Fall is jam-packed with family-friendly things to do, from apple and pumpkin picking to hay rides. Then, there’s carving the jack-o’-lanterns and all the excitement leading up to Halloween. Another fun activity to do this October is whipping up some tasty and cute Halloween treats for kids.
Sure, the kiddos will get plenty of candy when they go trick-or-treating, but it’s still cool to get in the kitchen and create Halloween treats together. Cooking with children, tweens, and teens is a wonderful way to set them on the road to independence when those college years and living on their own roll around. Being able to cook and bake is a life skill.
There are so many Halloween treat ideas for kids, too, and they’re not all packed with sugar. So, if you’re looking to get in the kitchen with the kiddos this October, we’ve got tasty treats the whole family will enjoy.
Halloween treats for kids
Chocolate and Halloween go hand in hand, of course. Since kids will soon be inundated with chocolate once they go trick-or-treating, you might want to whip up some delish Halloween treats that are minus the chocolate. If not, we’ve got Halloween chocolate treats, too, that won’t last long once made.
Pumpkin strawberries
Strawberries are often a go-to fruit for kids. Combine it with chocolate, and you have a Halloween treat the kiddos will love making and eating. Mom Loves Baking has a simple three-ingredient recipe for pumpkin strawberries that probably won’t make it to Halloween.
Pumpkin cake
If you’re looking for a special dessert for a Halloween party, a school party, or just because, think about baking a pumpkin cake. A bundt cake pan is actually the perfect shape to craft a no-stress pumpkin cake that really looks like a pumpkin.
Now, you can make an actual pumpkin cake, but if you think the kiddos won’t like it, just use their favorite boxed mix instead of a pumpkin one. You will need enough mix for two bundt pans. Once the batter is baked and cooled, carefully remove them from the pans. Then, put them together to create the pumpkin. You can put a layer of icing between the two to hold in place.
Then, the icing takes over. Ice the entire cake with orange icing. If you can’t find any in the supermarket, just add orange food coloring to white icing. Top it off by covering an ice cream cone in green icing and placing it on top of the cake in the middle for a delish stem.
S’mores eyeballs
Kids absolutely love s’mores, but when you can turn the go-to summertime snack into an eyeball for Halloween, that’s cool. S’more eyeballs aren’t hard to make, either. They still have all the s’more goodness that comes from marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers, too. Allrecipes has an easy-to-follow recipe that only takes 40 minutes from start to finish and yields 24 eyeballs.
Ghost pancakes
Another kid staple is pancakes. Pancakes are awesome for breakfast, but you can make them for lunch or dinner, too. In the weeks leading up to Halloween, give your pancakes a twist by making ghost ones. All you need is your favorite pancake recipe and chocolate chips. Premade pancake mix is fine, too.
Once your batter is ready, you have two ways to make your ghost. One is freehand. Pour your batter into a squeeze bottle or an icing bag. Then outline your ghost on the warm pan with batter before filling in the middle. When you’re done, pop on two chocolate chips for eyes and one for the mouth. Cook until done. Flipping is fine. It won’t ruin the ghost.
The other option is to use a cookie cutter shaped like a ghost. Spray the cookie cutter with nonstick cooking spray before putting it on the warm pan. Then, pour in the batter and add the chocolate chips. Once the batter sets, you can remove the cookie cutter and move on to the next ghost. Be sure to use tongs though. The cookie cutter will get hot.
Banana ghosts
An easy way to get kids to eat more fruit is to turn them into cute things. These banana ghosts are super simple. Just cut a banana in half and stand it up on a plate. The pointy end serves as the ghost’s head. Then, use chocolate chips to create the eyes and mouth. This is an easy Halloween treat kids can make themselves.
Cooking and baking with kids for any holiday is a wonderful way to get them in the kitchen. Kids also love to lend a hand, especially when they’re young. Take advantage of that and get them involved in creating holiday fun everyone can eat. So, this October, give these simple-to-make Halloween treats for kids a try. They are sure to be a hit.
