Halloween Party Food Ideas

Article: A Collection of Halloween Treats

My husband's favorite holiday is Halloween. He loves decorating our house and our yard, But the best to him is all the candy he gets to give out. (and eat!)

I have been collecting Halloween treat recipes for many years. Some of these are from parents of children that my kids went to school with and some from their teachers. Some recipe are from Mrs. Julia Kenyon who gave me her Halloween Popcorn Ball recipe that she made for 30 odd years for all the neighborhood children right before she died. Others have come from the parents of my grandchildren's friends. I hope you enjoy them all.

Chocolate Spiderweb Cookies

• 1 tube of refrigerator sugar cookies
• 4 1 oz. squares unsweetened chocolate, melted
• can of chocolate frosting

Cut cookies into circles, bake at 350 degrees F for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on cookie sheets 5 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely. Spread frosting over cookies to within 1/8 inch of edge; let stand until frosting sets. Place chocolate morsels in top of a double boiler; bring water to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cook until chocolate melts. Let stand until almost cool but not set. Spoon melted chocolate into decorating bag fitted with metal tip No. 2.

For round pattern, pipe chocolate in 5 or 6 circles around top of cookie. Pull the point of a wooden pick across chocolate circles from the center to the outer edge. Repeat 8 or 10 times, spacing evenly across top of cookie.

For linear pattern, pipe chocolate in parallel lines, about 1/4-inch apart, across top of cookie. Pull the point of a wooden pick diagonally across lines. Let stand at room temperature until chocolate is firm. Yield: 6 dozen

Dead Men's Legs Cookies

• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup finely chopped blanched/skinned almonds
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Beat egg lightly and gradually add sugar. Beat with mixer until light and foamy, about 20 minutes. Add almonds and flour; mix well. Roll dough into finger-thick ropes on a very light floured surface. Flatten slightly with fingertips and cut into 3 inch lengths and place on ungreased cookie sheets.Bake in oven until light brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from cookie sheets and cool completely before storing in airtight containers.Stores 1 to 2 months. Makes 2 dozen cookies.

Easy Halloween Cookies

• Ritz crackers
• creamy peanut butter
• white chocolate, melted
• orange sprinkles

Take Ritz Crackers and make sandwich cookies out of them using peanut butter for the filling. Then coat each one in melted chocolate "almond bark" (without almonds). Place on wax paper. Put some orange sprinkles on top and put in the refrigerator to cool.Store in an air tight container. No need to refrigerate once they set.

Flat Cat Cookies

• 1 package (20 oz.) refrigerated sugar cookie dough
• 1 To 2 Tbsp. flour
• red cinnamon candies
• seedless strawberry jam

Preheat oven to temperature specified on package. Sprinkle flour on a clean, flat surface and roll out cookie dough slightly thicker than what the package calls for. Then, using butter knife, cut out cookies in the shape of a flattened cat. Use a large spatula to carefully transfer cookies to cookie sheet. Bake according to package directions. While they are cooling, count out enough cinnamon candies to put two eyes and a nose on each cat. Carefully flatten between the front and back of two spoons and set aside. Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for about 3 minutes and then press in eyes and nose. Transfer to wire rack to continue cooling. Dribble jam here and there on each cookie for blood. Makes approximately 3 dozen kitty road kill cookies.

Fudgy Bat Cookies

• 9 oz chocolate wafer cookies
• 4 oz milk chocolate candy melts

Use a serrated knife to carefully cut 18 of the cookies into quarters. Save remaining cookies for another use. For each bat, place 2 cookie quarters 1/4 inch apart on waxed paper. Repeat with remaining quarters. Melt candy melts. Drop about 1/2 teaspoon of melted candy at center of each bat, connecting cookies. Use a toothpick to smooth melted candy into a uniform circle. Cool completely before removing from waxed paper. Yield: 3 dozen

