You might be too old to trick or treat, but you’re never too old to gorge on spooky treats on Halloween night. Whether you’re in the mood for an inventive dessert, a healthy crowd-pleaser or a creative use for all the discounted candy you’ll buy next weekend, these recipes will take your Halloween festivities to the next level.
Spider Mochi
Mochi are a chewy Japanese dessert, usually filled with pudding, ice cream or bean paste. This spider-inspired variation is a spooky take on a basic mochi recipe that calls for just three microwaveable ingredients: Mochiko rice flour, sugar and water. Fill these creepy crawlers with candy pumpkins or orange ice cream for an extra festive touch.
Total Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
— 1 cup Mochiko sweet rice flour
— 1 cup water
— ¼ cup sugar
— Black food coloring
— All-purpose flour
— Candy eyes
— ½ cup black sesame seeds
— Black pipe cleaners (for presentation)
Steps:
1. Mix Mochiko flour, food coloring, sugar and water in a microwavable bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 4 minutes.
2. Cover a flat surface with flour while the dough cooks. Cover a separate surface with black sesame seeds.
3. When dough is done cooking, let cool for a few minutes before removing plastic wrap.
4. Place a spoonful of dough onto the flour-covered surface and roll into a flat circle. Quickly place filling onto the circle, then fold the edges over the filling to make a ball.
5. Lightly dab the ball with water and roll in the sesame seeds. Stick on the candy eyes while the ball is still wet.
6. Repeat until all the dough is used.
7. Bend the pipe cleaners into the shape of a spider’s leg, using half a pipe cleaner for each leg. For each spider, arrange eight legs on a plate and place the mochi on top, covering the point where all the legs meet.
Candy corn transforms any cupcake recipe into an army of vibrant critters. Whether you make your cupcakes from scratch or from the box — or you prefer a seasonal alternative like apple or pumpkin muffins — this eye-catching decorating technique is perfect for Halloween.
Total Time: 2 minutes per cupcake
Ingredients:
— Cupcakes
— Candy corn
— Light brown frosting
— Candy eyes
— Chocolate chips
Steps:
1. Spread frosting onto each cupcake.
2. Push several pieces of candy corn into the frosting, covering most of the surface but leaving a small space bare on one side.
3. Decorate the bare space with two candy eyes and a chocolate chip snout.
Fall Vegetable Dip
For a grown-up twist on the jack-o’-lantern, transform a hollowed-out pumpkin into a receptacle for this healthy vegan dip. Nutritional yeast adds a cheesy flavor to the vitamin-packed root vegetable and hummus components and the pumpkin’s seeds can be roasted and sprinkled on top for a rustic-looking garnish. To stay on-theme, serve with black bean chips or Utz’s classic “Bats & Jacks” pretzels.
Dip
Ingredients:
— One carrot
— One small turnip
— 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
— 2 tablespoons sweet potato hummus
— 2 tablespoons red pepper hummus
— Salt and pepper (to taste)
Steps:
1. Quarter turnip and cut carrot into half-inch slices.
2. Boil carrot and turnip on medium heat for about 30 minutes or until soft.
3. Drain vegetables, gently mash with a fork and then add to blender.
4. Add hummus, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper to blender.
5. Blend until smooth.
Pumpkin Bowl and Seed Garnish
— One small pumpkin
— Olive oil
— Salt
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
2. Cut the top from the pumpkin to make a bowl shape. Scoop out the pulp and scrape the inside clean, separating the seeds from the pulp.
3. Toss the seeds with salt and olive oil and spread onto a baking sheet.
4. Roast the seeds for 40 to 50 minutes or until golden brown, stirring occasionally.