You will definitely want to spook and scare your guests at your next Halloween party. But you will also want to provide them with some delicious Halloween themed treats. Below are some easy recipes you can feature at your gathering to rein in the Halloween spirit.
Bloody Truffles
Ingredients:
- 1 box of cake mix (plus ingredients to make the cake)
- 16 ounces of prepared frosting
- 1 pound of white candy coating
- 48 royal icing weapons (knives, axes, or similar edible weapons)
- 1 tube of red gel food coloring
Directions
- Bake the cake according to the directions on the package for a 9×13 cake. Once baked, allow the cake to cool completely.
- Crumble the cake into a large bowl and work it with your hands until it is in small pieces.
- Spoon three-quarters of the frosting into the bowl and stir with a rubber spatula until the mixture is well-combined. It should be very moist and hold together if you squeeze a ball of cake between your fingers, but not too wet or greasy. If the cake mixture is still a bit dry, add more frosting to get it to the desired consistency—the exact amount you need will depend on the texture of the cake you started with.
- Using a small cookie or candy scoop, scoop out 1-inch balls of cake and roll between your palms until they are round. You should get about 48 balls from this recipe. Place the cakes balls on a baking sheet covered with parchment or waxed paper, and refrigerate them until firm, at least 1 hour.
- Place the candy coating in a medium microwave-safe bowl and microwave it until melted, stirring after every 45 seconds to prevent overheating. Cover a baking sheet with waxed paper.
- Using dipping tools or a fork, submerge a cake ball in the melted candy coating. Remove it from the coating and drag the bottom across the lip of the bowl to remove excess coating. Replace the dipped truffle on the baking sheet. While the chocolate is still wet, firmly press a royal icing knife or axe into the truffle. Repeat until all of the truffles are dipped and decorated.
- Once all of the cake balls are dipped, refrigerate the truffles to set the coating completely, about 20 minutes. Take a clean paintbrush and brush some red gel food coloring around the tops of the truffles where the royal icing decorations are.
- These Bloody Truffles are best served at room temperature, and can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
White Chocolate Ghosts
Ingredients
- 1 package of white chocolate chips
- 6 large pretzel rods
- 12 miniature chocolate chips
Directions:
- Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with aluminum foil. Using a sharp knife, cut the pretzel rods in half and arrange them in well-spaced intervals on the baking sheet.
- Place the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave it until melted, stirring after every 30 seconds to avoid overheating. This recipe works best if the chocolate is very warm (but not burned!) so make sure that it is melted, smooth, and very liquid. If your chocolate still seems stiff, try stirring in a tablespoon of shortening and mixing until it melts.
- Using a spoon, drop a blob of chocolate over the top half of a pretzel rod, forming the body. Add a head and two arms, then swirl the spoon over the chocolate to bring all the pieces together and give the shape a unified look. These are meant to be free-form, so don’t worry about getting them to be precise and identical. Alternately, you can place the white chocolate in a large zip-top bag and cut a small hole in the corner, then use the bag to pipe the ghost shape instead of using the spoon method.
- While the chocolate is still wet, press two miniature chocolate chips into the head for the eyes.
- Repeat with remaining chocolate and pretzels. Place the sheet of ghosts in the refrigerator to set the chocolate, about 30 minutes. Chocolate ghosts may be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Peanut Butter Eyeballs
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup of smooth peanut butter
- 3 tablespoons of butter (chopped)
- 1 1/4 cups of powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 12 ounces of white chocolate candy coating
- 1 bag of candy-coated chocolate pieces (like M&Ms)
- 1 red edible color marker (or red decorator frosting)
Directions
- In the bowl of a large mixer, blend peanut butter and butter until creamy.
- Add powdered sugar and vanilla to peanut butter mixture and continue beating until it looks smooth.
- Cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil or waxed paper.
- Using a spoon, scoop out balls of peanut butter and roll between your palms to get them as round as possible. Place on the cookie sheet and refrigerate until firm, about 30-45 minutes.
- Place the white chocolate coating in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave until melted. Stir thoroughly until it is smooth.
- Use dipping tools or a fork to dip a peanut butter ball into the melted white chocolate. Take it from the bowl and let the excess coating drip back into the bowl. Replace it on the cookie sheet and proceed to dip the rest of the peanut butter balls.
- While the chocolate is still wet, press an M&M candy in the center of the ball.
- Return the eyes to the refrigerator to harden.
- When the eyeballs are firm, use the red decorator frosting or the red edible color marker to make squiggly blood vessels from the bottom to the top of the eyeballs.
- Store Peanut Butter Eyeballs in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks, and bring them to room temperature before serving.
Monster Rice Krispie Treats
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons of salted butter
- 1 10 ounce package of marshmallows
- 6 cups of Rice Krispie cereal
- 4 cups of candy melts (one cup per color)
- 1 to 2 teaspoons of canola oil (per candy melt color)
- 24 edible candy eyes (different sizes if desired)
Directions
- Grease a 9×13 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan. Choose a saucepan that is large enough to fit all of the marshmallows.
- Add the marshmallows, turn the heat to low, and stir until the marshmallows have completely melted. Don’t leave the marshmallows unsupervised! They marshmallows will burn or brown very easily.
- Stir in the Rice Krispies two cups at a time until they are completely combined.
- Press the Rice Krispie mixture into the greased baking pan. We recommend greasing your hands as well, to prevent the mixture from sticking to your hands. Allow treats to cool and then cut into 12 rectangles.
- Place a sheet of parchment paper over a baking sheet.
- Put 1 cup of the first color of candy melts into a mug. Microwave, 30 seconds at a time until the candy has melted. Stir in the 1 to 2 teaspoons of oil until it is completely combined. Dip three of the rectangles into the candy, covering about 1/3 of each rectangle. Try dipping them both vertically and horizontally. Lay each rectangle onto the sheet of parchment paper. Arrange the candy eyes as you like onto the melted white chocolate. Experiment with different arrangements and different amounts of eyes.
- Repeat with remaining color candy melts. Allow them to cool completely. Store Rice Krispie treats in an airtight container.