Easy Halloween Treats Kids Can Make

Classic popcorn balls taste even better when you sneak in a few candy treats! Make these Halloween goodies by coating your microwave popcorn with a homemade brown sugar syrup, then sprinkle with candy-coated chocolate before rolling into balls.

Halloween snack ideas shouldn't be limited to candy. Give your Halloween snack a scary-good twist by making a double-decker sandwich with pimiento-stuffed green olives as eyes. This sandwich layers roast beef and cheddar cheese, but you can easily customize to fit your monster appetite.

Whooo dare eat this menacing owl? Everyone! They might look spooky, but these chocolate-dipped pretzels are a hoot to make, especially as easy Halloween treats for kids.

Craving a big bag of candy corn? Get your Halloween sweet fix a different way with these creamy cake push-up pops. Plus, these are Halloween treats kids can make—put your little ones in charge of layering the pops once all of the ingredients are assembled.

Craving something salty and sweet? This irresistible blend of pretzels, chocolate, and candy is frighteningly good and an easy Halloween finger food.

Upgrade your ordinary chocolate cupcakes with a treat idea that's meow-nificent.

To make, follow these steps:

1. Frost each cupcake with chocolate frosting.

2. Pour chocolate sprinkles into a bowl. Lightly press the top of each cupcake into the sprinkles to coat the frosting with sprinkles.

3. Cut a yellow gumdrop in half to use as eyes. Cut short pieces of black shoestring licorice to use as pupils, and press onto the cut side of each gumdrop half. Lightly press each gumdrop half into cupcakes to form eyes.

4. Cut chocolate candy coating disks into triangles to serve as ears. Press two triangles into the frosting from the side.

5. Cut pieces of black shoestring licorice for whiskers. Arrange on top of cupcake as desired. Pipe a dot of chocolate frosting into the center of the whiskers for a nose.

Give your family a fright with these candy-topped Halloween cookies. For extra spooky fun, have each person create their own likeness.

To make, follow these steps:

1. Cut a variety of shapes from your favorite rolled sugar cookie or shortbread dough (see our recipe below), and bake as directed.
2. Spread a thin layer of green frosting onto the main part of each cookie to form the face.
3. Use brown icing and various candy pieces to add frightening facial features.
4. For the final touch, secure peanut butter cups to the sides of each cookie for Frankenstein flair.

For a classic and easy Halloween treat that skews delightful over frightful, bake a batch of festively decorated sugar cookies.

To make, follow these steps:

1. Use a pumpkin-shape cookie cutter to cut pumpkins from rolled sugar cookie dough that's prepared according to your favorite recipe. Bake as directed.
2. Spread a layer of orange icing on the main portion of the pumpkin.
   
3. Add your favorite jack-o'-lantern face shapes to the pumpkin cookies using black icing, and cover the stems with green icing.

A marshmallow, a straw, and your kid's imagination are all you need to create a collection of frightful friends. These Halloween food ideas for kids are cute, easy, and customizable!

Say cheese! Adorable rodents offer a squeakingly fun way to celebrate the holiday, and kids will love helping bring these Halloween snacks to life.

Try this wise idea for creating cute Halloween cupcakes. This hooting fellow will be the star of your Halloween snacks when the party starts!

Cast a spell on your next Halloween party with this savory snack. Though it might look like you should wear them, these fashionable witch hats are actually taco-flavor cheese balls atop tortilla chips. These bite-size appetizers are the Halloween finger foods your party is missing!

Melt, dip, and dry are the basic steps to enjoy these delightful marshmallow pops. These Halloween desserts make a pretty centerpiece in addition to being sweet treats.

To make, follow these steps:

1. Place orange-color and yellow-color candy coating disks in separate microwave-safe bowls. Microwave separately on high until melted and smooth, stopping to stir every 30 seconds.
   
2. Insert straws into bases of large marshmallows. Dip part or all of each marshmallow in candy coating, spooning it over if necessary and letting excess drip off into bowl.
   
3. If desired, sprinkle with orange and black nonpareils.
   
4. Lay marshmallows on waxed paper (or insert straws into florists foam to avoid a flat side) to let harden.
   
5. For two-layer candy corn marshmallows, omit the nonpareils. After the first coating layer has firmed up, dip the marshmallow in a second color of candy coating, keeping the first layer of coating visible. Let stand on waxed paper or in florists foam until coating is firm.

There is something ghoulishly great about topping your favorite vanilla milk shake with a hauntingly sweet white ghost. You can also use these spooky Halloween treats to top an adults-only drink while the kids sip their shakes.

No need to worry—these monster sandwich cookies won't bite! Soft chocolate-espresso cookies filled with rich orange mascarpone cream make for spooky and fun Halloween treats, especially when topped with big marshmallow eyes.

You won't be able to take your eyes off of these eerie Halloween peanut butter bites. These Halloween desserts are eye-catching and irresistible at any festive event.

To make, follow these steps:

1. In a mixing bowl stir together 1/2 cup peanut butter and 3 tablespoons softened butter. Gradually add 1 cup sifted powdered sugar, stirring until combined. Shape into 1-inch balls; place on waxed paper. Let stand until dry (about 20 minutes).
2. Chop 8 ounces vanilla-flavor white candy coating. Place in a heavy saucepan; cook and stir over low heat until melted and smooth. Cool slightly. Dip balls, one at a time, into coating. Let excess coating drip off peanut butter balls. Place on waxed paper; let stand until coating is firm.
3. Use a clean small paintbrush and red food coloring to paint veins on the coated peanut butter balls.
4. Pipe small dots of black icing for pupils.

