Fun and Unique Halloween Dessert Recipes with Healthy Options

One of the most important parts of Halloween is the treats! You can go to a grocery store for some Halloween desserts, or you can make a fun day for yourself, kids, friends, or loved ones and create some unique home-made treats! Try the recipes below to create some Halloween magic, and if you're looking for a way to make treats healthier, try out the healthy options!

1. Walking Halloween Cat Cakes

You Need:

Cupcake mix

Chocolate frosting (or color of your choice)

Colored jimmies (sprinkles) of your choice

Candy corn

Mini M&Ms

Black or white decorative frosting for the cat mouth

Twizzlers (for cat tail)

Gum drops or circus peanut candy (cut in half for cat paws)

Healthy Options:

Use whipped and/or reduced fat frosting

Use sugar-free gum drops

Directions:

This cupcake is the purrrrrrfect addition for your Halloween desserts! Bake any kind of cupcake you choose (I enjoy the confetti batter; it adds another layer of fun). Once cupcakes are cooled, remove wrappers if used in baking. Frost the top, or the top and sides of cupcake with your chocolate frosting (Use other colors for variety). To create ears, place two candy corns at the top edge (completely on the cup cake) with their tips together making 2 triangles. Sprinkle jimmies all over frosting to create cat fur. Place mini M&Ms for cat eyes and nose. Use decorative frosting to create the cat's mouth. To finish the kitty, add four dollops of frosting at the base of the cupcake and place halved circus peanut candy or gumdrops for paws. I've noticed these Halloween cat cakes are especially popular with girls and animal lovers, but always acceptable to every taste bud!

2. Marshmallow Crawl-Away Spiders

You Need:

Jumbo marshmallows

Peanut Butter or Icing

Chocolate Jimmies (sprinkles) or sugar sprinkles

Twizzlers cut in half

Mini M&Ms

Healthy Options:

Natural or reduced fat peanut butter

Reduced fat icing

Directions:

These marshmallow spiders will crawl right onto your plate! This recipe is easy enough to make with kids and the spiders are so cute, any age group will be impressed! Begin by taking a jumbo marshmallow and create 4 holes on both sides( these holes will be used for legs). Cover marshmallow in peanut butter or icing. Pour a good amount of jimmies or sugar sprinkles in a bowl and roll marshmallow in jimmies/sprinkles of your choice. Jimmies will create a furry looking spider, while sugar sprinkles will create a smoother looking spider. Kids really enjoy making the spiders colorful, so enjoy using colors and even mixing jimmies and sugar sprinkles for a fun texture! After marshmallow is covered stick in Twizzler legs. Use peanut butter or icing to glue on 2 M&M eyes and your marshmallow spider is ready to come to life! Caution: Make sure you eat them before they crawl off your plate!

3. Jello Swamp Cups

You Need:

Green Jello

Gummy worms

Gummy critters

Assorted fruit

Whip Cream

Crushed graham cracker or colored vanilla wafers

Healthy Options:

Sugar-free Jello

Sugar-free gummies/worms

Whip Cream Free

Directions:

This gooey dessert is so colorful and fun, you're going to love making this...and eating it! Also, this is a fabulous dessert to create with young children, so let their imaginations run free! Use the Jello directions for the fruit option on the back of the packet. You might want to cut your fruit down by a half, so the other half can be your gummies. Once you add in the fruit, add in your gummies as well. You can either leave the Jello to chill in one big bowl, or pour into single serving cups to create personal desserts. Next, chill your swamp Jello. Once solidified, smooth whip cream over the swamp's surface. Once smothered in whip cream, crush graham cracker or colored vanilla wafers and sprinkle on top. Using green and natural colored vanilla wafers makes the top of the Jello look like moss and swamp vegetation. I like to add a few critters on top as well and add some chocolate jimmies to create more swamp mess! Once you've decorated to your hearts desire, grab a spoon and dig in!

4. Grave Yard Cup Cakes

You Need:

Nutter Butters

Cupcake mix of your choice

Chocolate frosting

Grey decorative frosting (optional)

Crushed Oreos

Green sprinkles

Decorative frosting (color of choice for grave stone)

Healthy Options:

Reduced fat frosting

Sugar-free chocolate and cream cookie (they are Oreo look-alikes)

Directions:

These spooky cupcakes are perfect to set an eerie Halloween mood! Fallowing your directions, mix and bake your cupcakes (you can place them in Halloween foils for fun). While your cupcakes are cooking, break Nutter Butters in half. You can cut your Nutter Butters a little slanted if you want your tombstones to look old and crooked (kind of a cool, spooky touch). Cover Nutter Butter halves in grey icing for a more realistic tombstone look, or keep the Nutter Butter plain to give it a cute, funky look. If you decide to ice your Nutter Butter tomb stones, I recommend freezing them (hardening the icing will help you scroll "RIP" on the stones later on). Once cupcakes are cooled, frost the tops with chocolate frosting. Crush or blend your Oreos into a soil-like consistency. Once crushed to your liking, sprinkle on the frosted tops of your cupcakes. You can either completely cover the tops with crushed Oreo for a dark dirt look, or sprinkle a little leaving some chocolate frosting showing for a rocky/gravel look. Next, write "RIP" on your gravestones with your black decorative frosting. Make a slit in your cupcake where you want to place the tombstone. Place your tombstone firmly in the slit. Help keep the stone stable by adding frosting around the base. Finish your grave with a sprinkle of green around and/or on the tombstone. Put these spooky cakes side by side and you've got yourself a delectable graveyard!

Now you have an assortment of cute and spooky treats to share and enjoy with guests, friends, and family. This can be a great time to share with your children and friends, so let loose and create! Not only will you be giving out wonderfully decorated and delicious treats, you'll also be spreading your Halloween spirit! Go forth and satisfy your Halloween sweet tooth!