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Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays, but growing up my Halloweens might have looked a bit different than yours. As you can see though I was enthralled with the holiday early on!
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[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]Living in rural Montana meant it was typically below freezing and snowy by Halloween, which made dressing up and going from house to house difficult. So instead of donning a snowsuit, some kind of hat or mask (to count as a costume) and trudging through the snow for candy, we usually opted to stay in.
Every year my aunt and uncle would host Halloween at their house and my family would all gather and spend the evening together. As you walked in you could smell the apple cider and Grandma Muriel would be making her pan fried donuts at the stove. I may have been a weird child, but I was never disappointed to skip the trick or treating to be with my family on those nights.
Since trick or treating may not be in your Halloween plans this year I wanted to share some of my favorite Homemade Halloween Candy + Treats that my family has enjoyed for years – plus a few new ones of my own. Who needs a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup when you can make them at home!
Popcorn Balls
In the weeks leading up to Halloween, Grandma, my mother and I (sometimes others would join) would make at least +100 popcorn balls that we would divide between the families. The process is so much fun and is a great group activity!
My full detailed recipe will be coming soon, but in the meantime here are the instructions:
First pop 1.5 cups un-popped kernels (not the microwave kind with butter or additives) on the stove or in an air popper. Add 7 cups of the popcorn to a bowl and make sure to pick out any un-popped kernels. You don’t want a missed hard kernel to take anyone’s teeth out!
Make your caramel sauce by combining 1/3 cup corn syrup, 1/4 cup butter, 1/3 cup water, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 cup sugar on the stove in a pot. You will also need a candy thermometer. Now stirring constantly, cook the mixture to 250 degrees (hard ball stage) and then take it off the heat and add 1 teaspoon of vanilla. If you want to tint your popcorn balls you can also add a few drops of food coloring at this point.
Now pour your hot caramel sauce over the popcorn and use a large spoon to stir. (If you don’t feel like making them into balls this also makes a great caramel corn – just stop at this point.) Once your popcorn is evenly coated with caramel get ready for the fun part!
First make sure you have a LOT of butter at the table. Then lay out sheets of parchment paper or waxed paper. Coat your hands liberally in butter to keep them from sticking to the caramel sauce (it also helps protect them from the heat). Then dig into your bowl and simply roll a handful into a ball. Remember to re-coat your hands in butter before making each ball.
Pan Fried Donuts
My grandmother would only make these donuts once a year and we would wait near the stove to eat them fresh! What a treat!
First make your donut dough by scalding 1 quart of milk in a pot and let it cool slightly. Pour the milk in your mixing bowl and add 10 tablespoons of sugar, 8 tablespoons of butter, 1 tablespoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg. Then add 7 tablespoons of dry yeast. Mix until blended and dissolved. Add 4 cups of white flour and 4 cups of whole wheat flour and incorporate until well blended. Then turn out the dough onto a well floured surface and knead until smooth. Roll out the dough to 1/2″ thick and cut with your donut cutter. Allow to rise for 5 minutes.
Heat your oil in a pan to 375 degrees and fry donuts until golden brown on each side. Dry on paper towels and roll in cinnamon and sugar!
Apple Cider
I prefer to make my own apple cider mix rather than purchasing the store bought variety. It only requires apple juice, cinnamon sticks and fresh oranges. You can also stick cloves into your oranges if you like their flavor. Just combine the apple juice with a few cinnamon sticks in a large pot and add some orange slices. Then heat on low and serve warm. You can also add a splash of your favorite spirit (not the haunted kind) like whiskey or rum if you are in the mood! 🙂
Chocolate Covered Pretzels
Chocolate covered pretzels are such an easy fun candy to make. The hardest part is waiting for the chocolate to dry so you can stuff them in your mouth![/et_pb_text][el_masonry_gallery image_ids=”656,655,657″ number_of_columns=”3″ _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][/el_masonry_gallery][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.17.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]
First lay out sheets of parchment or waxed paper. Then melt your preferred chocolate (dark, white, milk) and either dip or spoon the chocolate over the pretzels. Then you can top with Halloween sprinkles and crushed candy to make them feel more festive!
Boo-Berry Bark
We didn’t grow up making this for Halloween, but chocolate bark was another candy we would make from time to time. Once I saw this Ghastly Bark I knew I had to make my own Boo-Berry Bark!
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I love the combination of chocolate and fruit! Throw in a nut and I can actually get behind chocolate. (I actually have a dirty little secret…I don’t really like chocolate that often. I’m more of a tart girl in the sweets department.) But since my Boo-Berry Bark incorporates both fruit and nuts I can’t get enough of it!
All it takes is chocolate, dried blueberries and almonds! If you want to draw on the little ghosties you will need toothpicks too.
First spread out a layer of white chocolate about 1/3 of an inch thick and sprinkle it with your blueberries and almonds. Let this layer cool and set then cover it with a layer of dark chocolate. Optionally, you can draw on fun ghosts with the remaining chocolate and a toothpick. You can find the full tutorial and recipe here!
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Chocolate Cups
If I do pick up chocolate candy it’s usually peanut butter cups! I wanted to create a fun Halloween style chocolate candy cup that you can easily make at home. These also have a surprise red jelly filling to make them extra festive!
You will need a candy mold for these. I used this one. You can also fill a mini muffin pan with paper liners if you don’t have a candy mold.
First fill the bottom third of the cup with chocolate, then top with your preferred nut butter and a bit of jelly. Finally top with more chocolate! You can find the full tutorial here.
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What fun Halloween traditions did your family have?
How do you plan to celebrate Halloween this year?
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