While Halloween isn't really officially observed in most Amish communities, they are aware of the fuss surrounding the occasion and will often participate in small ways.  Amish teenagers will often use Halloween to pull pranks, and parents may give their children some candy.  A favorite cookie recipe in the Eicher household around Halloween are "brookstick cookies".  Hex signs used to be a common sight on Amish barns in the 1800s, primarily in Lancaster County, PA.  They were supposedly painted there to ward of evil spirits, but hex signs have gradually fallen out of Amish culture and into pop culture.

BROOMSTICK COOKIES

3 cups of brown sugar

2 teaspoons of vanilla

1 1/2 cups of shortening

1/2 cup of milk

1 cup of dark corn syrup

6 1/2 - 7 cups of flour

3 eggs

3/4 cup of raisins (cover with water and cook until plump)

Mix all ingredients together until the consistency of pie dough. Roll in hand to form broomsticks. Place lengthwise on a cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 15 to 20 minutes. Let stand a few minutes and top with powdered sugar.