When darkness falls on Halloween night, you better be prepared with the essentials: food and drink to keep you sustained through a barrage of trick-or-treaters.
The holiday this year is a school night, which means you need noshables you can make quickly and with little fuss. And since it's Halloween, we're leaning into the hokey vibes with food that is both snackable and adorable. Bust out your pumpkin cookie cutters or your decorative skull punch bowl for this festive feast.
Here are 10 Halloween-themed food and drinks you can make in 10 minutes or less, leaving you plenty of time to turn that old bridesmaid dress into a zombie costume.
Apple Bites
I make these every year for Halloween, because we desperately need some fruit in this mix. To make, quarter 2 or 3 apples. Place quarters in a bowl and squeeze the juice of 1 lemon over top. Mix; this will prevent the apples from browning too much. Now, take a quarter and cut a gap into the side, through the apple skin, to create an opening for the mouth. Make it large enough to fit two rows of teeth. For the teeth: My go-to is slivered almonds, the more jagged and mismatched the better. You can also use shelled sunflower seeds; anything that can pierce easily into the apple's flesh. Coat the inside of the gap with peanut butter or almond butter, then stab the apple's flesh with the almond slivers, using 4 or 5 on the top of the gap then repeating on the bottom. Repeat with remaining apple quarters.
Banana Ghosts
We're keeping with the fruit theme, but also coating it in candy, because this is Halloween. To make, start by peeling 3 large, ripe bananas, then cut them in half horizontally. Insert wooden ice pop sticks or wooden skewers into the bananas. Place 2 cups white chocolate chips or baking chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl with 2 tablespoons shortening. Microwave in 30-second increments until melted. Stir. Dip each banana in the mixture, coating it completely. Hold skewer upright for about 10 seconds to allow any excess goo to drip off, then place on a wax paper-lined baking sheet. Gently break up some chocolate chips, then press two pieces into the banana to create ghoulish eyes. Repeat with remaining banana halves, then freeze for 15 minutes before serving.
Bleeding Heart Brie
Every celebratory food spread needs some melty brie cheese, and this one is no exception. Start with an 8-ounce tube of refrigerated crescent rolls, or 2 store-bought pie shells. Place one dough layer on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper, then spread about 1 tablespoon red jam or jelly over the dough. Your choice on the flavor. Place an 8-ounce round of brie cheese in the center of the dough, then heap a couple more tablespoons jam onto the brie, spreading it slightly so it starts to drip down the sides. Place second layer of dough on top, pressing lightly to adhere to the bottom layer. Using a sharp knife, carefully cut dough into the shape of a heart. Roll the edges of the dough up slightly to secure. If you don't have enough dough to make a heart, you can simply roll the edges up without shaping it. Brush with egg wash: 1 egg mixed with 1 tablespoon water. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes, until crust is golden. Let cool slightly, then cut into it before serving so the red jam can ooze out dramatically.
Blood Red Punch
This drink goes great with your bloody brie. And it can be made alcoholic, or not. Use your most gothic drinking glasses for serving. Make one drink at a time: Add 3 maraschino cherries and 1 tablespoon maraschino cherry juice to a glass. If going the alcohol route, add 1 1/2 ounces vodka to the glass and stir. Fill the glass with ice, then fill with club soda. Stir and serve immediately.
Candy Corn Bark
Even candy corn haters can get behind this treat, which disguises the waxy candy's flavor by mixing it with lots of other sugary items to create a quick treat. To make it, melt 16 ounces white chocolate chips or white baking chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second increments until melted. On a long piece of parchment paper, spread 1 cup crushed pretzels, 1 cup chopped chocolate chips (I like dark chocolate) and 1 cup chopped peanuts. Mix them a little, then form into a loose square. Pour white chocolate all over the top, then spread just slightly so some white chocolate touches all of the mixture. Sprinkle 1/2 cup candy corn on top, pressing candy corn slightly into the still-wet chocolate. Place in freezer for 5 minutes to allow chocolate to harden.
Cheesy Eyeballs
You can do these eyeballs one of two ways. The easiest way is to buy those little balls of mozzarella in the grocery store. They're sometimes called "pearls," and they're about the diameter of a quarter. Or, buy an 8-ounce log of goat cheese and roll a handful of mini balls yourself. Once you've got your cheese balls ready, place them on a plate and use a skewer or straw or other small utensil to poke tiny holes in the top of each ball. Then, in a small bowl, mix equal parts honey and water; start with 1/4 cup of each. Roll one cheese ball around in the liquid so it's nice and gooey, then return to plate. Repeat with remaining balls. Now for the pupils. You can get creative here. I used whole peppercorns, but you can also use a small piece of olive or chocolate chips. Place whatever you use into the small hole in the top of the cheese ball, then serve on a platter or in another dish.
Mummy Dogs
This is the Halloween version of pigs in a blanket. To make, you'll need some refrigerated biscuit dough and some precooked hot dogs or any kind of sausage. I like to use full-sized hot dogs for these. To make, roll one biscuit into the longest, thinnest strip you can, then wrap tightly around one hot dog. Leave a small part at the top open for the mummy's face. Repeat with remaining dogs and biscuits, then bake in a 350-degree oven for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until biscuit dough is cooked through. The dough should puff up and look like mummy wrappings. Create eyes with little dots of mustard on the open area of the hot dog. Serve with ketchup for a bloody aesthetic.
One-Pot Pumpkin Pasta
This pasta could not be easier to make, plus it will provide a solid main dish for the evening. Not to mention that thin wiggly angel hair pasta swimming in an orange sauce is on theme for this night. Add the following to a pot: 12 ounces angel hair pasta, 1 cup pumpkin puree, 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth (you could even use water), 1/2 medium onion finely chopped, 3 cloves minced garlic, a couple tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper to taste and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Cover pot, bring to a boil and let cook for about 8 minutes. Remove lid, stir in 4 ounces goat cheese and a handful of fresh parsley (optional) and stir well. If soupy, let cook with the lid off for a minute. If dry, add a couple tablespoons water and stir. Serve, preferably with some Cheesy Eyeballs on top.
Pretzel Brooms
These are adorable, and also a great little snack, the saltiness of the pretzels pairing well with mozzarella cheese. Start with a handful of mozzarella string cheeses. Cut each log of cheese in half horizontally, so you have two stubby cylinders of cheese. Carefully insert a small pretzel stick into one side of the cylinder, and push it about halfway down. Using a pair of kitchen scissors, make 5 or 6 snips into the bottom half of the cheese, creating strands. Wrap a strand of fresh chive around the top of the cheese, where it meets the pretzel, and tie carefully to secure.
Witches Fingers
You'll need whole carrots for this one. Cut each carrot in half, then use a vegetable peeler to start peeling the top half of the carrots. The goal is to taper the top half a bit so that it looks like a finger. You can even try to carve a couple of knuckles into the bottom half of the carrot using a small knife. When you've got your desired shape, add a dab of cream cheese to the top of the carrot and press a piece of slivered almond onto the cream cheese. This is the fingernail. Fill a deep bowl with a dip of your choosing, then place the carrots in the dip, fingernails up.
