Bats are such crunchy and crispy little critters to sink your teeth into, and these recipes are just bloody bursting with flavors that might make your guests go batty for Halloween…
Chocolate Bat Cookies
Bat Cupcakes
Chocolate Bat Cookie Pops
Bat Wings with Drip Sauce
Spiderweb Dip with Bat Tortilla Chips
Holiday Glogg Punch
* 12 oz. SKYY vodka
* 1 bottle (750 ml) dry red wine
* 1.5 tbsp. mulling spices
* 1 tsp. fresh orange zest
* 2 tbsp. sugar
* 2 tbsp. blanched almonds
* 4 tbsp. raisins
Wrap mulling spices in cheesecloth. In a large saucepan, combine wine, SKYY vodka, cheesecloth with mulling spices, orange zest, and sugar. Allow to very lightly simmer over medium heat for at least 30 minutes, but do not boil. Discard the mulling spices. Drop a few raisins and almonds at the bottom of each mug and then top with hot liquid.
Mocha Eggnog Cocktail
* 2 oz Kahlua
* 1 oz vodka
* eggnog
Pour measured Kahlua and vodka over ice in a glass. Fill the remainder of your glass with eggnog and stir. For a festive and tasty garnish, sprinkle a little nutmeg on top.
Hard Rocker Cider
* 1 cup tequila (We used Cabo Wabo Reposado Tequila)
* 4 cups apple cider
* 1 cup cranberry juice cocktail
* ¼ cup Triple Sec
* 1 teaspoon nutmeg
* cinnamon sticks
In medium pot, heat and stir cider, cranberry juice cocktail, and nutmeg on low for two hours (you can also use a crockpot). Do not boil. When ready to serve, turn on high for 10 minutes and stir in tequila and liqueur. Garnish with a cinnamon stick.
Celebrate Halloween by serving your guests a ghoulish brew that’s concocted in a cauldron and overflowing with mist. Offer a spooky Halloween punch recipe to save time from having to mix and pass around the individual cocktails all night long.
The following recipes listed are alcoholic Halloween punch creations. If you are looking for something for the kiddies or non-drinkers in the family, you can try a few of my favorite Simple Holiday Party Punch Recipes.
Wicked Witch Apple Punch
* 1 750 ml bottle Skyy Infusions Passion Fruit
* 1 750 ml bottle sparkling apple cider
* 1 64 oz. bottle cranberry juice cocktail
* 1 Liter ginger ale
* 2 cups pineapple juice
* Red apple slices
Combine all of the ingredients in a large black witch’s cauldron with ice and stir thoroughly. Garnish with large slices of red apple, and float on top. If desired, add dry ice. Serves 12-14. Recipe and image from Skyy Vodka.
Halloween Harvest Punch
* 1 part Midori Melon Liqueur
* 1 part Dark Rum
* 1 part Light Rum
* 2 part White Cranberry Juice
* 1 part Unfiltered Apple Juice
* 1 part Simple Syrup
* Juice of one lemon
* Apple slices, blueberries and melon balls for garnish
For a punch bowl (32 ounces), use this recipe 8 X’s. Add the liquid ingredients and mix well. Top with apple slices, blueberries, and melon balls. For an individual cocktail: shake and strain into an old-fashioned glass. From Midori Melon Liqueur.
Dragon’s Blood Sangria
* 1 bottle red wine
* 12 oz. of club soda
* 2 oz. of cognac
* 3 tbs. warmed honey
* 4 sliced figs
* 1/2 cup red or black grapes, halved
* 1/2 cup pitted cherries (fresh, canned, or frozen)
Combine all of the fruit and full bottle of wine in your punch bowl or pitcher, adding the cognac and honey until the honey has completely dissolved. Refrigerate for at least two hours. When you are ready to serve, add the club soda and stir gently.
These dark chocolate treat finds are the most visually-appealing displays of dark and romantic treats to make your sweetheart this Valentine’s Day. Hopefully they include a great recipe to accompany the pictures to make, as I didn’t get much farther than wiping the drool off the keyboard in time to read through ingredient lists…
Truffle Tarts with Raspberries
Black Chocolate Bites
Red Velvet Sandwich Cookies
If you are are melting chocolate and dipping into it yourself this year, instead of just strawberries you can include random surprises such as banana slices, cherries, nuts, and even gummy bears.
While the chocolate is still dripping down the sides, you can also roll the fruit in chopped nuts or fine chocolate slivers to appear somewhat gourmet.
If you’d need a few last-minute gift ideas for Valentine’s Day (or any day that you’d like to show your love for someone special), visit my romantic gifts ideas here: Romantic Gifts and Ideas
Pumpkin season is not quite over yet – a Halloween full of ripping open thick orange pumpkin rinds and stringing out the guts contributes to a nicer version of pumpkin destruction called the oven!
This beautiful and delicious stuffed pumpkin recipe inspired me to search for the greatest cranberry and pumpkin fusions available as food for the soul and creative displays for the eye…
This hanging chandelier from Martha is one of the most elegant pumpkin and cranberry displays that I have found and would be a very suitable decoration for the largest dinner event of the year.
An upside-down cranberry pumpkin cake would complete the look as the perfect finishing centerpiece and a grand finale of your Thanksgiving meal.
