If you’re like me, then you’ll agree that anything tastes better when it has a bit of a Halloween twist to it, which is why I put together this list of frightfully fun recipes that are sure to be crowd-pleasers this October. Whether you’re making something to enjoy for a quiet night in watching horror movies, or you’re putting together a spread for all your fiendish friends to enjoy at your All Hallows’ Eve party, there are a lot of great Halloween-themed recipes here that are easy to make and won’t cost you an arm and a leg, either. Enjoy!
Frankenstein Cheese Ball
This Frankenstein Cheese Ball looks delicious – and adorable. As soon as I came across him on Pinterest, I knew I had to include him here. The good news is that while he looks rather complicated, he’s actually pretty easy to make (the biggest time spent comes when waiting for him to chill in the fridge) and is the perfect appetizer for gatherings of all sizes.
Ingredients:
2 packages (8 ounces each) of softened cream cheese
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
6 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
3 green onions, thinly sliced
2 cartons (4 ounces each) whipped cream cheese
green food coloring
1 can (4-1/4 ounces) chopped ripe olives, drained
2 pepperoncini
3 colossal ripe olives
2 slices peeled parsnip (or water chestnuts if you prefer)
Black decorating gel
1 pretzel rod
1 small cucumber
Assorted fresh vegetables or crackers
Directions:
In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce and pepper sauce until smooth. Stir in the cheddar cheese, bacon and onions. Shape into a 5-inch x 4-inch x 3-inch rectangle and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate your cheese ball until it is chilled and fully firm.
Unwrap your cheese ball and place it on a serving platter with the 3-inch side on top. Tint the whipped cream cheese green with food coloring and spread it all over the top and sides of your cheese ball.
Add chopped ripe olives for hair and pepperoncinis for ears. Cut one colossal olive in half; add parsnip slices (or water chestnuts, which is my own preference) and olive halves for eyes. With black decorating gel, pipe the brow, mouth and stitches.
Break pretzel rod in half; add a colossal olive to each end. Press into sides of head for bolts. Cut a small piece from end of cucumber for a nose (you can use the remaining cucumber to serve with your cheese ball). Serve with fresh vegetables or crackers.
Caramel Toffee Dip With Cinnamon Chips
One of my favorite things about this time of year is that caramel candy comes back with a vengeance (sorry, pumpkin!), and I thought this Caramel Toffee Dip would be sweet and delicious treat to serve at your ghoulish gatherings this October. I’ve even included a recipe to make your own homemade cinnamon chips, because they sound simply divine.
Ingredients:
1 package of 6-inch flour tortillas
melted butter
cinnamon sugar
cookie cutters (if you want)
1 8-ounce package of softened cream cheese
3/4 cup of brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 bag of toffee bits
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. (about a pinch) nutmeg
1 small hollowed-out pumpkin
Directions:
To Make the Tortilla Chips:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
If you want to make spooky shapes, cut them out of your tortillas. If not, cut your tortillas into triangle shapes, making 6 similar sized slices.
Lightly brush both sides of each tortilla piece with melted butter and sprinkle both sides with cinnamon sugar.
Place your chips on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake them in the oven for about 10-12 minutes (or until crispy).
To Make the Dip:
First, combine cream cheese, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla extract together with an electric mixer until completely smooth.
When you are ready to serve your dip, stir in about 1/2 of a bag of toffee bits, and then top it off with more sprinkled bits.
Serve in a small hollowed-out pumpkin with the spooky cinnamon chips and fresh fruit (if you like).
Pumpkin Mini Bundt Cakes
This Pumpkin Mini Bundt Cakes recipe is one I initially came across on a box of cake mix recently and thought these mini-cakes looked like a fun dessert to serve up to your friends and family this fall season (they’re great for Halloween, but honestly, they work right up through Thanksgiving as well).
Ingredients:
1 box of pre-mixed spice cake mix (Betty Crocker is a popular variety)
water, vegetable oil and needed to create the spice cake mixture (as indicated on the box)
2 containers of vanilla frosting
1 tube each of yellow and red gel food coloring
shortening and flour
green sour straws, cut into 1-inch pieces
6 green gumdrops
Directions:
First, heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease 12 miniature fluted tube cake pans (AKA one mini-Bundt cake tray with 12 openings) with shortening and then lightly flour each receptacle.
Make cake mix as directed on box for cupcakes, using water, oil and eggs. Divide batter evenly among your cake pans.
Bake 22 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out complete clean. Cool 10 minutes and then remove cakes from pans and transfer them to cooling racks. Cool completely, for about 30-45 minutes.
In a medium-sized bowl, empty both containers frosting inside and tint the frosting with 2 teaspoons yellow food color and 1 teaspoon red food color (to make orange – if you need to add more to deepen the color, go for it).
For each pumpkin cake, place one cake with the rounded side down on a plate. Top with a second cake, the rounded side facing upwards. Frost entire cake with orange frosting, first putting a layer of frosting in the center to bind your cakes together and then coat the entire exterior of the cakes.
