While we all have our favourite store-bought Halloween candy, whether it’s seasonal delights like candy corn or just miniature versions of our favourite chocolate bars and candies, there is great joy to be found in cooking up your own Halloween treats to enjoy at home or share at a party. From traditional goodies to innovative and spooky snacks discovered on the web, here are some of our favourite homemade Halloween treats:
Pumpkin Seeds
This savoury snack is a fall and Halloween classic. When you’re done scooping out the pumpkin guts from your jack-o-lanterns, separate out the seeds and lay them out to dry. When dried, toss them in a bowl with 2 teaspoons of butter and a couple pinches of salt, then spread on a baking sheet and bake in a 350° F oven for about 45 minutes. It’s that easy! For more adventurous flavours, add spices of your own choosing, from cinnamon to chili powder. Don’t be afraid to experiment!
Candy Apples
This is also a Halloween classic, and must be good for you since it has an apple at the centre…right? Follow instructions from here for exact ingredients and cooking instructions for the candy glaze. Dip McIntosh apples into the glaze and rotate to coat. For an extra twist, you can coat the candy apples in crushed peanuts or toffee bits. Then let rest on a parchment-lined cookie sheet until the candy glaze has hardened. Halloween just doesn’t feel complete without candy apples.
Ghost Bananas and Tangerine Pumpkins
This can be a healthy, creative, and visually appealing alternative to the sugary excesses of Halloween. To make ghost bananas, peel and halve three or four bananas. Then stick two chocolate chips into the front of the banana, sticking outward to make spooky eyes. Then add a chocolate chip below the eyes but leave the flat portion visible instead to form a ghostly mouth. That’s it! These pair well with ghost pumpkins, tangerine pumpkins, which are just as simple. Peel six tangerines or so. Cut a stalk of celery into miniature stalks and stick these into the tops of the oranges; these will act as the stem of the pumpkin. Voila!
Dracula Cookies
To make these treats, bake small chocolate cookies using your favourite methods and ingredients. Let the cookies cool, then slice each one in half and place them upside down on the cookie sheet. Decorate the bottom of each half with red icing sugar to form the gums. Then stick about six white miniature marshmallows into the icing on one half, forming a ring around the edge of the cookie, and close the cookie by placing the other half on top, icing side down. Then stick two almond slices between the front marshmallow “teeth” to form fangs. You end up with spooky Dracula cookies!
Pumpkin Pretzels
Line a cookie sheet with parchment. Melt a bag of white chocolate chips coloured with orange food colouring over a double boiler or (very carefully!) in the microwave. Then, simply dip as many mini pretzels as you wish into the warm orange chocolate mixture, coating thoroughly. Set it to dry on the parchment, and press a halved green M&M into the top divot of the pretzel. Allow them to set, and tada, miniature orange chocolate pumpkin pretzels.
Don’t forget to share recipes for your favourite homemade Halloween treats with us!
