We’re not here to say you should skip the candy and opt for fruit this Halloween — there are too many great options that come around only once a year. But that doesn’t mean you can’t get a little creative and turn fruit into sweet treats, in addition to enjoying all those other goodies. Kids and grown-ups alike will want to dig in as soon as they see these fun creations. The fact that they come with a little extra nutrition? That’s nothing to be scared of!
These frozen banana ghosts (pictured above) are a fun Halloween snack that’s also super easy. They’re great with the sweet and creamy peanut butter dip made extra creepy with a spiderweb piped from melted chocolate. Feel free to add apple and pear slices, as well as graham crackers, to round out the platter. The ghosts and dip can be made ahead, but the dip will firm up when chilled, so be sure to remove it from the fridge about 30 minutes before serving.
Here’s another frozen-banana option, but for the chocolate fans. This recipe is great because you need only semisweet chocolate, bananas, candy eyeballs and marshmallows, and your freezer will do most of the work.
Cute little monsters share the stage with pumpkins and ghosts on this Halloween dessert platter. For variety, you can create monsters with different colors of sanding sugar (just make sure to match the candy melting wafers to the sugar). Whip up these treats several hours ahead and refrigerate them, but don’t refrigerate the monsters for longer than an hour — the moisture in the refrigerator will cause the candy eyes to run!
This is a fun way to treat just yourself: Toss orange segments with a little orange liqueur, then layer them in a brandy snifter (or similar glass) along with lemon curd and whipped cream.
Turn apples into mummies, cats, skeletons and more with this fun recipe. Simply microwave white candy melts, coat the apples, then decorate. Our step-by-step instructions make it easy to get your designs just right.
Instead of a simple syrup, this fruit salad uses raspberry jam to coat and flavor the mixed fruits. It has just enough natural tartness to keep the salad fresh. For the most frightful fruit salad, let it sit for a few hours and the lychees will continue to absorb the ruby glaze.
The fruit juice flavors in this crowd-pleasing punch work well with just a little bit of gin. The finished punch may appear gruesome, but looks can be deceiving. The floating “eyeballs” are actually sweet and delicious lychee fruit with blueberries tucked inside.