Growing up, people connect Halloween with spookiness and sweet, sugar-filled treats. While candy is delicious and fun, it can also be addictive and set a precedent for improper eating. Candy in moderation is OK, but pillowcases filled to the brim are a bit excessive. The great news is that at home, you can still make sweet and delicious Halloween-themed treats, but they are healthy.
1. Apple Monsters
Who doesn't love an apple? To get the kiddos and adults enthusiastic about the fruit, consider mixing the traditional green apples with nut butter and strawberry slices for a spooky-inspired snack. Let your creative juices flow as you create unique and fun little faces.
Ingredients:
- Two green apples, quartered
- 32 sunflower seeds (teeth)
- Two to three strawberries, sliced (tongues)
- Sunflower butter
- Homemade googly eyes
Googly Eye Ingredients:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon almond or vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons non-dairy milk
- 1 tablespoon corn syrup
- Mini non-dairy chocolate chips
Googly Eye Instructions:
- Whisk the cornstarch and powdered sugar together. Add in all remaining ingredients except the chocolate chips. You want to mix until you have a thick paste.
- Using a Ziploc or piping bag, squeeze out a tiny dot of the mix onto a baking sheet. Do not forget to line the sheet with wax paper.
- Top each dot with a chocolate chip. Let the googly eyes set for a minimum of 24 hours.
Putting It All Together:
- Create a mouth in each quartered apple chunk by cutting the middle out. Fill the gap with sunflower butter.
- Place four sunflower seeds along the top of the cut, creating teeth. Don't worry about even spacing or gaps — these are monsters, after all.
- To create the tongue, take a slice of strawberry and place it along the lower edge.
- Finally, put one or two eyes at the top of the snack. Glue them in place with a bit more sunflower butter.
2. Orange Jack-O-Lanterns
Many families make a day of picking pumpkins and carving jack-o-lanterns for Halloween. As part of the festivities, why not bring a creative, healthy snack. Oranges make the perfect mini pumpkin stand-in. However, do not fill the "pumpkin" with its guts until two hours before the party.
Ingredients:
- Enough navel oranges for everyone
- A mix of your favorite fruits (grapes, cherries, apples, pineapple, etc.)
Instructions:
- Using a sharp knife, slice off the top section of the oranges. Use the blade to separate the innards from the sides.
- Remove the orange segments and set them aside for later. Carve a cute face into each hollowed-out orange.
- Soak up the remaining juices by place a paper towel inside. Remove the towel and fill the oranges with your choice of fruit, including the orange segments from earlier.
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3. "Candy Corn" Parfaits
If you are looking for another quick and easy Halloween treat, look no further than the "Candy Corn" parfait. Made with pineapple, orange slices, and whipped cream, no snack is sweeter than this.
Ingredients:
- Mandarin oranges
- Pineapple chunks
- Candy Corn
- Whipped cream
- Mason jars or plastic cups
Instructions:
- In a plastic cup or mason jar, layer in the fruit and whipped cream. The pineapple goes on the bottom, followed by the oranges, and is topped with whipped cream.
- If so desired, you can place a single Candy Corn on the top.
While candy is excellent in moderation, not every Halloween treat needs to center around a sugar high. Do you know of any other tasty and healthy Halloween treats? Leave a comment.