Good Food Good Company
Tasty Treats for the Halloween Season

By Nikki Phipps for DareToScare.com

It’s that time again—Halloween. Although well known for trick-or-treating and lots of candy, the holiday doesn’t have to center around these alone. There are plenty of other traditional recipes and treats to tickle the taste buds.

Halloween came about through the adoption of various customs, including that of the Celtics. These customs consisted of the preparation of huge feasts in honor of the dead as well as that to honor the sun for bountiful harvests. Feasts made up of doughnuts, gingerbread, apple cider, pumpkin pie, popcorn, apples, and nuts all derived from these various traditions. An old Irish favorite is a dish called caulcannon. It’s made up of mashed potatoes, onions, and parsnips accompanied by small objects inside that foretell one’s future. For example, if a person found a coin within their caulcannon, wealth would soon follow. A ring might mean marriage, while finding a thimble might signal life as a spinster. If a doll was found, children were imminent. In honor of the autumn harvest, one might bake bread from its bounty. The serving of ‘soul cakes’ in return of prayers for the deceased transpired from this tradition. Soul cakes were merely square buns embellished with currants. Nowadays, pumpkin bread or pie is quite popular.

Today, a lot of people enjoy much of these same traditions. Some all-time favorites might include candied apples or roasted pumpkin seeds. Both are easy to make.

For candied apples, grease (or cover with wax paper) a large cookie sheet and set aside. In a saucepan set on medium heat, combine 4 ½ cups sugar, ¾ cup corn syrup, 1 tsp. red food coloring and 1 ½ cups water. Stir continually until all ingredients are dissolved and the liquid boils. Using a candy thermometer, allow mixture to simmer (about 20 minutes) until the temperature reaches approximately 290º. Meanwhile, wash and dry 12 apples and insert a popsicle stick through the stem. Remove syrup from heat and dip the apples, one by one, to coat evenly. Allow apples to cool about an hour. Each apple can be rolled in chopped peanuts after dipping in syrup, if desired.

For roasted pumpkin seeds, simply rinse seeds in a colander with cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Combine seeds with about ¾ cup of salt and 1 cup of vegetable or canola oil. Spread onto a cookie sheet and bake at 250º for approximately 30 minutes, tossing occasionally.

There are many other tasty treats for both young and old alike. They’re easy to make so allow the kids to help out; they’ll love it. Whether it’s for a party, the trick-or-treaters, or just a snack to enjoy at home, these treats are sure to become a seasonal favorite. Who doesn’t enjoy the fresh taste of home-made cookies straight from the oven?

Pumpkin cookies are a healthy alternative to Halloween candy. Simply mix together 1 ½ cups canned pumpkin, ½ cup butter (melted), 1 cup sugar, ½ tsp. vanilla, 1 egg, 2 cups flour, 1 tsp. baking powder, and 1 tsp. cinnamon in a large bowl. Drop by spoonfuls onto a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake at 375º for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. If desired, add 1 cup chopped walnuts before baking.

No time for baking? Try some Peanut Butter Pumpkin Balls. These bite-size snacks are not only easy and fun to make but great for last-minute party treats. Just melt a stick of butter in a large bowl and slowly add some yellow and red food coloring until it turns orange. Grab a 12-ounce jar of peanut butter and a 16-ounce box of confectioner’s sugar. Add these to the orange butter and mix thoroughly to form a dough-like consistency. Shape the dough into bite-size balls and place on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Use a small plastic knife or toothpick to add line features in the pumpkins. Dress them up with little green hats (stems) made from green icing and use black or yellow icing to create faces. You should have enough dough to make at least 20, but this will vary depending on the size of the pumpkins. I prefer to chill them for about 30 minutes or until ready to serve.

If your kids are anything like mine, they will love these Spooky Spider Treats. Personally, I hate spiders so if you fear them as I do, you may want to have your children help you on this one. All you need is a package of vanilla wafers, a small bag of pretzels, a small bag of jelly beans, and a jar of peanut butter. You won’t be using all the ingredients in their entirety; simply use as much as you like or need, depending on how many you’re feeding. Typically, I only use about half the box of cookies. Since the recipe is quite easy, I can make more as I need them. Simply spread some peanut butter on one side of a vanilla wafer and create a sandwich with another wafer cookie. Grab a handful of pretzels and break them in half. Stick the halves into the peanut butter between the wafers. You should put four on each side to create legs for your spider. Choose whatever color jelly bean you would like as these will be the spider’s eyes. Cut each jelly bean in half and apply to the top of the cookie sandwich with a small amount of peanut butter. That’s it. Serve them up and watch everyone suffering from arachnophobia twitch with fright.

Chocolate Spiders is another spider treat everyone will love to eat but hate to look at. Melt 4 cups of semisweet chocolate chips in the top of a double boiler. Let the melted chocolate sit over the water for about 10 minutes or until the water has cooled. Meanwhile, place some wax paper on a cookie sheet. Pour the chocolate into a pastry bag that is fitted with a 1/4-inch tip and squeeze the chocolate onto the wax paper in the shape of spiders (if chocolate is too runny, allow it to cool longer). Chill the spiders for about 10 minutes. Once hardened, peel the spiders from the wax paper and serve. Otherwise, store them in the refrigerator.

Are you looking for an easy snack to give the kids or would you prefer something easy to serve for a party? Look no further; celebrate the holiday with some traditional Party Mix. Combine equal amounts (approximately 1-3 cups each) of roasted pumpkin seeds, peanuts (for those not allergic), raisins, candy corn, M & Ms, pretzels, Cheerios and Chex cereal (any variety) in a large bowl. Toss the mixture in about 1/3 cup melted butter and serve. Store any leftovers in an airtight container. Party mix can be eaten alone or serve it with interesting Jack-O’-Lantern sandwiches. Simply make a cheese sandwich using wheat bread. Cut Halloween faces using cookie cutters in the top bread slices of the sandwiches.

What Halloween party would be complete without some good punch to wash down all those treats? With a 12-ounce can of orange juice concentrate, a 12-ounce bottle of white grape juice, a 2-liter bottle of 7-up, and a pint of lime sherbet, you have all you need for making up a batch of punch. Add everything together (may require blender for sherbet) and throw in a few drops of green food coloring for interesting ghoulish effect.

Alternatively, you might enjoy some Spicy Witches Brew instead. Fill some ice-cube trays with cherry-flavored soda and stick them in the freezer. Mix one 12-ounce can of orange juice concentrate with ¼ cup lemon juice, 2 quarts apple cider, 4 cups water, 1 cup white grape juice, and 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon in a large punch bowl until well blended. Chill the punch for approximately 1 hour. Add the frozen cherry ice cubes to the punch when ready to serve.

This article was written by Nikki Phipps and was sponsored by DareToScare.com. The article is not available for reprint unless specific permission is given by DareToScare.