Recipes — treats

7 Halloween Treat Ideas That Are Spookingly Healthy

Even though September sets us up for nutritional success with all the autumn produce hitting the farmer's market scene, October is all about the treats. And yes, we're talking about Halloween treats; the ones that you can't get your paws off of from the moment you leave the supermarket to the second you're down to the last one.

Since this year we're all about clean eating, we've found a bunch of ways to satisfy our sweet tooth without giving up on flavor. So, if you also want to enjoy the spookiest of seasons the way you're supposed to, these 7 healthier Halloween treat ideas will have you and your guests shaking in your boots.

 1. Boo-nana Pops

Since fall weather is notoriously unpredictable, you could keep these frozen banana pops in your freezer just in case. After all, you don't want your trick-or-treaters (or perhaps guests) to sweat through their masks, right?

Ingredients:

3 large bananas

2 cups of plain yogurt

2 tbsp coconut oil, melted

6 chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Peel the bananas, cut them in half, and pierce a popsicle stick through each piece
2. Add the yogurt to a bowl and mix with the coconut oil.
3. Now, dip the banana pops into the bowl and coat each piece from top to bottom.
4. Use the chocolate chips as eyes and quickly place them to the freezer.

2. Spider-Infested No-Bake Cookies

These spider-infested cookies may look gory, but trust us, they are 110% safe to eat. Heck, they're even packed with fiber and good-for-you fats! So, don't let their looks fool you. Friendly tip: If possible, serve them with a glass of milk, because... why not?

Ingredients:

3 cups oats

1/3 cup almond butter

1 ¼ cups almond milk

1 ¾ cups sugar

1/3 cup unsalted butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ cup chocolate chip

2 ounces dark chocolate

Directions:

1. Add the butter, sugar, and milk to a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.
2. Remove from heat and stir in the rest of the ingredients (except for the dark chocolate). Keep mixing until everything is combined.
3. Using a spoon, scoop the mixture onto a lined baking sheet and let them cool,
4. Once they're completely cool, melt the dark chocolate and pour it in a pastry bag.
5. Pipe the spider heads and their legs onto the cookies and allow them to dry.

3. Banana Mummies

Who said Halloween treats are all about chocolate? If you want to squeeze a few vitamins to the mix, these banana "mummies" are a no-brainer. Not to mention, they take less than 10 minutes to make, so you'll have more time for munching.

Ingredients:

3 large bananas

4 tbsp nut or seed butter, of your preference

1 tbsp coconut oil

Directions:

1. Peel the bananas and cut them in half. Set them aside.
2. In a small saucepan, add your favorite nut or seed butter and the coconut oil and melt over low heat. Keep stirring until the oil melts and have a thick "sauce."
3. Now, pierce a popsicle stick through each banana piece.
4. Drizzle the bananas with the "sauce" horizontally and decorate with edible googly eyes.

4. Almond Butter Jack-o-Lanterns

Nothing says it's Halloween quite like a Jack-o-Lantern. But, since gutting, carving, and decorating a pumpkin can be a time consuming task, we have an easier way for you to get all the feels. So, cue these almond butter Jack-o-Lanterns. Made with 5 wholesome ingredients, they're the healthiest thing to hit your kid's trick-or-treat bag.

Ingredients:

½ cup almond butter

1 tbsp maple syrup

1/3 cup rolled oats

2 tbsp ground flax seeds

1 ounce of dark chocolate

Directions:

1. Add the almond butter and maple syrup to a heatproof bowl and microwave for one minute until the mixture is runny.
2. Then, add the oats and the flaxseed and combine well.
3. Using your hands, form small, bite-sized balls, place them on a tray and freeze them overnight.
4. The next day, cut the chocolate into small, rectangular pieces to decorate the balls (soon-to-be pumpkins). These will be used as stems.
5. Melt one piece of the chocolate and using a toothpick, draw the eyes and mouth on each ball. Make sure they look as gory as possible.

5. Spook-tacular Butter Cups

Correct us if we're wrong, but we believe the sight of "blood" dripping out of a snack is eerie enough to put anyone in a ghostly mood. So, if the goal is to spook out everyone who knocks on your door, these "bloody" butter cups will do the trick (literally).

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups dark chocolate

2 tbsp coconut oil

½ cup freeze dried blackberries

3 tbsp water

1 tbsp maple syrup

Directions:

1. Add the chocolate and coconut oil to a heatproof bowl and melt over a double boiler.
2. Place 12 cupcake liners in a muffin tin.
3. Pour two teaspoons of chocolate into each liner and refrigerate.
4. Now, add the blackberries, water and maple syrup to a bowl, and let them sit for 5-10 minutes.
5. Using a spoon, crush them blackberries to create a thick, blood-like jam.
6. Remove the muffin tin from the freezer, ladle 1 tablespoon of the jam into each liner and coat with the remaining chocolate.
7. Freeze for an additional hour and serve.

6. Boo Bark

Whoever said chocolate bark should be reserved just for Christmas never tried this Halloween version. Made with dark and white chocolate and freeze dried bananas, this boo bark is just as tasty as its peppermint cousin, and fun fact: it's pretty easy to make. So, no need to pull out your pots and pans.

Ingredients:

12 ounces dark chocolate

4 ounces white chocolate

2 tbsp freeze dried bananas, chopped into small pieces

Directions:

1. Melt the dark chocolate over a double boiler and spread it over a lined baking pan. Make sure to set aside a small amount of it, perhaps ½ a tablespoon.
2. Then, melt the white chocolate in the same way and let it cool for a while.
3. Pour it into a pastry bag and spread it over the hardened chocolate in the form of circles.
4. Using a toothpick, draw an end on each circle to create the ghost's "tail."
5. Now, using the dark chocolate you set aside, draw a mouth and eyes on each ghost.
6. Lastly, sprinkle the banana pieces all over to create an out-worldly vibe.
7. Refrigerate for a couple of hours.

7. Chocolate Covered Freeze Dried Fruit

This treat doesn't exactly scream Halloween (after all, it's not shaped like the usual ghoulish culprits), but it tastes so good that we couldn't leave it off the list. Plus, it's way healthier than all those teeth-rotting snacks you'd find in a typical trick-or-treat bag and takes next-to-zero time to prep. So, it's a win-win.

Ingredients:

10 ounces dark chocolate

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 ½ cup freeze dried fruit

Directions:

1. Add the chocolate and coconut oil to a bowl and melt it over a double-boiler.
2. Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Once the chocolate is melted, let it cool for a couple of minutes and stir in the freeze dried fruit of your choice.
4. Transfer the chocolate-coated fruit onto the sheet and let it dry for 15-20 minutes.

So, which of these ghastly Halloween treat ideas will you serve to your guests? Let us known in the comments below!

References:

1. https://www.brit.co/simple-no-bake-halloween-treats/

2. https://greatist.com/health/best-halloween-recipes-102813/amp