6 Halloween treats your kids can help make

Kids love being in charge of treat decorating. Give them a chance and see their creativity come alive.

Here are some ideas for Halloween treats you can put together with snacks in your pantry or by using a few goodies you can pick up while shopping. These don’t cost much and will be fun projects to do with your kids.

My children are not fans of scary Halloween characters, so we make cute little treats together with all their favorite snacks: fruit gum drops, pretzels, Oreos, cupcakes, strawberries and marshmallows.

They are not perfect, but they are dear to our heart.

Chocolate cupcakes with kid toppings

1½ cups all-purpose flour
2 eggs
½ cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
½ teaspoon instant coffee powder
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup warm water

Frosting

¼ cup butter, softened
¼ cup cream cheese
3 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/8 cup orange juice
Few drops of orange color

Whisk the butter and sugar until creamy. Add in the eggs one at a time and beat until light and fluffy. Combine baking powder, salt, cocoa powder and flour in a bowl, and whisk or sift them all together. Combine coffee powder and warm water together.

Add the flour mixture in little batches, alternating with the coffee and beating until just combined.

Finally add in the vanilla. Pour into paper cups about ¾ full. Bake at 350 degrees for 17 to 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Remove and let cool completely.

For frosting, use an electric mixer on low speed, whip the butter and cream cheese quickly until combined.

Add in the sugar gradually on low speed. Once it’s all in, cream on high for a minute. Add orange juice and orange color, beating on low.

Spread it on the cupcakes. Your kids will love being in charge of decorating as much as they love licking frosting off of their hands while at the job.

For the decorating, grab all the colorful fall candy and sprinkles you can find.

Makes 12 cupcakes.

Ghost face strawberries

1 cup white chocolate chips
Black icing gel, for the eyes
20 strawberries with stems

Wash, drain and dry the strawberries just before dipping. Set aside.

Add the chocolate chips in a glass bowl. Place it in the microwave and cook for 60 to 90 seconds, opening the door every 20 seconds and stirring well so the heat is distributed evenly.

You may also use a double boiler. Place a bowl of chocolate chips dipping a few inches over a low simmering water bath. Stir constantly and gently, until melted.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Hold each strawberry by the stem and dip it into the melted chocolate swirling it around and lifting it, allowing excess to drop off. Place it on the parchment sheet.

Repeat for the rest of the strawberries.

Set the strawberries aside until the chocolate sets, about 30 minutes. Add two spooky little eyes with black icing gel. You may also to choose to prop them on lollipop sticks like little ghost pops.

Makes 20 little faces.

Oreo pretzel spiders

6 Oreo cookies
12 fruit gummies
Pretzel sticks or string licorice
Spoonful of white chocolate frosting

Insert the pretzel sticks into the filling of Oreo cookies. Add a spoon of frosting on the top of the cookies and smooth it down. Place the fruit gummies as eyes. Your spiders are ready.

Makes 6 spider cookies.

Marshmallow Frankensteins

12 large marshmallows
12 mini-skewers or lollipop sticks
½ cup chocolate jimmies
edible, black writing gel
8 ounces or 1 cup green candy melts
1 teaspoon shortening

Melt green candy melts in the microwave for 60 to 90 seconds, stirring every 20 seconds to distribute the heat evenly. Add a spoon of shortening and stir to thin the consistency. Skewer marshmallows with the lollipop sticks; set aside. Pour the chocolate jimmies in a bowl and set aside. Dip each marshmallow and swirl it around gently. Tap off any excess dipping. Dunk its head into the jimmies. Prop them on styrofoam or little buckets. Once the marshmallows are cool, draw out the face details.

Makes 12 marshmallow pops.

Spider cupcakes

1½ cups all-purpose flour
2 eggs
½ cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
½ teaspoon instant coffee powder
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup warm water

Frosting

¼ cup butter, softened
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/8 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Decorations

Mini pretzel sticks for spider legs
1 cup chocolate jimmies
Gummies or candies for the eyes

Add the flour mixture in little batches, alternating with the coffee and beating until just combined.

Finally add in the vanilla. Pour into paper cups about 3/4 full.

Bake at 350 degrees for 17 to 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Remove and let cool completely.

For the frosting, use an electric mixer on low speed, whip the butter, milk and vanilla quickly until it is combined.

Add in the sugar gradually on low speed. Once it’s all in there, cream on high for a minute. Using a spatula, give it one or two quick stirs. That’s it. You overdo it, and your cream will fall apart, curdling the milk. Spread it on the cupcakes. Dunk them face down into a bowl of jimmies. Add the eyes and pretzel spider legs.

Makes 12 cupcakes.

Fall crispy treats

½ cup chocolate chips melted with ½ teaspoon butter
1 stick butter
1 16-ounce bag of marshmallows
1 14-ounce box rice crispy cereal

Melt butter and marshmallows in a large saucepan over low to medium heat. Stir until the marshmallows melt. Turn off the heat.

Add cereal and stir to combine. Spray a sheet pan lightly with non stick spray. Pour the mixture and pat down evenly and gently. Sprinkle candy and press down gently. Melt the chocolate mixture and drizzle it on the bars. Put in the fridge for about 15 minutes. Bring it out and let it get to normal temperature. Cut into bars.

Makes 26 to 30 bars.

Find more treats at www.reshmaseetharam.com.

Reshma Seetharam blogs about all things food at reshmaseetharam.com.