Spooky Snacks and Devilish Drinks

August 16, 2013
Photo: Kate Sears; Styling: Gerri Williams for James Reps 
Throw a Halloween appetizer party that will make you the most popular house in the neighborhood. Easy Halloween appetizers and quick cocktails are the perfect way to start the spookiest night of the year. Set out a fiendish spread of appetizers and beverages when you host the annual Halloween costume party, and let the fun begin! Transform deviled eggs into pumpkins, pigs in a blanket into witches' fingers, and a basic punch into must-make Ghoul-Aid!
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Halloween Spider Cookies

Sara Tane
Halloween Spider Cookies Recipe

Landing somewhere between adorable and slightly spooky, these Halloween spider cookies are sure to fulfill all your creepy-crawly sweet needs for your upcoming Halloween festivities. Using a classic cut-out butter cookie dough keeps the edges of your spider cookies shape neat and clean—no worries about the cookies expanding when they bake. Decorate these Halloween cut-out cookies with black gel icing, royal icing, candy eyes, orangle and black sprinkles, or whatever fun decorations you have on hand. These cookies make for a playful, spooky food craft that grown-ups and kids alike can enjoy.

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Ghost Cookies

Sara Tane
Ghost Cookies Recipe

Prepare for a  sweet scare when these adorable Halloween ghost cookies are all iced, decorated, and ready to party. Super easy and kid-friendly to make, these butter cut-out cookies coated with royal icing are the perfect dessert for your Halloween spread. Candy eyeballs add a playful, whimsical touch to these spooky treats, but you could also use black icing to draw eyes on your ghost cookies. Using a classic cut-out butter cookie dough keeps the edges of your ghost cookies shape neat and clean—no worries about the cookies expanding when they bake. Whip up a batch with the kids and let them go to town with the decorating for a fun Halloween kitchen activity.

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Mummy Buckeyes

Photo: Caitlin Bensel
Mummy Buckeyes Recipe

Our two-bite treats are scary-simple to make and a ghoulishly good addition to your spread of haunted sweets. When it comes time to wrap the mummies in chocolate, let the kids help out for a fun holiday craft.

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Honey Cider-Beer Cocktails

Photo: Brian Woodcock; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas
Honey Cider-Beer Cocktails Recipe

The cider-honey base of this fall beverage makes enough for both adult and kid twists: one with pale ale, the other with sparkling cider. Beer and cider are refreshing and lower in sugar and alcohol than stronger potions, which tend to go down a bit too easily.

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Chorizo and Caramelized Onion Stuffed Intestines 

Photo: Greg Dupree; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Blakeslee Giles
Chorizo and Caramelized Onion Stuffed Intestines  Recipe

Take your Halloween party to the next level with Mexican sausage and onion stuffed "intestines". Store-bought pastry dough makes this masterpiece simple to make and contributes to the rich taste and flaky texture. A cranberry sauce adds sweetness to this salty, savory dish while contributing to the realness of its presentation. This appetizer is sure to be a memorable one!

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Halloween Hummus

Photo: Caitlin Bensel, Styling: Mindi Shapiro
Halloween Hummus Recipe

For a truly spooky treat, this hummus is a great way to create a fun and festive Halloween effect. Simply fill a carved skull prop with this ghoulishly delicious hummus for a great appetizer to serve to guests. This hummus is red pepper based and features cayenne pepper, cumin, and plenty of garlic cloves for some great flavor. This dip is great to serve with crackers, chips, or veggie sticks. Dig right in, if you dare! 

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Frankenstein Cookies 

Photo: Darcy Lenz
Frankenstein Cookies  Recipe

Starting with refrigerated, store-bought cookie dough, these cooky Frankenstein cookies are an easy Halloween baking project to whip up this year. That said, packaged cookie dough is made to spread, so if you’d rather your Frankenstein cookies have rectangular or otherwise shaped faces (as opposed to these round-faced cuties), you can use a classic cut-out cookie dough that will better hold its shape.

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Spicy Orange Bat Wings

Spicy Orange Bat Wings Recipe

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Mickey Mouse Dipped Apples

Image: JK Denim
Mickey Mouse Dipped Apples

JK Denim shows us how to make Mickey Mouse-inspired chocolate apples just in time for Halloween.

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Butterbeer

Photo: Ryan Moriarty; Styling: Callie Blount
Butterbeer Recipe

Fancy a trip to the Wizarding World? This classic favorite drink of witches and wizards alike will be enough to put some magical pep in your step! This drink is a decadent, rich, and buttery experience. Top this popular wizarding beverage with plenty of homemade whipped cream before serving to family and friends. 

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Roasted Red Pepper Deviled Eggs

Photo: Kate Sears; Styling: Gerri Williams for James Reps    
Roasted Red Pepper Deviled Eggs Recipe
Serve these devilishly tasty treats as part of a Halloween feast. Roasted red peppers and paprika give the filling an orange hue reminiscent of jack-o-lanterns, while snipped chives resemble their stems.