Insert sour straw piece into the top of each pumpkin cake to create the stem. On a flat surface, flatten gumdrops with rolling pin, and with a small knife, cut out leaf shapes. Decorate your cakes with gumdrop leaves next to each stem.
Monster-Eyed Deviled Eggs
One appetizer that I make for pretty much every holiday is deviled eggs, and so when I found this Monster-Eyed version, I thought they would be perfect to serve this October whenever you need a fun and festive snack that’s easy to make.
Ingredients:
1 dozen eggs
1 tablespoon of sweet pickle relish
1 tablespoon of mayonnaise
1 pinch of celery salt
1 tablespoon of yellow mustard
paprika
2 drops of green food coloring (or as much as you desire)
1 6-ounce can (drained) sliced black olives
Directions:
Place all of the eggs into a large pot so they can rest on the bottom in a single layer. Fill with just enough cold water to cover the eggs. Bring your water to a boil, then cover, and remove from the heat. Let them stand in the water for about 15 minutes.
Rinse the eggs under cold water or add some ice to the water and let the eggs cool completely. Peel your eggs and slice each egg in half, lengthwise.
Remove the yolks from the eggs and place them in a separate bowl. Mix in the relish, mayonnaise, celery salt, mustard, and food coloring with your yolks. Keep stirring until your mixture is completely smooth.
Spoon your yolk filling into the egg whites and place them on a serving tray. Flatten out the top of the filling using a spoon to create the iris of your eye.
Place an olive slice on each yolk to create the center of the eye. Then, dab a tiny bit of mayonnaise in the center of the olive to create the pupil of the eye. Once all your eyes have been constructed, chill for at least an hour before serving.
Candy Corn Meringue Cookies
While I’ve always found meringue to be a daunting treat to create, finding these Candy Corn Meringue Cookies took me right back to my childhood, as my grandma always made these perfectly. If you are feeling like you can handle whipping up some meringue (it’s an art form all to itself), then give these a try, as they look like a delicious treat for all ages.
Ingredients:
3 egg whites
1/2 cup granulated sugar
red and yellow food coloring gel
decorative piping tips (can be found at any major retailer, Wilton-branded tips work the best)
Pastry bags (or large baggies can be substituted)
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 250 degrees. Beat egg whites until they are foamy. Gradually add in the sugar and continue beating until soft peaks are forming.
Divide the egg white/sugar mixture into 3 bowls, putting a majority of the batter into one bowl. Tint this bowl with the red and yellow food coloring until the desired shade of orange is reached.
Next, tint the batter in the second bowl with the yellow food coloring until the desired shade of yellow is reached. Leave the third bowl of batter white.
Then, beat the batters with an electric mixer until the egg whites are glossy and stiff peaks are formed.
Place batters into individual bags with piping tips. Pipe circular dollops of orange batter on ungreased cookie sheet to create the candy corn base. Pipe dollops of yellow batter right on top of the orange batter, slightly smaller in diameter. Then, top the yellow batter with smaller dollops of white batter to create a candy corn tip.
Place your meringue cookies in the oven and bake for one hour. Once they are done, turn your oven off and leave cookies in the oven overnight to dry out.
The next day, use a spatula to remove the cookies from cookie sheet, but be careful because the cookies are delicate. Chill in fridge (covered) before serving.
Graveyard Chicken Enchilada Dip
While it would be nice if Halloween could be all about the sweet treats and sugary eats, you have to make sure you have some balance to your Halloween party menu, and this Graveyard Chicken Enchilada Dip looks like a delicious way to serve your guests a savory snack this October.
Ingredients:
2 cups shredded pepper Jack cheese
1 cup enchilada sauce
1 cup shredded chicken breast
12 ounces softened cream cheese
14 ounce can green chiles
1 tablespoon taco seasoning
4 flour tortillas (6-inch work fine)
Tortilla chips (for serving)
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the pepper jack, enchilada sauce, rotisserie chicken, cream cheese, green chiles, and taco seasoning. Mix thoroughly.
Transfer dip to a cast-iron skillet and bake until warmed through and it is bubbly on the top, for about 20 to 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, make your tortilla graves: Cut tortillas into grave shapes and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake until sturdy, 5 to 7 minutes.
Top your dip with shredded lettuce and insert the tortilla graves. Serve with tortilla chips.
Monster Finger Pretzel Rods
One of my favorite things to make each Christmas season are chocolate dipped pretzel rods, so when I found these Monster Finger Pretzel Rods, I thought they were an ingenious spin on a rather simple concept. These only take minutes to create, and are so easy, even younger chefs can help with assembling them.
Ingredients:
1 bag of pretzel rods
1 bag of light green Wilton Melting Discs (or Candy)
1 bag of sliced almonds
Toothpicks
Wax paper
Directions:
First, break each of your pretzel rods in half, generally making them around the same size (doesn’t have to be perfect though).
