Halloween is coming up, and we think such a fun, spooky holiday should come with fun, spooky snacks. To help spread this motto, we have some easy Halloween snack ideas for you to make at home!
They Did the Monster… Marshmallow…
A little chocolate, caramel, or jam makes for an array of marshmallow treats anywhere from bright and festive to downright creepy. The only limit is your imagination, but here are a couple ideas!
Each version begins with a marshmallow and a reusable or paper straw.
Ingredients:
Marshmallows
Melted caramels
Halloween-themed sprinkles
Optional: Sweetened condensed milk
Directions:
Skewer each marshmallow on a straw, and use the straw to dip the marshmallows in caramel. Next to your stove, prepare your stations: One plate full of skewered marshmallows, one with a layer of sprinkles for dipping, and one on which to place the finished product.
To melt down your caramels, place the candies in a heat-proof bowl and select a pot the bowl can sit comfortable on top of, without falling in. Optionally, add 1 tbsp sweetened condensed milk per cup of caramels. Hold the bowl carefully with a potholder, and with your other hand, stir constantly.
Once your caramels are melted, hold marshmallows by the straw and dip the bottom and sides of each marshmallow in caramel. Allow excess to drip back into the bowl, then move right away to dip the bottom in your festive sprinkles. Move your finished marshmallow pop to the serving plate, and repeat!
Ingredients:
Marshmallows
Strawberry or raspberry jam
Melted white chocolate
Multicolor M&Ms
Directions:
Use your reusable straw to create a hollow in your marshmallow: Push it into one side until you’ve nearly reached the other end, and then turn and press your straw to the side to cut a piece of marshmallow out of the center. Remove the straw, and discard this extra piece.
With a spoon or a piping bag, load a small amount of red jam into the center of your marshmallow.
To melt white chocolate, either place the pieces in a heatproof bowl on top of a pot of boiling water, or in the microwave. For the microwave: Heat white chocolate chips for 20 second increments, pausing to stir and scrape bottom. For the stovetop method: Choose a pot just the right size for your bowl to nestle on top of, without falling in. Boil a pot of water, then sit your heatproof bowl on top of your pot. With a rubber spatula, stir chocolate constantly until melted.
Use a spoon to lift melted white chocolate and coat the tops and sides of each marshmallow. Before the chocolate can set, press an M&M “iris” into each eye.
Have napkins at the ready before taking a bite!
Mozzarella Bone Bites
“Real” food goes out the window on Halloween—and what else is the holiday for? But few people of any age appreciate the sugar crash an hour before bed, after sustaining themself through the night on candy alone.
To keep in theme with the Halloween spirit, but also keep textures familiar and friendly for a choosy palate, try your hand at these saucy skeletons:
Ingredients:
Mozarella cheese
Pizza sauce
Prepared pizza dough
1 egg yolk
Optional: fillings of your choice
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, or according to your dough’s package instructions.
Roll your pizza dough out to 1/4” to 1/2” thick. Using a pizza cutter, cut 4” by 7” pieces of dough.
Spread a little sauce over each rectangle, but be conservative! Leakage will keep the bone bites from sealing. Leave at least half an inch of bare dough at every edge, for later.
Sprinkle mozzarella cheese in a line along the center of each rectangle. If you have any additional toppings, add them now, but chop them up tiny! Our secret ingredients are a sprinkle of parmesan and a pinch of Italian seasoning—or red pepper flakes, if spicy’s your style.
Pick up one of the shorter ends of your rectangle, and begin to roll it toward the other end. Roll your dough the same way you would roll a jelly roll or a yoga mat: There should a spiral in the middle.
Press the end of the dough into the spiral to seal it shut. (If need be, use a fork to press this loose end into the rest of the bone, and then use your fingers to smooth out the indentations.) Now, pinch the ends of each spiral shut.
Lightly roll your dough spirals, keeping your fingers about an inch away from each end. Continue until the inside is still sturdy, but narrower than the ends.
Using clean kitchen scissors, make a 1/2” cut in the middle of each short end. This creates the heart-shaped end of each bone! And finally, Brush the top of each bone with an egg yolk wash, and bake for 20 minutes.
Serve with warm marinara dip for extra blood!
Cookie Dough Black Widows
They did it. They made cookie dough that we can eat by the spoonful, no salmonella included.
Ingredients:
3/4 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp milk
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1/4 cup regular (semisweet) chocolate chips
Pretzel sticks
Directions:
Salmonella isn’t the only risk with uncooked cookie dough—raw flour carries risks as well. To make a truly safe raw cookie dough, measure your flour onto a baking sheet and, carefully, bake at 350 degrees for 5 minutes, and allow to cool as you prepare the rest of your recipe.
On medium speed, beat together softened butter and brown sugar until the mixture turns creamy. Once combined, add the vanilla extract and salt, and beat for an additional minute.
Now add your baked flour, and beat until your mixture starts to look like a proper cookie dough. Add your milk, add only the mini chocolate chips (leave the larger ones aside), and mix until blended.
Using a spoon, scoop out small balls of dough and roll in the palm of your hand until round. Place balls of dough on a wax paper-lined plate or serving dish. Press four pretzel sticks into each side for legs, and finally, press two chocolate chips into the top—with their points kissing. This is your spider’s hourglass.
We’re wishing you a safe and fun Halloween this year. Lay out your coffee-table spread, curl up to a creepy movie (or a comforting classic), and treat yourself! Are there any recipes you can’t do Halloween without? Let us know in the comments!
