Ready for your Halloween party?
When you celebrate the spooktacular holiday, it's essential that you have treats, and I'm not just talking about that bucket of Halloween candy by the door.
No, you can do much better than nibbling at the candy bars you're supposed to give to hardworking children. Whether you want to spend just a few minutes on some stunning chocolate-dipped pretzels or work a little harder on an elaborate cake that looks just like a haunted castle, I've got you covered.
Let's get cooking!
1. Witch Finger Pretzel Rods
These sweet, salty snacks look like they take tons of time to get right, but they are actually quite easy to make. The tutorial takes you step by step, so you'll be surprised at how simple it is to shape those knuckles. P.S. If you prefer not to spend your time coating each almond in black food coloring gel, you can use some (preferably dark) chocolate-covered almonds, though they'll be a fair bit thicker that way.
2. Chocolate Mice
Gross or adorable? You be the judge. One thing's for sure, though: even if you hate mice, you'll absolutely love these tasty treats reminiscent of big, cream-filled cake pops.
3. Mummy Pumpkin Cookies
It's amazing how cute and creative people can get with just a pastry and some candy eyes. (Here's how to make your own from scratch, if you want.) To save time, you can also just buy some edible googly eyes and braided Danishes or anything that looks similarly mummyish.
4. Halloween Gingerbread Skeletons
Do you love gingerbread cookies but hate when people celebrate winter when it's not even November yet? These totally spooky skeletons with sweet, cleverly piped icing (you can use a Ziploc bag and cut a tiny piece of the tip off if you don't have piping gear) are the way to go.
5. Haunted Castle Cake
This one looks pretty tricky, but if you follow the directions for the decorated layer cake base topped with sugar cookie walls and tombstones, you'll be able to shape this showstopper with relative ease.
6. Mini Spiced Pumpkins
These easy, tiny pumpkins are adorable, and they are super versatile, too! You can swap out the spice cake batter for just about anything. And if you don't mind a more subtle color, you can use pumpkin glaze instead of the bright orange stuff. Oh, and while you're at it, feel free to pipe on some melted chocolate faces to turn these pumpkins into jack-o-lanterns.
7. Forbidden Forest Butterbeer Chocolate Cake
Harry Potter fans out there will adore this super-cute and also tasty depiction of Aragog and his offspring. If you want to score bonus points with nerdy friends, you can add a mini light blue car and garnish with some gold star sprinkles.