This devilishly delicious chocolate cake is anything but somber. Pick your favorite jack-o'-lantern faces to adorn the chocolate wafer cookies or gingersnaps, and have your little monster put the festive Halloween cookies all over the cake.

To make, follow these steps:

1. Prepare your favorite chocolate layer cake as directed.
2. Frost the cake with orange icing.
3. Put more of the icing in a cake decorating bag fitted with a No. 1 or No. 2 round tip, and pipe jack-o'-lantern faces on chocolate wafer cookies or gingersnaps.
4. Stand the decorated cookies around the cake, and embed a half-dozen (or as many as you'd like) in the top.

Celebrate autumn with a trip to the pumpkin patch! Give kids the sweet job of frosting and decorating these Halloween cookies for an ode to our favorite fall tradition.

Beady-eye blackbirds aren't so menacing when they're easy Halloween treats. Use bird-shape cookie cutters or sub in other black Halloween figures, such as a cat, witch, or bat. A brushing of corn syrup after baking is the trick to getting the black sugar coating to stick.

Boo! These adorable little goblins are made from everyone's favorite Halloween snack: chocolate sandwich cookies. Adding candy hats on top makes these Halloween sweets frightfully good.

Hot dogs are a party favorite and will become the star of a Halloween buffet when given this mummy-wrap treatment using refrigerated breadsticks. You can turn this party snack into a super fun Halloween finger food in no time flat.

You won't need a bonfire for these fright-night snacks—the coveted marshmallow sandwiches heat in the microwave. Dip the edges of each treat in sprinkles or orange and yellow sugar to give these Halloween goodies extra flair.

To make, follow these steps:

1. Break graham crackers into squares.
2. Spread four squares with chocolate-hazelnut spread.
3. Spread remaining four squares with marshmallow creme.
4. Place graham crackers, marshmallow sides down, on top of chocolate-hazelnut spread; place on a microwave-safe plate.
5. Microwave each s'more, uncovered, on high for 30 seconds.

Editor's Tip: For a tasty spin on a classic, use chocolate graham cracker squares, and substitute peanut butter for the chocolate-hazelnut spread.

Create your own mini laboratory with these Halloween snacks. Gather as many add-ons as possible—olives, carrots, sweet pickles, and parsley work great—then let imaginations run wild.

To make, follow these steps:

1. Make a wrap with your choice of fillings. Roll up and secure with a wooden pick.
2. Stuff one end of rolled tortilla with red sweet pepper strips, shredded lettuce, parsley sprigs, and julienned carrots.
3. Attach olives and pepper pieces for the eyes, nose, and mouth with mayonnaise or honey mustard.
4. Cut an apron shape from the cheese and lay atop tortilla.
5. Add pickles or peppers for shoes, and use cheese as a blanket.

If you've got a house full of chocolate-lovers, these individual Halloween desserts will be popular with everyone. Kids will love decorating these chocolate mousse cups with edible bones, gummy worms, and headstone cookies!

Spin a sugary spiderweb to draw your party guests toward the Halloween sweets table for a thick caramel-chocolate shake. Drizzled caramel and dark chocolate ice cream toppings create an oozing effect on the glass.

Editor's Tip: Because the webs set up quickly, we recommend that a second person add the salt as you drizzle each web.

For quick and spooky Halloween treats, use marshmallows and fondant to form tasty ghouls. Tint the fondant and use candies and pretzels to decorate each ghoul to ghastly perfection.

To make, follow these steps:

1. For a tall white ghoul, use clean scissors to snip one end each from two large marshmallows. Press the cut ends together.
2. Roll fondant to about 1/4 inch thick. Cut out a 4-1/2-inch-diameter fondant circle. Shape the fondant over the marshmallow stack.
3. Add eyes and a mouth with decorating gel.
4. To color ghouls, tint fondant with a small amount of food coloring. For the striped version, roll small ropes of different colors of the fondant. Press ropes together and roll out with a rolling pin. Finish as directed above.
5. If desired, use small candies for features, attaching them with decorator frosting.

Editor's Tip: For hair-raising fun, push the fondant through a garlic press.

This spooky snack mix comes together in a snap! Smiling skulls and white chocolate-covered pretzels are a Halloween treat that adults and kids alike will devour. Perfect for trick-or-treaters, these individual Halloween snack bags are scary good.

Spiders usually aren't on the guest list. But these tarantulas are made from sweet candies, so the scurrying Halloween goodies will have partygoers squealing with delight, not fright.

To make, follow these steps:

1. Melt candy coating or candy disks and place in a resealable plastic bag; snip off a small corner.
2. Pipe spider legs onto a waxed-paper-lined baking sheet and sprinkle with nonpareils (if desired). Chill legs in the refrigerator until firm.
3. Squeeze small circles of melted coating onto another waxed-paper-lined baking sheet, and insert eight chilled legs into each circle.
4. Add a 1-inch candy truffle on top of each circle for the spider's body.
5. Add small candies or frosting for eyes; chill in refrigerator until firm.