Glass jars never fail, nor do tall pillars full of cranberries, according to BHG’s cranberry holiday displays.
Just add a few mini pumpkins in between…and a loaf of warm, freshly baked cranberry pumpkin bread set in a basket.
“Eye” spy something that is round…and maybe a little bit squishy when stabbed with a fork. It’s always the eye kills that make me turn my head in a horror movie. I don’t mind watching the rest of the body hacks and slashes – eyeballs are just so vulnerable.
So if you like having your food look back at you, these Halloween creepy treats are worth a peek. Simply quite eye-catching, if you ask me. Feast your eyes on these eye treats (or is it treat yourself to these eye feasts)??? All in favor…say “eye”!
Eyeballs on a Stick
Eyeball Soup with Bugs
Eyeball Caprese
This hauntingly delicious candied apple recipe deserves its own post. I won’t even dare to mix and match these with traditional candied apples because there has never been a more dark & elegant Halloween treat dropped out of the orchard before…in Snow White fashion – these apples are simply to die for.
These candied apples are dripping with blood red and black glass-like candy with natural twig branches that serve as the sticks. They are perfect for Gothic and Vampire themed Halloween parties. Kudos to the talented apple dipper and the stunning visuals from the photographer. I can foresee these forever charming my macabre dinner parties for many years…
Not for the faint of heart, these recipes might have you seeing red if you dare to slaughter an attempt at recreating these creepy treats. Looks like a ton of bloody dripping fun to me…
Surprise your guests with a few gross Halloween treats this year, such as Blood and Guts Potatoes and Blood Drip Martinis.
Cut out and then…um…cut up a few batches of Zombie Cookies. They are just dying to lie in a pool of red icing, and may sever an extra limb or two along the way.
Most importantly, you cannot skip over the cupcakes recipes that I have featured above in the photo! Blood Clot and Brain Cupcakes are definitely winners in the grossness and gore category. Almost enough to freak your guests out enough to lose their appetites. At least they’ll be plenty of ahem…leftovers?
Quick Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes:
(Makes 12 cupcakes)
1 box spice cake mix
1 egg
2 Tbsp flour
2 cups pure pumpkin puree
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup oats
Stir together spice cake mix, egg, and pumpkin. You can add nuts, dried fruit, or any other additions to the batter. Pour the batter evenly into cupcake pan. In a separate bowl, combine butter, brown sugar, oats, and flour. Spoon your brown sugar mix over the top of each muffin. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.
Need a few more festive cupcake ideas?
Try these Creepy Crawly Cupcakes for Halloween!
Spiders to Kill For…
An elegant Halloween treat, and who wouldn’t want to rip into these 8-legged Raspberry and whipped cream filled chocolate spider cakes?
Tutorial: Spider Cakes
Forget the deviled eggs this Halloween, these spider web eggs are much more creepy and fully cracked up to be all they can be…a little bit of food dye goes a long way!
Tutorial: Spider Eggs
Classy, intricately designed little spider web cookies. Brush up on your icing skills, and get ready to decorate…it’s ok, don’t forget you get to eat all the rejects to hide the evidence. lol
Tutorial: Spider Web Cookies
Bento boxes are a perfect Halloween lunch for the kids, but would also be a unique addition as Halloween party food. You can combine your favorite sushi and vegetable arrangements on large platters in between the olive and egg eyeballs for an elegant touch.
A cat chicken sandwich with skull and crossbones hard-boiled egg combo. Source
Halloween Hello Kitty – steamed carrots and sweet potatoes used to create the pumpkins. Source
Nightmare before Christmas – a very cheesy Jack Skellington with macaroni au gratin and ham & cucumber rolls. Source
Spooky rice ghosts and carrot pumpkins. A simple and boo-tiful Bento. Source
I created these free printable Halloween jar labels for your creepy party food finds and witches kitchen potion bottles. Definitely a necessity for every macabre night full of gross treats and edible appendages…
Spider Legs – black licorice
Creepy Crawlers – gummy worms and bugs
Drops of Blood – red jelly beans
Dragon Scales – candied pumpkin seeds
Bat Droppings – black M&Ms, jelly beans, gumdrops
Toasted Pumpkin Seeds
Wash and drain your seeds and spread them on a nonstick or greased baking sheet. Coat seeds with oil. Bake for about 30-45 minutes at 300 degrees until light brown. Remove and season with salt.
Sweet or Spicy Pumpkin Seeds
Use Worcestershire sauce and butter, salt, or oil before roasting/toasting. For spicy pumpkin seeds, try cayenne, paprika, chili powder, Hickory BBQ powder, or Cajun seasoning. For sweet seeds, use brown sugar, cinnamon, and/or nutmeg before cooking. For candied seeds, stir cooked seeds in melted caramel and sugar then let cool, separated on a baking sheet.
Pumpkin Seed Brittle
Cook 2 cups of granulated sugar and 1 cup water in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil and stir until sugar is dissolved and golden. Keep cooking until golden brown. Stir in 2 cups of toasted seeds and pour your mixture onto a large nonstick or greased baking pan, spreading it into a thin layer. Cool it completely, then break into pieces. Keep in an airtight container.
Other Uses
Add toasted pumpkin seeds to a party mix with crackers, chips, and other nuts. Add them to a soup or salad. Use to garnish your favorite main dishes.
