Jane Jarrell is a Dallas freelance food stylist and shares with RecipeLion some fantastic recipes and tips for a fun and spooky Halloween!
Wow ’em with presentation and then disguise the leftovers in baked goods. The laughter and giggles announce the kids’ presence before the doorbell does. Throw open the door to a chorus of “Trick or treat!” and prepare to hand out the goodies.
Whether you are having a group over for a party, packaging treats for a crowd or recycling trick-or-treat candy, we have ideas to make the festivities more fun without putting a big wrinkle in your time.
Tricked-up party treats. Cleverly packaged treats make the giving more fun. A Halloween-themed bag with a peek-a-boo window or stickers on it seems like more than just a bag of candy. It doesn’t matter that the contents – foil-wrapped chocolate eyeballs, gummy worms, ghostly money – are purchased.
Sweet Shortcuts
Halloween is a great holiday for cooks who don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, mainly because it’s not so much what you prepare as how you present it.
Start with packaged goods, such as cake mix, and turn them into something unexpected and fun. These ideas are simple enough that children can help with the decorating.
Recycling Halloween Loot
Adding candy makes baked goods taste better. These easy ideas stretch candies into treats the family will enjoy if you have candy corn and chocolate that Dad hasn’t eaten on the sly.
Featured Recipe #1: Broomsticks
- 1 (10-ounce) package large pretzel rods
- 2 (4-ounce) bars of white chocolate
- 1 box Betty Crocker Fruit by the Foot Variety pack (contains 6 rolls, 0.75-ounce each)
Click here for the full Broomsticks recipe.
Featured Recipe #2: Pumpkin Patch Cakes
- 1 box spice cake mix, plus ingredients called for on package
- 2 cans vanilla icing
- 1 box Betty Crocker Fruit by the Foot Variety pack (contains 6 rolls, 0.75-ounce each)
- Food colorings
- Assorted candies
Click here for the full Pumpkin Patch Cakes recipe.
Black Cat Cookies
- 1 box chocolate cake mix
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- Sliced almonds
- Pink jelly beans
- Black licorice candies (available in bulk candy, or by brands such as Mike and Ike)
- Red jelly beans
- Large string of licorice for the cat’s tail (optional)
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine dry cake mix, oil and eggs. Mix at medium speed for about 1 minute. Drop batter by rounded tablespoonfuls, about 2 inches apart, onto ungreased cookie sheets.
- Pinch the top of the dough on two sides to form the cat’s ears. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until center of cookies spring back when pressed lightly in center. Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute before removing to a rack to finish cooling.
- Place the almonds for the eyes, the jelly beans for the nose and mouth. Place the licorice candies on either side of the nose for whiskers.
- If the cookies are cool, use store-bought icing as glue for the almonds and jelly beans. Makes 8 large cookies.
Here are some other fantastic Halloween recipe ideas for you:
Witch’s Warts, courtesy of Mary Dunklin
- ¼ cup butter, cubed
- 8 ounces semisweet chocolate
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 (11-ounce) bags 3 Musketeers Fun Size Bars, chopped into small pieces
- Melt butter. Remove from heat and add the semisweet chocolate. Cover and let rest for about 3 minutes to melt the chocolate, and then stir until smooth.
- Add the heavy cream gradually; stir until totally incorporated and chocolate loses its shine. Refrigerate until slightly firm, approximately 20 to 30 minutes.
- Roll into balls and then into chopped 3 Musketeers Bars, pressing gently to adhere. Makes about 60 warts.
Candy for a Crowd: Favors with flavors keep the theme going strong. Try these ideas for wrapping your candy into easy-to-manage to-go containers.
Pretend Pumpkins: Place sheets of orange crepe paper (available at Hobby Lobby) on a smooth surface. Cut a 12-inch-diameter circle. Place candy in the center of the circle. Gather the edges of the crepe paper toward the center and twist. Using green florist’s tape, twist it around the gathered crepe paper until covered. Gently bend the florist’s tape to resemble a stem.
Scarecrow Hand: Food-safe gloves make novel candy bags. Stuff food-safe gloves with candy. Tie the ends with raffia. Adorn the fingers of the glove with plastic rings. (Wilton decorators’ gloves; $2.99 for a box of 20, Michael’s)
Mini Treat Bags: Add stickers to small bags. Fill the bags with candy. Tie with orange and black string. (Mini bags; 99 cents each, Michael’s)
Peek-a-Boo Packages: Orange bags with black stickers and black envelopes with peek-a-boo windows. (Martha Stewart’s black window envelopes and orange bags, $4 for eight, Michael’s)
For more yummy Halloween recipes, download our free eCookbook, 23 Spooky Halloween Recipe Ideas!
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