Halloween party treats made from the candy bowl 🍬👻
Butterfinger mummies, our Chef of the Week, and the launch of Discussions!
Here's a little Halloween secret: the best party treats this year might already be sitting in your candy bowl 🍬👻
Between costumes, class parties and trick-or-treat night, nobody needs a complicated dessert project this week. So this issue is all about putting the candy you already bought to work, and making treats that look like you planned ahead (even if you didn't).
Let's get into it!
INTRODUCING… DISCUSSIONS! 💬
In Pepper news, we launched Discussions – the best place to ask questions, answer polls, and meet other home cooks!
Update your app to check it out now! Discoverable right on your Main Feed.
BAKE THE CANDY RIGHT IN 🍫
The easiest win is one you probably already make: a batch of cookies. The only change is tossing chopped candy bars into the dough. Butterfinger is a great one for this because it breaks into crunchy little bits that hold up in the oven.
Quick tip: put the candy bars in the freezer for 15 minutes before you chop them. Cold candy breaks into clean pieces instead of sticking to your knife and cutting board.
Brown Butter Butterfinger Cookies: Butterfinger bits and chocolate chips in a brown butter dough, and one batch makes 15 cookies.
ONE PAN FOR THE CLASS PARTY
If you signed up to bring something to the school party (or you just have a lot of little mouths to feed), cookie bars are your best friend. One pan, cut into squares, and they pack up easily. No scooping, no rolling, no batches.
This one goes all in on Halloween candy, with M&Ms and Kit Kats in the mix.
Halloween M&M and Ghost Toast Kit Kat Cookie Bars: Kit Kats and M&Ms baked right into the bars, so the candy does the decorating and one pan covers the whole party.
SET UP A CANDY DECORATING STATION 🎃
Kids always want to help, and decorating is the part they're best at. Melt a bowl of white chocolate, pour sprinkles onto a plate (crushed leftover Halloween candy works too), and hand everyone a pile of pretzel sticks. Dip, roll, lay them on parchment paper, and let them set while you clean up.
The formula: something salty + melted chocolate + sprinkles or crushed candy = a treat the kids are proud to say they made.
Halloween Pretzel Sticks: pretzel sticks, white chocolate chips and sprinkles. That's the whole shopping list.
All of that to say: you don't need a brand-new recipe for every Halloween plan. Your candy stash and a few pantry basics have you covered.
MUMMIES FOR THE LITTLEST HELPERS
If your crew is on the younger side, this one is a sure thing. Store-bought Nutter Butters get dressed up with white chocolate and candy eyes, and the whole thing takes about 15 minutes.
Mummy Nutter Butters: store-bought cookies wrapped up as mummies, perfect for little decorators.
Bonus: candy eyes make just about anything look like a Halloween treat, so it's worth grabbing an extra pack.
CHEF OF THE WEEK  Autumn Still @AutumnStill | ||||||
Our Chef of the Week, @AutumnStill, proves the best Halloween treats can start in the candy aisle. Her Ghost Oreo Balls, Mini Candy Corn Cheesecakes, and Easy Halloween Cookies turn store-bought favorites into party-ready desserts.
Autumn’s recipe box is packed with Halloween sweets made for a crowd. Her cookies come loaded with sprinkles and candy eyes, her Oreo balls get a white chocolate coat and a chocolate chip face, and her mini cheesecakes are topped with candy corn and a tiny ghost. Got a leftover bag of candy corn or a sleeve of Oreos? She has a recipe for that.
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FINAL NOTE!
Made a Halloween treat of your own this week? Share it on Pepper so other parents can borrow the idea. And hit reply to tell us: which candy are you secretly saving for yourself after the kids go to bed?
TLDR: the candy you already have + a cookie, a pretzel or a pan of bars + a few minutes = a Halloween party treat. Happy Halloween, and enjoy the sugar rush!
Xx, Penny with Pepper