Five Eerily Easy Recipes for Halloween Spreads

You decorated the house, you filled the candy bowl to the brim, and you and the family are all dressed up. The only thing missing? Even more spooky fun. Add a little variety to your Halloween menu (don’t worry, there are still three desserts here) with recipes ready to delight kids and adults alike. 

Caprese Skull Skewers 

Top of the list of Halloween cooking tools you never knew you needed: skull silicone molds. Trust us, you’ll be happy to break them out once a year to make this appetizer that adds veggies to your party spread. See how to make them here. 

Yield: 10-15 skewers or 1 large bowl (approx. 4 servings) 
Active Time: 20-30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

8 oz mozzarella ciligiene, drained
1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half 
½ cup basil leaves
Olive oil 
Balsamic vinegar
Silicone skull molds 
Cheesecloth or paper towels 
Skewers 
Skull silicone molds (or round molds)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 340° F. Drain the mozzarella.

Coat each mold lightly with oil, and place one mozzarella ball in each skull. If you’re using a smaller mold, cut each ball in half with kitchen scissors before placing in mold. 

Place the mold on a baking sheet and bake for 4-6 minutes, until the cheese is soft. 

Using cheesecloth or a paper towel, lightly press the cheese into each mold and absorb excess moisture. Refrigerate for 10 minutes to set, then remove and press the molded cheese out of the skulls. 

To make skewers, thread a cheese skull, followed by a folded leaf of basil, and a slice of cherry tomato. 

When ready to serve, whisk together equal parts olive oil and balsamic vinegar, then drizzle over the skewers. 

Gooey Raspberry Cups

Raspberry jam forms the blood-red center of these dark chocolate cups that make for a welcome sweet treat any time of year. See how to make them here.

Yield: 15-20 cups
Active Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups (250g) dark chocolate chips or chopped baking chocolate, divided 
1 teaspoon coconut oil, divided
1-2 drops red food dye, optional for an extra-red color 
¼ cup raspberry jam
Flaky sea salt, optional 
Silicone mold or muffin tin 

Instructions:

Add half of the chocolate and ½ teaspoon coconut oil to a bowl, then microwave in 20-second intervals, stirring in between, until chocolate is melted. 

Place a dollop of melted chocolate chocolate in a lined muffin tray or silicone mold and tilt so that the chocolate spreads evenly to the sides. Repeat for each muffin tin segment, then place in the fridge or freeze for a few minutes until the chocolate hardens. 

If using red food dye, mix it with the raspberry jam in a small bowl. 

Add about 1 tsp of raspberry jam mixture into each mold. 

Melt the remaining chocolate with the last ½ teaspoon coconut oil following the same instructions as the first batch, then pour over the raspberry in each muffin tin segment. Sprinkle with flaky salt, if using. 

Refrigerate to harden, then remove from mold and serve.

White Chocolate Spiderwebs 

Crunchy, sweet, and salty, these spiderwebs do it all. See how to make them here.

Yield: 4 spiderwebs
Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

32 pretzel sticks 
1 cup white chocolate chips 
1-2 lollipops or sprinkles, optional

Instructions:

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and arrange eight pretzels to make a spiderweb. Repeat to make four webs total. 

Add white chocolate chips to a microwave-safe bowl along with ½ tsp coconut oil (skip coconut oil if using vegan chocolate chips), then microwave in 20-second intervals, stirring in between, until chocolate is melted. Add to a squeeze bottle (or small sandwich bag with an edge cut off). 

Squeeze a dollop of melted chocolate at the center of the pretzel wheel, then make three thin circles around the center to form the web. Optionally, you can use a thin skewer to pull the chocolate glob from the center toward the outer ring and create a more web-like design. Add small dots of chocolate where the pretzel connects to the white chocolate “webbing” to make sure your web stays together. Repeat for the three remaining webs. 

If using lollipops, crush them in their wrappers until they’re a crumbly powder, then sprinkle over webs. 

Refrigerate until the chocolate is set, then remove gently from the baking sheet using a spatula. If any part of the web breaks while you’re removing it from the baking sheet, you can fix it by melting a little more chocolate and dabbing it where the break happened, then refrigerate again to set.

Graveyard Dirt Cups 

For a plant-based twist on a kid classic that’s a good source of fiber, we added acacia fiber to thicken these pudding cups. See how to make them here. 

Yield: 2 larger cups or 4 smaller cups 
Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

¼ cup granulated sugar (or alternative sweetener)
¼ cup cacao powder
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon acacia powder (or sub with 1 tablespoon cornstarch)
Dash of cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon coconut creamer, optional 
1 ½ cup chilled almond milk (or alternative milk)

Optional Toppings:

Chocolate cookies
Gummy worms 

Instructions:

Add all dry ingredients to a saucepan and whisk to combine. Slowly add the almond milk, whisking well to combine. 

Place over a burner on medium heat, and bring to a simmer while stirring constantly. Cook and continue stirring until thickened, about 1-2 minutes. 

Remove from heat and pour equal amounts into two regular-sized glasses (like a martini glass) or four smaller glasses. Place in the refrigerate to thicken for about 30 minutes. 

If using chocolate cookies, crush in a food processor or by placing in a bag and lightly tapping with a rolling pin. Sprinkle over chilled pudding. Layer on a few gummy worms to garnish, if using. 

Gory Drink Garnish

Make the beet-red food coloring for this garnish or for spooky vampire vibes that you can add to any drink. If you go for full gory, oozey garnish, use a clearer honey (see our pick below) so that the color comes through and gives you the perfect, not-too-runny ooze for your glass. See how to do it here. 

Yield: 2 tablespoons beet-red food coloring
Active Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

For the red food coloring: 
1 medium-sized beet (about 75g), scrubbed clean
Water
About 10 drops liquid chlorophyll 

For the full garnish (enough for 2 drinks): 
1 tbsp honey
3-5 drops red food coloring 

Instructions:

Add beet to a blender with enough water to process (½-1 cup). Blend into a pulp, then strain through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth into a saucepan. (Tip: You can use the leftover pulp to make veggie burgers!) 

Bring the liquid to a simmer, then lower the heat and let it reduce for 20-30 minutes. Let cool at room temperature (or speed up the process in the fridge).

To the liquid, add chlorophyll until it reaches a dark crimson color — it should look close to black in low lighting, but a dark red against a light. 

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 weeks or in the freezer for 1-2 months. When ready to decorate, use straight from the fridge or defrosted from the freezer.

Add honey to a plate, then drop in red food coloring and swirl until combined. 

Turn a glass upside down and rotate once to coat the rim in the mixture, then place it on its stem and let the mixture ooze down slightly. Pour your drink of choice into the glass, then serve. 

Recipe credits: Lina Kamb

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