One thing we don’t talk enough about on this blog is food. I mean, what’s the point of talking about how to improve your kitchen or make it aesthetic if we never also spark ideas of what you can do with it? Thankfully, we’re in the fall season now which means you’re probably in the kitchen more often, or would like to be. Making Halloween treats is a great way to express more creativity than you might be able to during Thanksgiving–Don’t get us wrong, we love Thanksgiving desserts, but your Aunt Beth may be upset if any one tries to be “inventive” with late Great-Grandma Deborah’s “secret” apple cobbler recipe (the secret was nutmeg–it’s ALWAYS nutmeg…and just a bit of hard cider).
With Halloween, you don’t have to worry so much about expectations–so as long as it’s fun, tasty, and maybe just a teeny bit spooky. Scary-spooky, eerie-spooky, cute-spooky, interpret it as you like. But if you need some inspiration to get started, we’ve got you covered. Here are a few tasty treats that’ll be sure to please everyone, even Aunt Beth.
GHOSTLY BROWNIES: Look at these little guys? Aren’t they adorable? (I’ll be thinking that for most of these treats). Absolutely the easiest recipe on this list. First follow your favorite brownie recipe. Don’t have one? Don’t worry! Every brownie box mix comes with a recipe. Or you can watch this video for a delicious fudgy brownie recipe. Where the spooky surprise comes in is with the cute little ghosts. What you’ll need is fondant, edible googly eyes, and your favorite fun size candy bar. While your brownies are baking, you’re going to want to roll the fondant out. When it’s been successfully rolled, cut the fondant in circular shapes that will cover most of the candy bar (leave about ⅓ of the bottom of the candy bar exposed). Attach the eyes. Once your brownies are out of the oven and cooling, put the exposed end of the candy bar into the brownie with the ghostly hem touching or just hovering the top of the brownie.
LAST-MINUTE MONSTER DONUTS: So, have you ever been going about your Wednesday or Thursday and your brain does this sudden reminder that your child had a Halloween party at school and you’re like: “[Expletive], how’d I forget about that?” If that’s you, you’re going to love this idea, because the baking is done for you. All you need to do to buy is edible googly eyes, monster teeth from the costume section of your favorite neighborhood retailer, and premade donuts (preferably with frosting that can invoke some kind of spooky character: white for ghost, green for monster–you get the picture). So, a quick in and out of Target, and a quick in and out of Krispy Kreme. BOOM! You’ve done the hard part. Getting all the eyes and mouths in place, like in the picture, will be all of five minutes. Now the kids not only get a lovely treat, but some fun monster chompers to playfully terrorize each other with.
KRISPY CREEPERS: This is a fun one to do with the kids. First, follow the tried and true Original Rice Krispies Treats™ Recipe. I know we kind of knocked on tradition at the start of this journey, but it’s stogginess we’re against, not perfection. Beyond the ingredients for the rice krispies, all you need is some food coloring and white fondant. The fondant just need needs to be cut in small circles for eyes. Or, if you have a lot of fondant and don’t really want to hang on to it, you can cover these treats to be ghosts, or wrap them in smaller strips and make mummies! With the food coloring, carefully paint it on the rice krispie to make mouths, eyeliner, what have you. Honestly, anything that allows kids to have some creative control is going to be a win!
TIRAMIS-EMETERY: Now that the goblins have had their fun, this one’s for you. Sure kids would probably enjoy it too, but honestly, you’re exhausted from making the above desserts. Pamper yourself. Do something for you. This little Tiramisu in a cup (or because it’s spooky season, a Tirami-semetery). For the tiramisu itself there’s this delightful recipe your should try. We’ll take you through the more ghoulish extras. But before that, check out this guide for melting chocolate.
- Headstone–your favorite Pepperidge Farm milano cookie. Use a piping bag to write with the melted chocolate for your epitaph. There’s not a lot of space so a simple RIP will do!
- Chocolate spider–There’s a few ways to go about this, but here’s probably the easiest option. On parchment paper set out a small chocolate candy to be the body of the spider. Could be a Junior Mint, chocolate peanut, or Ferrero Rocher if you’re feeling especially decadent. Slowly pipe your chocolate over and along the candy until you have eight creepy legs poking out. When you’ve conjured your cluster of spiders, put them your refrigerator for 10-15 minutes. Enjoy!
