This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at KU chapter.
It’s that time of year again! You know what time I’m talking about… Fall! Which means… HALLOWEEN! One of the best parts of this time of year are the yummy treats and candies. And there are so many choices! Just go to Pinterest and you’ll get millions — literally — of new and creative ideas. Here’s a few of my favorites, and you can always find more elsewhere!
Pretzel Screams
Ingredients:
- Pretzels (around 20)
- ½ cup of dark chocolate
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon corn syrup
- 2 teaspoons milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Mini chocolate chips
Steps:
NOTE: It takes 24 hours for the googly eyes to set, so be prepared to make them ahead of time.
- Put the powdered sugar and cornstarch in a bowl and whisk together.
- Add the remaining ingredients and mix until it’s a thick paste.
- Place into a Ziploc Bag and cut a small section out of one corner to create a piping bag.
- Line a baking sheet with wax paper.
- Pipe a row of dots onto the paper and press a chocolate chip into each immediately to ensure the candy does not set without the chocolate
- Repeat until all the candy paste is gone.
- Allow googly eyes to set for at least 24 hours.
- The next day, after the eyes have set, melt the dark chocolate in the microwave.
- Dip each pretzel into the melted chocolate, covering the whole surface.
- Gently press two googly eyes into the rounder wholes at the top of the pretzels.
- Freeze for 15 minutes or until set.
For the original recipe and photos, visit here.
Halloween Candy Bark
Ingredients:
- 3 cups bittersweet chocolate chips
- 2 cups assorted candy
Steps:
- Chop or cut the candy into bite size (or smaller) pieces if necessary.
- Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Melt all the chocolate chips in a double boiler or in the microwave, stirring to ensure smoothness.
- Pour the chocolate onto the parchment paper covered baking sheet.
- Spread it into an even, ¼-inch think layer.
- Sprinkle candies over the top.
- Place in the refrigerator until the chocolate has hardened (approximately 30-45 minutes).
- Take out the hardened bark and carefully slide it onto a cutting surface.
- Cut the bark in desired shape.
- Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in a cool place.
For the original recipe and photos, visit here.
Reese’s Muddy Buddies
Ingredients:
- 1 12.8 ounce box of Chocolate flavored Chex cereal (~8 cups)
- 1 cup of roasted, lightly salted peanuts
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 16 ounces chocolate CandiQuik
- 1 cup Reese’s Peanut Butter Chips
- 1 8 ounce bag Reese’s Minis
- 1 cup Reese’s Pieces
- 20 Reese’s Miniatures, halved
- Additional peanuts, candies as needed
Steps:
- Combine cereal and peanuts in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Divide powdered sugar into two gallon sized Ziplocs. Set aside.
- Cover a large baking sheet or working surface with parchment paper.
- Break up Candiquick and sprinkle in some peanut butter chips. Melt these together according to instructions found on the Candiquick package.
- Pour the chocolate mixture over the peanut-cereal mixture.
- Toss gently to ensure that everything is well coated.
- Carefully add in the Reese’s Minis, folding them into the mixture.
- Split the chocolate covered mixture between the two bags of powdered sugar.
- Close each tightly and shake gently until the mixture is covered in the sugar.
- Carefully spreading the mixture onto the parchment paper, let them set for 15 minutes.
- Sprinkle on Reese’s Pieces/Minis and additional nuts/candies as desired.
- Toss gently to combine.
- Store in an airtight container for up to a week.
For the original recipe and photos, visit here.
Halloween Oreo Cake Bars
Ingredients:
- 1 package of Halloween Oreos
- 1 Halloween Funfetti Cake Mix (15.25 oz.)
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup milk
Steps:
- Spray a 9”x9” baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
- Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
- Place Oreo cookies at the bottom (4×4 rows and columns).
- Prepare the cake batter according to the recipe on the box.
- Spread the batter over the cookies. Since the batter is thick, the cookies will try to stick to the batter at you’re spreading it. Do your best to spread the batter around all the edges while keeping the cookies in place.
- Crush a few more cookies (~6) over the top of the batter and gently press them in.
- Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes.
For the original recipe and photos, visit here.
Candy Corn and White Chocolate Softbatch Cookies
Ingredients:
- ½ cup softened, unsalted butter
- ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons half-and-half or cream
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons corn starch
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- Pinch of salt (optional, to taste)
- 1 ½ candy corn (10-11 ounces)
- 1 cup white chocolate chips or salted peanuts
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Put butter, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg and vanilla in a large bowl.
- Mix with a hand mixer on medium-high for five minutes, or until light and fluffy
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the half-and-half, flour, corn starch, baking soda and salt.
- Mix on a low speed for about a minute, until just incorporated
- Add candy corn and chocolate chips and mix until incorporated.
- Scoop wanted size of dough onto a large plate and flatten them slightly.
- Cover the plat with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least three hours. Tips: DO NOT bake with warm cookie dough – the cookies will be too thin.
- Place candy corn so it will not bake directly on the cookie sheet causing them to be melted, burnt, or runny. Candy needs to be shielded by dough.
- Spray the baking sheet with cooking spray.
- Place dough on sheet, approximately two inches apart.
- Bake for 9 minutes, or until the edges have set and the tops are just beginning to set pale and glossy in the center (may be slightly undercooked). Note: Do not over cook, they will become firm with cooling.
- Let cookies cool for five minutes then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes: Cookies kept airtight at room temperature will last up to a week; in the freezer, up to four months. Unbaked dough can be stored in an airtight container for up to five days, or frozen up to four months.
For the original recipe and photos, visit here.