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Homemade HalloweenWhile handing out store-bought treats, you can have some homemade ones made just for you
So you've headed out to the store (or maybe you haven't, better get going), grabbed a bunch of monster-sized bags of name-brand candy and headed back home, ready to hand out the treats on Halloween.
But what about you? Don't you deserve some Halloween treats, too? And not just some extra candy that's left in the bottom of the bag at the end of the night.
With a little effort, you can make some munchies for Halloween that you and your family can enjoy while the trick-or-treaters are knocking on your door.
Here are a few ideas:
Eyeball Marshmallows
3 packages unflavored gelatin
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Combine the gelatin and 1/2 cup of cold water in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and allow to sit while you make the syrup.
Meanwhile, combine the sugar, corn syrup, salt and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Raise the heat to high and cook until the syrup reaches 240 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove from the heat.
With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour the sugar syrup into the dissolved gelatin. Put the mixer on high speed and whip until the mixture is very thick, about 15 minutes. Add the vanilla and mix thoroughly.
Use black food coloring for the center and decorate with red food gel.
- foodnetwork.com & Anne Cusack
Ghost Marshmallows
Use the same recipe for the Eyeball Marshmallows, but instead of making round shapes, pipe them into little mounds then dab a little melted chocolate onto them to give the ghosts some eyes.
- Anne Cusack
Chocolate-Covered Caramel Spiders
20 small mini round pretzels
20 chocolate-covered caramel candies
Pretzel sticks
Chocolate chips
Heat oven to 300 degrees. Arrange the round pretzels in a single layer on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Place one chocolate-covered caramel on each pretzel. Bake for 4 minutes.
While the caramel is warm, press pretzel sticks into it and arrange the sticks like spider legs. Top the legs with melted chocolate chips. Use candy decorations for the eyes.
- allrecipes.com & Anne Cusack
Finger Breadsticks
1 can breadstick dough
1 whole egg
1-3 teaspoons water
Salt (optional)
Sliced almonds
Cut pre-made breadstick dough into finger lengths. Place the fingers on a baking sheet, pinching the dough together in places to form knuckles.
To make the egg wash, crack the egg into a small bowl, whisk it until yolk and white are blended, but don't whisk too vigorously; you don't want foam. Whisk in water.
Top the baked breadsticks with egg wash and sliced almonds to make the finger nails. Serve alongside a pesto or marinara dipping sauce.
- Anne Cusack
Buggy Guacamole
3 avocados, halved, seeded and peeled
1 lime, juiced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 medium onion, diced
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 clove garlic, minced
Black olives
Red, yellow, green peppers (your choice)
Red onions
In a large bowl, place the scooped avocado pulp and lime juice, toss to coat. Drain, and reserve the lime juice, after all of the avocados have been coated. Using a potato masher, add the salt, cumin, and cayenne and mash. Then fold in the onions, jalapeno, tomatoes, cilantro, and garlic. Add 1 tablespoon of the reserved lime juice. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour and then serve.
Once the guacamole is in the bowl for serving, cut the olives, peppers and onions into various bug shapes. Halved olives, for instance, make good bodies and sliced olives can be used as the legs. Thinly sliced peppers and onions also can be used as legs.
- Alton Brown & Anne Cusack
Meringue Bones
2 egg whites
1/2 cup superfine sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Heat oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In large bowl, beat egg whites until stiff, but not dry. Gradually beat in sugar until a little of the mixture between your thumb and forefinger feels smooth, not gritty. Stir in vanilla. Pipe small portions onto baking tray in the shape of bones, then bake 35 minutes, or until dry but not brown. Turn off oven and leave meringues to cool inside, then decorate with red food gel or strawberry jam "blood."
- food.com & Anne Cusack
Tribune News Service contributed to this story.