For the most part, I prefer my Halloween cookies to be cute and cheerful rather than scary and ghoulish. This year I did some of both. These Cheerful Pumpkins were the cute kind and my Chubby Witch Fingers were the scary kind. I made the pumpkins in three sizes, a bit like a family with a Papa, Mama, and Baby. Oddly enough, all our trick-or-treaters this year were in family groups, too. Dads accompanied their little ones to the door, while the Moms stood in the background smiling.

I tend to shy away from the really macabre part of Halloween and focus on the cute and humorous. But this year I did both. These Chubby Witch Fingers are indeed scary but were toned down by their companions, my Cheerful Pumpkin Cookies. At least that was my hope.

I’ve always had a connection to the ocean and everything associated with it. I love walking on the beach looking for shells. I love the sound of the waves and the smell of the sea. I especially love looking at the endless ebb and flow of the ocean and can sit on the beach watching it for hours. This love stretches out to include all things associated with the sea. This year, lighthouses were the theme for my summer cookie baking.

“Be a lighthouse for someone to find a safe way home.” Anonymous