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Bat Bites

Bat Bites Recipe
These bite-sized bats have an adult-friendly flavor from the goat cheese, cream cheese, and pesto mixture. The kids will love to shape the bats' bodies, decorate their faces, and give them wings.
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Skull Cookie Pops

Photo: JK Denim
Skull Cookie Pops

A large Oreo and half of a miniature Oreo form the "skull" for these Day of the Dead-inspired cookie pops.

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Eat-It-Up Snack Mix

Oxmoor House
Eat-It-Up Snack Mix Recipe
Family, friends and coworkers will love "goblin" up this yummy snack mix!

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Ghoul-Aid Punch

Ghoul-Aid Punch Recipe
Give your guests a scare by float a creepy ice face in your punch bowl. Fill a Halloween mask with water (seal the openings with sturdy tape), freeze overnight, then remove the ice from the mask and float face up.
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Witches' Fingers in Bandages

Witches' Fingers in Bandages Recipe
Take pigs-in-a-blanket to a new level with these scary puff pastry-wrapped witch's fingers. The cocktail-size franks are the perfect size for an easy pick-up appetizer and you won't even need to serve with dip since each "finger" has red nail polish (ie. ketchup).

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Monster Eyes

William Dickey
Monster Eyes Recipe
Give sausage balls a spooky look by placing a pimiento-stuffed olive in the center of each one. These "eyes" are a fun breakfast treat on Halloween morning.

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Bat Cupcakes

Image: JK Denim
Bat Cupcakes

Learn how to make scary-good bat cupcakes using chocolate cookie pieces and frosting.

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Blood-Bath Punch

Blood-Bath Punch Recipe
Let the adults enjoy the Halloween party too by serving this tangy blood-colored punch alongside other spooky treats.

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Mummy Dogs

Photo: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Lisa Powell Bailey, Rose Nguyen
Mummy Dogs Recipe
These make-ahead hot dogs use refrigerated breadstick dough, perfect for goblins, pretty princesses, superheroes, and even their parents.

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Brew-Ha-Ha Punch

Photo: Ralph Anderson; Styling: Buffy Hargett
Brew-Ha-Ha Punch Recipe
With lime drink and pineapple juice, this party punch isn't scary at all–for the kids or the adults. But putting the punch in a second bowl of dry ice gives it that eerie feeling that's perfect for a spooky party.
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Cheddar Witch's Fingers

Leigh Beisch
Cheddar Witch's Fingers Recipe
Use cheesy cornmeal breadstick dough to make scary witch fingers. They're great for snacks or to serve with soup and chili.

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Deviled Green Goblin Eggs

Deviled Green Goblin Eggs Recipe
Create artful patterns on hard-cooked egg whites by cracking the shells of the cooked eggs and letting them stand in a food-coloring mixture.

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Weiner Worms

Weiner Worms Recipe
Hard-core haunted house fans will love this "Halloweenie" dish made by grilling strips of hot dogs. Buns are optional.
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Goblin Dip with Bone Crackers

Goblin Dip with Bone Crackers Recipe
Turn Tex-Mex bean dip into a Halloween specialty by serving it with bone-shaped crackers.

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Cornbread Ghosts

Photo: Kate Sears
Cornbread Ghosts Recipe
Serve these Cornbread Ghosts with a piping hot bowl of hearty homemade chili for an easy Halloween party entree.

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Fried Goo with Dracula Dip

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner
Fried Goo with Dracula Dip Recipe
Just about everyone loves fried cheese sticks. Our version gets a punch of heat from cayenne pepper and cheese spiced with jalapeños. To tame the heat, use plan Monterey Jack (without the peppers), mozzarella or Swiss cheese and either leave out the cayenne pepper or use less of it.
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Skulls on Sticks

Oxmoor House
Skulls on Sticks Recipe
These fun rice treats on a stick offer a fun and delicious take on Halloween treats that are perfect to serve to guests at your next spooky bash! Turn up the "Monster Mash" and let everyone enjoy these ghoulish treats!

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The Great White Pumpkin Cheese Ball

Photo: Beth Dreiling Hontzas; Styling: Lydia Purcell
The Great White Pumpkin Cheese Ball Recipe
Give a subtle nod to the Halloween classic "It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" and serve this sharp-cheddar cheese ball with a pepper kick.

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Cauldron Full of Devilish Dip

Cauldron Full of Devilish Dip Recipe
Fill a bread bowl with a chunky Devilish Dip to create the look of a creepy bubbling cauldron.
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Olive Spiders

Olive Spiders Recipe
Dress up your spooky Halloween table (or your drink) with this fun garnish.

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Smoky-Salty Caramel Corn

Photo: Jennifer Davick; Styling: Linda Hirst
Smoky-Salty Caramel Corn Recipe
This sweet-and-salty treat is the perfect addition to any Halloween soiree spread.

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Skull Cookie Pops

Photo: JK Denim
Skull Cookie Pops

A large Oreo and half of a miniature Oreo form the "skull" for these Day of the Dead-inspired cookie pops.

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Black Cauldron

Photo: Johnny Autry; Styling: Cindy Barr
Black Cauldron Recipe

This adults-only float is a must-make for a festive fall gathering. Depending on your crowd, you may want to provide straws, spoons, and refills. This beer float makes for a perfect dessert cocktail to finish of a great party or meal. 

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