The eyes have it this year for easy Halloween treats. Being short on time, or skill, doesn’t mean you can’t turn out something worthy of even the finest Halloween party table, all you need is a little melted chocolate and a package of candy peepers. They’re available at cake and candy making stores or in the cake and candy section of most large craft stores, and they come in different sizes.
I hit Pinterest in search of the quickest, easiest , most impressive treats I could find. Here are a few of my favorites, for even more cool ideas, check out LiveWell New Hampshire’s Halloween board on Pinterest.
Doughnut be scared
A set of plastic vampire teeth and two tiny candy eyes turn a store-bought glazed donut into a funny treat kids will love. Melt a little chocolate and put it into a zip-close bag. Snip a tiny piece off one of the bottom corners of the bag and use it to squirt just a little chocolate onto the back of each eye, then stick them on the donut. Insert the backside of the plastic teeth into the donut hole and you’re done. To make this treat a little more ghoulish, buy a tube of red gel icing and squirt some on the fangs.
Nutty ghosts
I used Nutter Butter cookies for these adorable little ghosts, but if you have a peanut allergy in your family or in your child’s class, vanilla Vienna Fingers would work just as well. Most craft stores sell candy melts – small candy disks that melt easily in the microwave or over a double boiler. For these cookies, melt a bag of bright white candy melts by placing them in a microwave-safe dish and microwaving them in 30-second intervals until they are smooth with no lumps. Dip one cookie at a time into the melted candy, coating about ¾ of the cookie. Place the dipped cookie on a sheet of parchment paper, and immediately drop two candy eyes into place on the front. The eyes will be held in place by the melted candy as it cools and hardens.
Little Debbie to the rescue
Luckily for those of us strapped for time, Little Debbie makes bat-shaped brownies and pumpkin-shaped cookies that, with a little embellishment, make impressive treats. All you have to do is unwrap them and use a little melted chocolate in a zip-close bag with the corner snipped off to attach small candy eyes.
Magic wands
Those candy melts I used for the nutty ghost cookies come in a whole bunch of colors. I used purple, green and orange to turn pretzel rods into a fun treat. Just microwave a bag of candy melts in a tall, microwave-safe glass at 30-second intervals until the candy is melted and smooth. Dip a pretzel rod into the melted candy and place it on a sheet of parchment. Before the candy has time to cool and harden, sprinkle on some Halloween-themed candy sprinkles and stick on a few candy eyes.
Cookie monsters
Think you don’t have time to make a batch of sugar cookie dough? Of course you do! These cookies were made using a white cake mix. Instead of following the directions on the box, combine the cake mix with two eggs and half a cup of oil. Add food coloring to make your monsters whatever color you choose, and then scoop the batter onto a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. When the cookies are done, take them out of the oven and put them on a cooling rack. While they are still warm, use your finger to push a large candy eye into the center of each cookie. No need to use melted chocolate to hold it in place; the cookies will cool and harden around the candy so it won’t budge.
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