Halloween is the perfect excuse to get silly in the kitchen, so don't hold back from embracing the pure joy of indulging in the sugary sweets of your childhood. If you're looking for something to do with the whole family this unusual Halloween, most of these recipes are simple and fun enough to engage even the littlest of chefs. Savory-toothed folks, have no fear — there's plenty of fun treats on this list that don't rely on sweetness for their base. Happy cooking and happy Halloween from the O'Shanter team!
Image Source: Ethan Calabrese/Delish
Pumpkin Pie Pumpkin Seeds
Save all of those precious seeds from the inside of your Jack-O-Lantern for this tasty recipe from Candace Braun Davidson at Delish. A sprinkle of brown sugar, along with butter, and a classic pumpkin pie spice mix results in pumpkin seeds that are carmelized to crunchy, sweet perfection. Top with a pinch of flaky sea salt, and good luck keeping these tasty morsels around for more than a day!
Image Source: Hannah William/Tasty
Halloween Layered Dip
If you're going to be feeding a crowd on Halloween, this appetizer should be on your menu. Fill a large bowl with your preferred dip layers (Hannah Williams recommends refried beans, salsa, sour cream, and guacamole) and garnish with jalapenos, olives, tomatoes, lettuce, and anything else you desire. Finally, complete your final layer with a pipetted sour cream spiderweb.
Image Source: Kate Sears/Martha Stewart
Spiderweb Eggs
You don't need to be a master artist to make these creepy boiled eggs from Martha Stewart. Frozen blueberries are the key to creating the spiderwebbed effect uncovered once you peel the shell of the final product. Don't worry, there shouldn't be any residual blueberry flavour to your eggs; just a creepy optical illusion that will leave your family doing double takes!
Image Source: The Food Network
Meatball-Stuffed Pasta Brain
If you really want to creep out your dinner guests, try out this positively gruesome Food Network recipe. A combination of udon noodles and eggs create a perfectly slimy, satisfying texture that keeps its shape without skimping on flavour — a heavy serving of mozzarella and prosciutto makes certain of that. One commenter stated that their children were absolutely delighted with this dish, and squealed with joy in anticipation of their "brain surgery" dinner!
Image Source: Melissa McCabe/Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers
Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers
Meat lovers aren't the only folks who can jump in on the Halloween dinner fun. Melissa McCabe advises using a small paring knife to carve creepy faces into hollowed-out bell peppers, as you would a pumpkin. Stuff with the filling of your choice, bake, and enjoy!
Image Source: Blog Chef
Dirt Cake
This treat from Bobby at Blog Chef is the perfect example of a dish that you can only serve on Halloween. It has all the key components of the ideal halloween dessert: a gross name, a creepy textural element, and sugary goodness that you just can't turn down. Save yourself the struggle of crushing all those Oreos by hand and just throw them in a blender or food processor to make your "dirt" topping in seconds.
Image Source: Anjelika Temple/Brit+Co
Gummy Worm-Infested Ice Cubes
This is a garnish for those who aren't freaked out by a few creepy crawlies (and those who want to freak out their squeamish friends and family). All you need to do is freeze half a gummy worm in an ice cube, in order to turn a regular cocktail or glass of fruit punch into a certifiably spooky delight. Anjelika Temple at Brit+Co recommends slipping them into a vodka soda or gin and tonic for a sweet surprise!
Image Source: Taste of Home/@happyiscontagious
Halloween Trash Cookies
Did you purchase more candy than you know what to do with? Meet the Halloween equivalent of the day-after-Thanksgiving Turkey sandwich. Start with your favorite basic cookie dough, or a store bought roll to make things even easier, and add in chopped Halloween candy in whatever combination you desire. Krista Garcia recommends throwing in some salty nuts or pretzels to balance out the sugar, but you can even use candy corn or sour gummies!