Homemade Halloween treat ideas

Since it’s a Halloween “no-no” to pass out homemade treats, we’re all going to have to stick to individually wrapped candies and things when passing goodies out to trick-or-treaters. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t go the extra mile for our family and friends and cook up some really spooky homemade Halloween treats this year.

If you need some Halloween cupcake ideas, you cannot beat Slime-Filled Cupcakes from the Black Lagoon, which are vanilla cupcakes filled with a gooey bright-green lime curd, or Vampire Cupcakes that “bleed” a thick, red cherry pie filling. Be sure to use the “cone method” when you go to fill them so you maximize the amount of filling you can use and get the full effect of each cupcake.

When it comes to cookies, you can take them in a similar vein with raspberry-jam filled Vampire Cookies. Don’t forget the vampire bite marks on top! Mummy Cookies with White Chocolate Wrapping and Gingerbread Skeletons are both cookies made from dough that is rolled out, cut out and decorated after baking. These are a lot of fun to decorate with kids. Since I am also a fan of candy corn, I try to make time for a batch of these honey-flavored Candy Corn Cookies that look like the real thing. Chocolate Covered Witch Hats are great on their own, but also make good decorations for cupcakes and cakes.

Toasted pumpkin seeds and caramel-dipped apples are surprisingly easy to make, and are real crowd pleasers at parties. This Spiderweb-Topped Chocolate Ganache Tart makes a better dessert for a smaller group, but is almost as easy to make. And, of course, both pumpkin pie and pumpkin pie bars are always going to be winners around this time of year.

If you have leftover Halloween candy after the big day has passed, consider putting it to good use by chopping it up and tossing it in a Leftover Halloween Candy Bundt Cake.