Chocolate Spiders

• 12 oz Twizzlers; chocolate flavor
• 4 oz milk chocolate candy melts

Cut twizzlers into 1 1/2 inch pieces. Slice each piece in half lengthwise. On waxed paper, place 4 legs (pieces) on each side and then drop 1 tsp melted candy in middle for body. Use a toothpick to smooth to uniform circle and connect all candy pieces. Cool completely before removing from waxed paper. Yield: 2 dozen

Great Ghost Pumpkin Cookies

• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup quick oats, un-cooked
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup butter or margarine -- softened
• 1 cup brown sugar -- packed
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 cup Libby's solid-pack pumpkin
• 1 cup semi-sweet morsels

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine flour, oats, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; set aside. Cream butter; gradually add sugars, beating until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; mix. Alternate additions of dry ingredients and pumpkin, mixing well after each addition. Stir in morsels. For each cookie, drop 1/4 cup dough onto lightly greased cookie sheet; spread dough into a ghost shape using a thin metal spatula. Or make a quick ghost pattern of heavy paper. Make 2 or three poses for realism. Bake 20-25 minutes, til cookies are firm and lightly browned. Remove from cookie sheets; cool on racks. Spread with white royal icing. Trim brown face features with tube-icing.Yields 19-20 large cookies.

Halloween Crispy Candy Corn Treats

• 1/2 cup butter
• 10 cups crispy rice cereal
• 9 cups miniature marshmallows
• 2 cups mixture of candy corn and Indian candy corn
• 3/4 cup miniature chocolate chips
• candy pumpkins
• orange food coloring

Melt butter and marshmallows; stir until smooth. In a large bowl, mix rice cereal, candy corn and miniature chips together. Add orange food coloring to marshmallow mixture, or squirt over cereal in bowl.Add marshmallow mixture to cereal mixture; stir quickly to combine. Spread on a large buttered jelly roll pan; press with buttered hands. While warm, press on candy pumpkins spaced 1 to 1/2-2 inches apart.Refrigerate and cut into squares.

Nightcrawlers

• 12 large apples
• boysenberry jam
• 4 Tbsp. butter
• 12 gummy worms

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Core apples from stem end to 1/2 inch from bottom. Stuff each hole with 1 tsp jam and butter. Place in a pan and bake uncovered for 35-45 minutes. Remove apples let stand for 15 minutes. Set each apple in a bowl and spoon syrup from baking pan around it. Insert a gummy worm with half its body protruding.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

• pumpkin seeds
• water
• salt
• melted butter
• vegetable spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Rinse seeds well. For every 2 cups of seeds, put 4 cups of water and 2 Tbsp. of salt into saucepan. Add the seeds and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Drain well in strainer. Place on paper towels and pat dry. Toss the seeds with melted unsalted butter in a large bowl until evenly coated. Spray cookie sheet with vegetable spray. Spread seeds over tray and bake for 30 minutes, stirring, and tossing occasionally. When seeds are golden brown they are ready. Store in airtight container in cool place.

Popcorn Balls

• 2 1/2 quarts popped popcorn
• 1 14-oz package light caramels
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 2 Tbsp. water

Keep popcorn warm in a 200 degree F oven. Melt caramels in top of double boiler over simmering water. Add corn syrup and water and mix until smooth. Slowly pour over popcorn in a large bowl. Stir to mix well. With greased hands, shape into balls about the size of softballs. Let cool completely before wrapping with plastic wrap.

Candied Apples

• 12 red delicious apples
• 12 wooden skewers
• 4 1/2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup light corn syrup
• 1 tsp. red food colouring
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1 cup chopped peanuts

Grease a large cookie sheet and set aside. Wash and dry apples. Insert a stick through stem, leaving about two inches sticking out. In saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, corn syrup, food colouring and water. Cook, stirring constantly, until ingredients are dissolved and liquid boils. Set a candy thermometer in mixture and continue cooking, without stirring until temperature reaches 290 degrees, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile place shopped peanuts in a bowl. Remove syrup from heat and dip the apples, one by one, to coat evenly. Work quickly. As you dip each apple roll in peanuts to coat then place on prepared cookie sheet. Let apples cool for at least an hour.

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