Not-Too-Sweet Halloween Treats

One way to help curb the candy consumption on Halloween and the days following, is to have some tasty treats that aren’t as high in sugar readily available to your kids. Here are some treats you can make for home or to take to your child’s class party that aren’t too sweet but are still horrifyingly delectable.

Eyeball Canapés

What You Need:

• Wheat or White sandwich bread slices
• Whipped cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 two-inch oval “Easter Egg” cookie cutter
• Green olives and chopped black olives

What You Do:

Toast the bread slices. Spread a thick layer of cream cheese to cover one side of the toast. Using the oval cookie cutter, cut out the “eyes” and place them onto a serving plate. Cut the green olives in half and remove the pimento. Add a piece of chopped black olive in the center of the green olive to resemble an eye pupil. Place the “eyes” in the center of each toast oval and serve your eyeballs!

Pond Punch

What You Need:

• ¼ cup raisins, soaked in ½ cup water overnight and drained
• 4 cups apple juice
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• cinnamon sticks, broken into two-inch pieces

What You Do:

Heat the apple juice and pumpkin pie spice in a saucepan over medium low heat. Pour into two clear heat-proof mugs or glasses. Top with a “log” (cinnamon stick) and a few “bugs” (plumped raisins). With the “dirt” (spices) swirling around the cup you can explain to your little ones that this punch comes straight from the pond.

Finger Food

What You Need:

• 4 sticks of Mozzarella string cheese or Monterey Jack Cheese
• 8 sliced almonds

What You Do:

Cut each cheese stick in half, lengthwise. Using a paring knife, score lines in the middle of the cheese stick to resemble knuckle lines (you can also score a couple lines near the top as well). Press an almond slice into the top of the “finger” to resemble a fingernail. Yuckily yummy!

“Pumpkin” Crudités

What You Need:

• 1 bag mini-carrots
• 1 handful edamame or
• 1 cantaloupe, sliced into chunks
• 1 handful of grapes

What You Do:

Yes, it is possible to sneak in some fruit and vegetables on Halloween! Using a large platter as the base, arrange the carrots or cantaloupe into a round shape to resemble a pumpkin. For the carrots, use a few edamame at the top of your “pumpkin” to make a stem. Then make another pumpkin shape with the cantaloupe as the pumpkin. For the cantaloupe, arrange a few grapes at the top instead. This arrangement will look just as festive as any other dish on your Halloween table but it will be super nutritious too!

Caramel Apples with Pecans

While caramel apples might not be considered a “health food,” that apple packs a huge punch of nutritious vitamins and fiber. And the caramel? It actually has less sugar than most kids’ breakfast yogurt. Go light on the caramel, go heavy on the nuts, and you'll have a not-too-sweet treat your kids are going to love.

What You Need:

• 1 14-ounce bag individually wrapped caramels
• popsicle sticks
• 6 medium sized apples
• 2 cups chopped peanuts or pecans

What You Do:

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and coat with a canola oil spray, set aside.

Follow directions on the back of the manufacturer’s bag to melt the caramels. Drive popsicle sticks into the top of each apple. Coat the apple with the caramel sauce, allowing the excess to drip off. Roll the caramel apple into the bowl of toasted nuts, gently pressing the nuts into the caramel. Place the apples onto the prepared sheet pan and chill until set.

With these not-too-sweet treats in your arsenal this Halloween, you'll keep the candy consumption to a minimum while satisfying those cravings for scrumptiously spooky snacks.