great Chocolate Desserts'' by Natalie Haughton, HarperCollins.

FOOLPROOF DARK CHOCOLATE FUDGE

3 cups (18 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)

Dash salt

1/2 to 1 cup chopped nuts

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

In a heavy saucepan, over low heat, melt chips with sweetened condensed milk and salt. Remove from heat; stir in nuts and vanilla.

Spread evenly into a foiled-lined 8- or 9-inch square pan. Chill 2 hours or until firm.

Turn fudge onto a cutting board, peel off foil and cut into squares. Store loosely covered at room temperature. Makes about 2 pounds.

MICROWAVE DIRECTIONS: In a 1-quart glass measure with a handle, combine chips with sweetened condensed milk and salt. Cook on high power 3 to 3 1/2 minutes or until chips melt, stirring after each 1 1/2 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients. Proceed as above.

JACK-O-LANTERN PIZZA

1 tablespoon tomato sauce

1/2 English muffin

1 slice American cheese

2 olives

2 slices pepperoni

1 green OR red bell pepper

1 mushroom

Spread tomato sauce on muffin half with a spoon. Place American cheese on top. Use remaining ingredients to make face of jack-o-lantern.

For example, use olives and pepperoni as eyes. Slice green pepper for mouth and mushroom nose.

Bake in preheated 325-degree oven 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

JACK-O-LANTERN CUP-O-FRUIT

1 orange

Favorite fruits, cut up

Slice off top of orange. Then using a spoon, scoop out middle of orange so it is hollow.

Carve a face into orange using a knife. You can also use some of fruits to decorate face. Rinse and chop favorite fruits and mix in a bowl. Fill hollow orange with fruits, allowing fruits to pop out of holes made for face.

CREEPY CRAWLERS' CRACKERS

1 jar peanut butter

1 box crackers of your choice (Ritz works best)

1 bag pretzels

1 bag raisins

Spread peanut butter on cracker. Place 4 pretzels on each side of cracker making spiders' legs. Use raisins to make eyes.

HALLOWEEN PUMPKIN CAKE

1 package (18.25 ounces) yellow OR chocolate fudge cake mix with OR without pudding included

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup solid pack canned pumpkin

3 eggs

3/4 cup water

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips OR raisins

Orange Butter Cream Frosting

In a large mixer bowl, combine cake mix, cinnamon, nutmeg and pumpkin. Add eggs, water and oil. With an electric mixer, beat at low speed 1 minute. Turn mixer to medium speed and beat 4 to 5 minutes longer. Stir in chocolate chips.

Spoon a little batter into 1 greased 6-ounce glass custard cup, filling 3/4 full.

Grease or butter a 1 1/2-quart oven-proof glass Pyrex bowl. Add a wax paper round cut to fit bottom of bowl; butter. Place a 1-inch strip of wax paper in center of bowl to extend 1 to 2 inches over edges for ease in lifting out baked cake; butter.

Carefully turn remaining batter into large bowl.

Bake large cake in preheated 300-degree oven 1 1/2 hours or until cake tests done and small cake about 30 minutes.

Let cakes stand 20 to 30 minutes, then invert on a wire rack or serving plate, carefully remove bowl and custard cup and cool completely.

Frost large cake with Orange Butter Cream Frosting, stroking from bottom of cake to top to give ridged pumpkin effect. Make eyes, nose and mouth using raisins. Makes 1 large pumpkin cake.

ORANGE BUTTER CREAM FROSTING: Beat together, until smooth and creamy, 4 cups sifted powdered sugar, 1/8 teaspoon salt, 3/4 teaspoon vanilla OR orange extract, 5 tablespoons soft butter and 3 to 3 1/2 tablespoons milk. Add several drops orange food coloring to give desired color. If necessary, beat in a few drops extra milk for easy spreading consistency.

BROWNIE CEMETERY CAKE

1 package (about 19 ounces) brownie mix

1 can (16 ounces) vanilla ready-to-spread frosting

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

4 chocolate candy Hugs, unwrapped

4 chocolate candy Kisses, unwrapped

9 Cookies 'n' Creme candy bars (1.55 ounces EACH) unwrapped

5 snack size wafer candy bars (such as Kit Kats) unwrapped

1 tube orange decorator icing

1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

Water

Green food coloring

Chocolate coated peanut butter-flavored candy pieces

Line an 8-inch square baking pan completely with foil, allowing foil to extend over sides. Grease foil. Prepare, bake and cool brownie mix as directed on package.

Invert brownie onto a large tray; remove foil.

In a small bowl, stir frosting and cocoa until well blended. Frost sides and top of brownie.

Press unwrapped Hugs candy upside down in all 4 corners of brownie. Place kisses candy on top of each hugs candy. Unwrap 2 cookies `n' creme candt bars; break into 12 pieces. Press each upright piece near edge, around outside of brownie to resemble a fence.

Unwrap chocolate wafer candy bars; holding upright, cut top of each bar at angles on one end to resemble tombstones. Pipe letters ``R.I.P'' on flat side of each bar with orange icing.

In a small bowl, combine coconut, 1/2 teaspoon water and a few drops green food color. With a fork, toss until evenly tinted. Spread over top of brownie. Press tombstones into brownie; sprinkle top with chocolate peanut butter candy pieces. Makes 1 cake.

SWEETIE SPIDERS

You'll want to make friends with these spiders. They're scarily sweet!

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

A few drops water

48 thin black licorice strings, EACH 6 inches long

12 chocolate cream sandwich cookies

24 small red cinnamon candies, such as Red-Hots

In a small bowl, stir together sugar and enough water, about 3 to 4 drops, to form a thick paste. Reserve.

Cut licorice strings in half. Stick 4 halves into cream on each side of cookie to form legs. Using sugar paste as glue, adhere 2 cinnamon candies on top of cookie to form eyes. Makes 12 cookie spiders.

From ``Halloween Treats'' by Donata Maggipinto, Chronicle Books.

CAPTION(S):

Drawing, 2 Photos

Drawing: (Color) HALLOWEEN

Jorge Irribarren/Daily News

Photo: (1) As a Halloween party starter, Pumpkin Bisque is complemented with Cheddar Cheese and Chive Biscuits cut into pumpkin shapes.

(2) Brownie Cemetery Cake can be the grave, yet grand finale to an Oct. 31 meal.