Halloween Recipes Round-up: 5 Tasty Treats

Last Halloween, I was caught with my clown-pants down. October 31st was rolling in and I had not one single idea about a special Halloween treat, never mind any kind of cool supper to have before heading out into the dark to yell, “Trick or treat!”  I think we had toast. But with some inspiration from the Internet, I did pull off some last-minute Halloween cookies.

Remember these cute witch’s hats? No time at all to make, and NO BAKING. They were a huge hit last year, and since then have become hands-down the most visited post and the most Pinned recipe on the blog. Folks are way serious about their Halloween treats 🙂

This year, I decided to help you out a little, with this Halloween Recipes Round Up. These 5 fab treats will cover just about any need  you might have. Muffins for Halloween breakfast, pumpkin snack mix for the office, scary yogurts for the school party, an easy pleasing no-bean chili featuring pumpkin, and — new recipe — a chocolate dipped pretzel stuffed with pumpkin cream cheese frosting.

I hope you find something you like here! Let me know if you try any of these 🙂

 #1) Pumpkin Cinnamon Chip Muffins (click title for recipe)
Moist, sweet, and dotted with cinnamon chips

#2 Pumpkin Spice Snack Mix (click title for recipe)
Crunchy, sweetly spiced, and full of whole grain and protein!

#3 Frankenstein and Jack-o-Lantern Yogurts
A great kid craft for school parties!
(directions below)

Lowfat vanilla yogurt (I use Stonyfield Organic French Vanilla)
green and orange food coloring
chocolate cookies, crushed (like Oreo crumbs)
9 oz. plastic cups
Black Sharpie permanent marker

Directions: Decorate the outside of the cups with Frankenstein and/or Jack-o-Lantern faces and set aside. In a small bowl, color the yogurt either green or orange, then pour into the cups. Decorate the top of Frankenstein with cookie crumbs for hair. Serve immediately.

#4 Autumn Pumpkin Chili (click title for recipe)
A sweet and spicy no-bean chili with the goodness of pumpkin, sweet potato, and carrots

 And last, but by no means least…

#5 Salted Dark Chocolate Dipped Pretzels Stuffed with Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting
New Recipe! A little bit of sweet and salty crunch in every bite.

Ingredients
Small pretzel twists (16 oz.  bag)
Dark chocolate melting wafers (I use Ghirardellis)
Coarse ground sea salt
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe below)
1/4 cup butter, softened to room temperature
1/4 cup whipped cream cheese
1/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon lowfat milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
2-1/2 to 3 cups confectioners sugar

Directions
With an electric mixer, beat the butter, cream cheese, pumpkin, milk, vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice. Add the confectioner’s sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating with the mixer between each addition. Add up to 2-1/2 cups total, per preference.

Line a cookie sheet with parchment or a silicone baking mat. Put about 1 teaspoon of frosting on top of a pretzel, and top with another pretzel. Set on the cookie sheet and continue making these pretzel sandwiches until you are either out of frosting or out of pretzels 🙂 Set the cookie sheet in the freezer for about 10 minutes to firm up the frosting to make for easier dipping.

While they are in the freezer, melt the dark chocolate according to the package directions. Dip each pretzel sandwich halfway into the chocolate and then place on the prepared cookie sheet. After about every 10, stop to sprinkle the sea salt on them before the chocolate hardens too much for them to stick. Continue until all the pretzels are dipped and sprinkled with salt. Store in an airtight container. These treats are best consumed within 24 hours, after which the pretzels lose their crunchiness.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN TO ALL!