Then, melt down your Wilton Melting Discs according to the instructions listed on the bag.
Once your candy is melted, dip each pretzel rod half into the candy, completely covering the entire pretzel and then let it set on a piece of wax paper.
After 2 minutes, place one slice of almond at one end to create a monstrous fingernail, and in the center, use your toothpick to carve out knuckles.
Let your monster fingers set for at least an hour in the fridge before serving.
Stuffed Mushroom Eyeballs
Here’s another savory appetizer you can share with your guests at your upcoming Halloween festivities – Stuffed Mushroom Eyeballs. They’ll definitely be a hit with veggie lovers, but really, the addition of garlic to the recipe make these delicious even if you happen to not be a huge fan of tofu.
Ingredients:
18 ounces fresh button mushrooms
1 block extra firm tofu, drained but not pressed
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon lemon juice
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon onion powder
⅛ teaspoon black pepper
2½ tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons julienne-cut sun-dried tomatoes (can be found in the salad dressing aisle usually)
1 2.5 ounce can of sliced black olives
piping bag (or Ziploc baggie)
piping tip (can be found at any major retailer, Wilton-branded tips work the best)
Directions:
Rinse and brush off the mushroom caps and pull the stems out of each mushroom. Set aside on a baking sheet.
Puree the tofu, garlic, lemon juice, salt, Italian seasoning, onion powder and black pepper together in a food processor until completely smooth. Scoop the mixture into a piping bag or Ziploc bag with a circle piping tip inserted into the opening (if using a bag; if using a baggie, cut off one of the corners slightly and then push the tip through the opening).
Preheat the oven to 350 and while it is heating up, pour just a couple of drops of balsamic vinegar into each hollow mushroom cap.
Pipe the tofu ricotta mixture into each cap so that it creates a small mound. It will be a different amount depending on the size of your mushroom caps.
Take your sun-dried tomato pieces and start placing them on stuffed mushrooms, mimicking bloodshot veins. You can make them more vein-like by scrunching them a bit.
Top each mound with one slice of olive and press it down just a touch.
Bake the mushrooms for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the caps begin to wrinkle slightly.
You can either serve these warm or at room temperature.
Peanut Butter Pumpkins
Looking for an easy no-bake recipe to make this Halloween season? Then you’ll want to be sure to make these fun Peanut Butter Pumpkins which go from the bowl to the fridge in just a few easy steps.
Ingredients:
1⁄2 cup butter
1 1⁄2 cups peanut butter
1 16 ounce package of confectioners' sugar, sifted
red food coloring
yellow food coloring
green decorative icing
toothpicks
Directions:
Melt butter in a large bowl and add a few drops of yellow and red food coloring, until your butter mixture has a nice orange color to it.
Add the peanut butter and confectioners sugar into the orange butter and mix everything together until a dough-like consistency is reached. (This means that when the dough is nice and stiff and it is difficult to add any more sugar).
Shape dough into small balls shaped like pumpkins; making ridges on the pumpkins with a toothpick.
Add a small amount of green decorators icing to the top of each pumpkin for a stem.
Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving to allow pumpkins to firm up.
Brie Mummy
For our final party recipe, I wanted to give you guys something that looks fancy and way more complicated than it really is – a Brie Mummy. Most major grocery stores will carry rounds of brie near the deli section, so be sure to look there when gathering your ingredients.
Ingredients:
1 sheet thawed puff pastry
1 round brie
1 large egg
1 tablespoon milk
2 mini slices of pepperoni
2 sliced black olives
flour
crackers, to serve with the brie
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Unroll one sheet of puff pastry on a floured work surface and cut into 1-inch strips. Wrap the strips around the brie like a mummy.
Whisk together egg and milk and then brush the mixture over pastry. Transfer your brie mummy to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake until brie is warmed through and gooey and puff pastry is deeply golden, which is about 25-30 minutes.
Before serving. place two mini pepperonis towards the top of the mummy head to create the base of the eyes, and then top with the two sliced olives. Serve with crackers while warm.
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In case you missed them, check out Heather's previous seasonal special features with great ideas to get you in the Halloween spirit:
Halloween 2016: 10 Craft Ideas to Keep Kids Busy This October
Halloween 2016: A Collection of Spooky Holiday TV Specials You Can Stream Now on Netflix
Halloween 2016: 31 Great Horror Movies Available on Amazon Prime This October
*Updated* Daily Dead’s 2016 Halloween Horrors TV Calendar
Halloween 2016: 10 Unusual Ways to Decorate and Use Your Pumpkins This Fall
Halloween 2016: 10 Devilishly Fun Drinks to Raise Your Spirits this October
Halloween 2016: 31 Movies to Stream on Netflix this October to Get You into the Spirit of the Season
Halloween 2016: 10 Quick & Inexpensive DIY Decorating Ideas
The post Halloween 2016: 10 Frightfully Fun Party Recipe Ideas to Serve This October appeared first on Daily Dead.