Easy Halloween Party Snacks Recipe

These Halloween party snacks are three no-bake ideas that share one tray: banana ghosts with chocolate chip eyes, green apple monsters with marshmallow teeth, and pretzel rods dipped in purple candy melts. One batch takes about 30 minutes and gives you 6 ghosts, 8 monsters and 12 wands, roughly 20 servings.

Nothing goes in the oven, kids can do most of the pressing and dipping, and the fruit makes a nice break from a table full of candy. The one thing to plan is timing, because the pretzels keep for days and the bananas only for a couple of hours.

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Three No-Bake Snacks on One Tray

• Banana ghosts: 3 bananas, halved, with 12 chocolate chips for eyes. Makes 6.
• Apple monsters: 2 green apples cut into quarters, ¼ cup creamy peanut butter or chocolate spread, ½ cup mini marshmallows. Makes 8.
• Pretzel wands: 12 pretzel rods, ½ cup purple candy melts, 2 tablespoons Halloween sprinkles. Makes 12.
• Time: 20 minutes of assembly and 10 minutes for the coating to set.
• Nut-free: use sunflower seed butter or a nut-free chocolate spread for the monsters.

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Banana Ghosts in Five Minutes

Peel the bananas and cut each one in half crosswise. Stand every half on its flat cut end, then press two chocolate chips into the rounded top for eyes, point side in so the flat backs face out. That is the whole snack.

Pick bananas that are fully yellow with no brown spots. Very ripe ones are soft at the base and lean over on the tray. Kids usually like milk chocolate chips, and semi-sweet show up a little darker against the fruit. Chill the ghosts on a tray right after you make them; cold bananas stand firmer and taste better.

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Apple Monsters With Marshmallow Teeth

Quarter the apples and cut out the cores. With a small paring knife, cut a wide, shallow wedge from the skin side of each quarter so a strip of green skin frames the top and bottom like lips. Granny Smith apples are crisp enough to carve neatly and brown more slowly than softer red apples. A quick brush of lemon juice on the cut faces keeps them pale for longer.

Pat the carved mouth dry with a paper towel, then spoon in the spread. Room temperature peanut butter grips the marshmallows; peanut butter straight from the fridge is too stiff and the teeth pop out. Press the mini marshmallows in at a slight angle, top row and bottom row, and leave uneven gaps so the grin looks goofy. For eyes, set two mini marshmallows on top of the apple and press a chocolate chip or a candy eye into each. A trick from one of my nieces: chocolate chips on marshmallows look just as good as candy eyes and cost less.

Peanut Butter or Chocolate Spread for the Monsters?

Peanut butter is firmer, so it holds the teeth longer and makes the monsters taste more like a snack than a dessert. Chocolate spread is softer and shinier and wins with younger kids, but the marshmallows start to slide after an hour or so. If the tray is going out early, use peanut butter. If you want both, fill the chocolate ones last. They also sit well next to a Halloween fruit platter.

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Purple Pretzel Wands for a Big Group

Put the candy melts in a microwave-safe bowl and heat in 15 second bursts, stirring after each, until smooth. They burn fast, and one overheated batch turns thick and grainy. Keep water away from the bowl too, since even a few drops make the coating seize.

Half a cup of melts is a small amount, so pour it into a tall, narrow mug or glass once it is smooth. Now the coating is deep enough to reach halfway up each rod. Dip, let the extra drip off, lay the rod on parchment paper and add the sprinkles straight away, before the coating sets. Leave them 10 minutes at room temperature, or chill briefly, until firm. If the melts thicken halfway through, give them another 10 to 15 seconds and stir.

This is the snack to scale up for a classroom. For a chocolate version, the chocolate covered pretzels are the next step up.

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What to Make First on Party Day

• Pretzel wands first. Once set, they keep in an airtight container at room temperature for several days, so they can be made the day before.
• Apple monsters next, no more than about 2 hours before serving. Cover the tray loosely and keep it in the fridge.
• Banana ghosts last, within an hour or two of serving, then straight into the fridge until the tray goes out.

Set all three on one large board and divide the sections with paper cupcake liners or little flags. The tray travels well to school parties and potlucks as long as it stays cool. If you need a make-ahead fruit snack that lasts longer than bananas, Halloween strawberries are a good partner.

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Snacks for an Adult Halloween Party

These are friendly enough for grown-ups with a few small changes. Use peanut butter in the monsters and semi-sweet chips for the eyes, and set the tray next to a Halloween charcuterie board and a bowl of Halloween dip with a chocolate spiderweb. The salty pretzel wands go well with Halloween cocktails.

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More Halloween Snack Ideas to Fill the Table

If you want a bigger spread without baking much, these pair well with the tray:

• Halloween dirt cups, served in single cups so nobody needs a plate
• Frankenstein Rice Krispie treats for something green and chewy
• Halloween sugar cookies if you do want one baked thing on the table
• Halloween cupcake decorating ideas for a dessert that doubles as decoration

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Halloween Snack Tray Questions

How far ahead can I make these Halloween snacks?

The pretzel wands can be made a day or more ahead. The apple monsters and banana ghosts are best made no more than about 2 hours before serving and kept in the fridge.

How do I stop the apples and bananas from browning?

Brush the cut apple faces with a little lemon juice and keep everything chilled until serving. Bananas brown no matter what, so make them last.

Can I make the tray nut-free?

Yes. Use sunflower seed butter or a nut-free chocolate spread in the apple monsters, and check the labels on the chocolate chips and sprinkles.