Halloween Treats: Spooky Recipes and Where to Buy Ingredients

Rosie Sep 12 • 20 min read

With Halloween just around the corner, it’s time to starting planning all the treats you’ll need to hand out to trick-or-treaters. While pre-packaged candy is always an option, making homemade Halloween treats is much more fun and allows you to get creative. Homemade goodies are also a healthier option compared to candy loaded with sugar, dyes, and preservatives. In this article, we’ll share some festive and ghoulish Halloween treat recipes along with suggestions for where to find the necessary ingredients.

Spooky Eyeball Cupcakes

These eyeball cupcakes are a messy but fun treat for Halloween. You'll need: basic white cupcake batter, frosting (cream cheese works well), black food coloring, and candy eyeballs.

Bake and cool the cupcakes. Add a dollop of frosting on top and use a knife to swirl it into an eye shape. Add a couple of drops of black food coloring to tint the white frosting. Place a candy eyeball in the center. The frosting should look gloopy and spooky like an eyeball! Ingredients like cake mix, frosting, and candy eyeballs can be found at your local grocery store.

Mummy Dogs

Kids will love these cute mummy hot dogs. You'll need: all-beef hot dogs, toothpicks, cream cheese, and sesame seeds.

Spread cream cheese onto hot dogs and use toothpicks to attach sesame seeds in stripes representing bandages. Refrigerate until cream cheese firms up. Serve with toothpicks for eating. Pick up hot dogs, cream cheese, and sesame seeds from the deli or bakery section of most supermarkets.

Witch's Broom Sticks

Make these edible broomsticks by coating pretzel rods in chocolate. You'll need pretzel rods, chocolate chips or chocolate almond bark, and sprinkles (optional).

Melt chocolate in the microwave or over a double boiler. Dip one end of each pretzel rod into the chocolate leaving the top end plain. Stand up dipped ends in sparkly sprinkles if desired. Let the chocolate harden completely before serving. Ingredients like pretzels, chocolate, and sprinkles are usually available year-round at larger grocery stores.

Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookies

For festive pumpkin spice-flavored cookies, try this recipe: You'll need: sugar cookie dough, pumpkin pie spice, and orange food coloring (optional). Add 1/2 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice to your sugar cookie dough and knead until well combined. If desired, add a few drops of orange food coloring. Roll dough into balls and flatten slightly. Bake as directed. For the dough, spices, and food coloring, try a specialty baking supply store.

Ghost Marshmallow Pops

Turn basic marshmallows into cute ghost treats with this idea. You'll need marshmallows, pretzel sticks, miniature chocolate chips, and candy melts (white chocolate melts work well). Melt candy melts following package directions. Skewer marshmallows onto pretzel sticks for “bodies”.

Dip bottoms in melted candy melts. While still wet, add melted chocolate chip “eyes” and melt to attach. Let fully harden before serving. You can find marshmallows, pretzels, chocolate chips, and candy melts/chocolate at most major grocery stores.

Spiderweb Rice Krispies Treats

Make fun spiderweb rice krispies treats with melted chocolate. You'll need: Rice Krispies cereal, butter, marshmallows, and black candy melts. Make rice krispies treats as directed on the marshmallow package. Let treats cool slightly. Melt black candy melts following package instructions.

Drizzle melted chocolate onto treats in random crisscrossing lines to resemble spiderwebs. Let the chocolate harden completely before serving. Rice Krispies, marshmallows, and candy melts can be found at grocery stores.

Werewolf Finger Sandwiches

These little sandwiches make for a spooky finger food. You'll need bread (white or wheat), peanut butter, mini chocolate chips, and raisins. Use a Halloween cookie cutter or knife to cut bread into werewolf shapes. Spread peanut butter on one side and top with mini chocolate chips for “eyes” and raisins for “noses”. Snap-on the other piece of bread to complete the “mouth”. Ingredients like bread, peanut butter, chocolate chips, and raisins are pantry staples found at any grocery store.

Caramel Apples

A Halloween classic! You'll need: apples, wooden popsicle sticks or lollipop sticks, caramels, butter. Wash and dry apples. Insert a stick into the stem end of each apple. Place caramels and butter in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring between, until smooth.

Holding apples by the sticks, dip evenly into caramel until fully coated, tilting to let excess drip off. Place on wax paper to dry/harden. You can find apples and caramels year-round in larger grocery stores.

Glow in the Dark Moon Sand

Get creative by making this edible glowing “sand”. You'll need: powdered sugar, glow sticks (liquid type only), baking soda. Empty powdered sugar into a bowl. Snap glow sticks open and squeeze liquid into powdered sugar a few drops at a time, mixing constantly, until sugar clumps together like wet sand. Knead in baking soda until mixture is crumbly again. Scoop into treat bags or mini pumpkin containers. Ingredients like powdered sugar, glow sticks and baking soda can be found at craft stores, party supply stores, or larger dollar stores.

Where to Shop for Halloween Treat Ingredients

While many ingredients can be found year-round at standard grocery stores, you may need to look elsewhere for some specialty baking items or last-minute treats close to Halloween. Here are some other good shopping options:

Specialty Baking Supply Stores - These shops offer a wide variety of baking ingredients including decorating items, sprinkles, food coloring, liquor/flavor extracts, and more. Brands like Michaels and Joann Fabrics have baking sections perfect for Halloween needs.
Dollar Stores - Dollar stores like Dollar Tree have expanded their baking aisles and are great spots to pick up candies, spices, mixes, glow sticks, and more for cheap Halloween recipes.

Party Supply Stores - Party City, Michael's party departments, and seasonal Halloween pop-up stores stock candy melts, pre-mixed doughs, and candy decorations great for spooky edible crafts.
Grocery - For staples like sugar, flour, and frostings visit larger grocery chains. Check if they offer seasonal pumpkin/apple products this time of year.
Online - Amazon, Michaels, and other craft sites offer bulk packs of candy for melting/decorating in addition to unique bakeware, utensils perfect for Halloween themes.
Local Bakeries - Some neighborhood bakeries and cupcake shops do special Halloween treats like decorated cookies, whoopie pies, and cupcakes ideal for handing out.

So get baking and decorating with these festive Halloween recipes! Be sure to shop around using the ingredient sourcing tips for all your spooky sweet needs this Halloween. With homemade goodies, you’re sure to be the most popular house on the block come trick-or-treating night.