Spooktacular Halloween Recipes

Halloween is more than costumes and candy. It brings opportunities to bake and bond with your kids. Cooking provides teachable moments, like measuring ingredients and answering questions, such as “why is butter yellow” and “how can I tell when cupcakes are done”.

Even preschoolers can stir things and put cupcake liners in the baking pan!

Here are fun Halloween recipes:

Spiders on Orange Cupcakes

Nothing creeps out adults quite like spiders. Little boys think they are hilarious and girls will just giggle.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cupcake Ingredients

• 1 ¾ – Cup cake flour
• 1 – Cup sugar
• 2 ½ – Teaspoons baking powder
• ½ – Teaspoon salt
• 2 – Eggs – separate and beat whites to stiff texture
• ½ – Cup orange juice
• 1 – Stick butter – soften
• 1 – Teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Cream sugar, vanilla, egg yolks and butter in mixing bowl. In another mixing bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt.

Add 1/3 dry ingredients to creamed mixture. Next pour in about 1/3 of the orange juice. Repeat sequence until all dry ingredients and orange juice are mixed thoroughly with creamed ingredients.

Fold in beaten egg whites. Pour batter into paper-lined muffin pan, filling about ½ full. Bake about 15 minutes or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Glaze Ingredients:

• 1 – Tablespoon butter
• 1 – Cup powdered sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1 ½ – Tablespoon milk
• ½ – Teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Place butter in glass bowl and microwave for 30 seconds or until melted. Add 1½ tablespoons milk and stir in balance of ingredients. If necessary add more milk to form glaze consistency.

Drizzle over cooled cupcakes to form a spider web pattern.

Spiders:

Black jelly beans, black string licorice (cut in 2″ strips).

Use a black jelly bean for the spider’s body. Poke 4 holes on each side of cupcakes with skewer. Fashion legs from licorice and stick in holes.

Tip: Gummy spiders make good alternative.

Itsy Bitsy Spider Pizza

On Halloween, the itsy bitsy spider crawled up the pizza and started a family ritual. How about beginning your own family tradition, with itsy bitsy spider pizzas every Halloween?

This recipe serves two. Adjust to fit your needs.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Ingredients:

• 2 – Premade 8-inch pizza crusts

Filling & Toppings:

• ½ – Cup Pizza sauce, divided –homemade or store-bought
• 1 – Cup mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided
• ½ – Cup parmesan cheese, grated finely and divided (if desired)
• Pepperoni pieces – About 8 per pizza

Spiders:

• 3 – Black olives, large and pitted – makes 4 spiders

Assembly:

Put mini-crusts on baking sheet.

Spread pizza sauce evenly on crusts.

Layer: mozzarella cheese, parmesan cheese and pepperoni pieces over sauce.

Bake about 10 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

Cut olives in ½ for spider bodies. Put 2 spider bodies on each mini-pizza. Cut the other olive lengthwise into strips for the spider’s legs.

Tip: Rushed for time? Bake your favorite frozen pizza and cut into itsy bitsy pieces.

Mummy Dogs

A favorite of mine!! Tasty appetizer recipes for Halloween parties.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Ingredients:

• 1 – Pack Hot Dogs – Beef or Turkey
• 1 – Tube refrigerated crescent seamless dough
• Yellow mustard
• Toothpick

Directions:

Roll out the dough and cut into 1″ wide strips. Start at one end (the head) and wind a strip of dough around a hot dog. Leave a small space of the dog uncovered for the mummy’s eyes.

Wrap the dough in a haphazard pattern to replicate the linen bandages used to dress ancient mummies. Once you reach the ‘feet’, tuck the dough under.

After wrapping all the dogs, put them on a baking sheet and bake about 15 minutes.

When done, add two dots of yellow mustard for eyes with a toothpick.

Phony Witchy Fingers

Fingers without a hand are scary, even when they are phony. For a chilling effect, “wrap” witchy fingers around a cup or glass!

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Ingredients:

1 – Tube refrigerated breadstick dough

½ – Stick butter, melted

2 – Tablespoons cinnamon/sugar mix

1 – Large egg, beaten slightly

Sliced natural almonds (with skin)

Directions:

• Crumple four large pieces of aluminum foil. Shape each piece into a 15″x2″ log. Put on baking sheet.
• Unroll breadstick dough. Cut both of the rectangles crosswise in half and then lengthwise into two strips.
• Cut one end of each strip in shape of fingertip.
• Roll strips in melted butter. Drape over foil logs. Sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar.
• Brush fingertips with slightly beaten egg. Press an almond slice on each fingertip.
• Bake about 8 minutes or until golden.

From all of us at More4kids, may you and your kids make Happy Halloween memories with our recipes!

** disclaimer. Images in this article are an approximation and may vary. Also note that some of the recipes contain nuts and eggs for example. Please review the recipes and check with your physician if you child has any food allergies before trying.