Halloween Critters in the Hay

Critters in the Hay
from Joni's Kitchen
Yield: 4 Quarts

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon green food color (optional)
3 1/2 quart popped popcorn; remove any unpopped kernels
1 cup candy corn
black licorice ropes
wooden picks
small black gum drops or other small black candies
red decorating icing
tiny red jaw-breakers candy
worm-shape candies

Ghosts

In sauce pan bring sugar, corn syrup and butter to a boil. Boil for 2 1/2 minutes. Stir in pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, salt and food coloring (if desired). Mix well until evenly colored. Add popcorn and toss until evenly coated.
Spread popcorn mixture in a single layer on greased sheets of foil and allow to cool and harden. Break into bite-size pieces and mix with candy corn in a wide shallow bowl. Set aside.

Glow In Dark Spider To make spiders, cut licorice into 2 inch lengths. To make legs, starting at one end, make three 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch cuts to make four legs. Repeat cuts at opposite end. Leave about 1/2 inch in center uncut. Gently pull legs apart and curl down.
Push wooden pick through center of body, leaving about 1/4 inch exposed on top. Push one gumdrop onto exposed pick to make a body. Using writing tip of decorating icing, squeeze two small dots of icing into gumdrops. Press jaw-breakers into icing to make eyes. Place spiders and worm-shaped candies in popcorn. Remove wooden picks before eating.