As with any holiday or celebration, it’s important to have enough food for everyone. When it comes to a Halloween feast, you could give your dishes a rather terrifying twist. Besides, this is perhaps the only time in the year when you can enjoy munching on fingers, eating worms, and drinking blood. Check out some interesting Halloween recipes that could give Hannibal Lecter a run for his money.
Dirt Brownies
Do you know you can eat earthworms? They’re considered superfoods since they’re rich in proteins, iron, amino acids, manganese, copper, and zinc. Earthworms are also great survival food since you can practically find them anywhere. Of course, you have to clean and cook them well since you don’t know where they’ve been wriggling all this time.
Still can’t stomach them? You don’t have to serve real earthworms for your Halloween feast, though. How about baking a pan of dirt brownies?
This one is pretty simple and would make a great spooky appetizer. First, you need to bake some brownies. If you want things fast and simple, just get a box of brownie mix. There are different kinds so choose the one you know that the family prefers.
It’s called dirt brownies because they should look like soil. To do that, you’ll need brown frosting and chocolate cookie crumbs. Make the frosting and crumbs look like dirt and for the final touch, place some gummy worms on top of your brownies. You can even stick some in the brownies to make them seem like they’re coming out of the ground.
Witch Finger Cookies
Gorgeous celebrity chef Giada de Laurentis has a lot of amazing Halloween recipes you can recreate in your kitchen. Her Witch Finger Cookies is one dish you should definitely try this year if you want to creep out your kids.
To make this recipe, whisk 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, and 1/4 teaspoon fine salt together in a bowl. Next, combine 1/2 cup unsalted butter, and 1 cup sugar using a stand mixer. You want your mixture to be light and fluffy.
Beat 1 large egg and 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract together until smooth. Then beat in the flour mixture a little at a time until you form the dough.
Scoop and roll about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough into a 5-inch long and 1/2-inch thick finger. Roll as many witch fingers as your dough can make. Then stick a slice of almond on the tip. This will be the fingernail.
Your fingers should have knuckles to make them more realistic. Make 1/4 inch deep and 1/2 inch long horizontal slices where the knuckles should be. Squeeze the sides of the dough to give your knuckles some shape.
Place your faux fingers on a baking sheet that’s been sprayed with vegetable oil cooking spray. If you don’t have one, simply line the baking sheet with a silicone baking mat. Bake in an oven preheated to 325 degrees F. This should only take 16 to 18 minutes. Once the fingers are golden brown, take them out and let them cool.
Heat 1/2 cup raspberry jam in a small saucepan for 2 minutes. Dip the fingers’ blunt ends in the warm jam. This will give your witch fingers a bloody mess. Arrange on a platter and serve.
Here’s Looking at Boo Treats
As we mentioned, Giada has plenty of Halloween recipes up her sleeves. Her Here’s Looking at Boo Treats looks like something Humprey Bogart would leave his grave for.
To make this special Halloween treat, you need to cut 24 mini marshmallows in half through the equator then stuff a tiny piece of chocolate chip in the cut with the tip-side down. Next, put 2 round chocolate caramel candies, side-by-side, on a piece of wheat cracker or pretzel chip.
Bake the crackers with caramel candies in the oven that’s preheated to 300 degrees F. This should take only 2 minutes or until the candies get slightly soft. Take them out then press 1 marshmallow half with the chocolate chip right side up onto each caramel candy. Finally, refrigerate them for about 10 minutes.
Before serving, arrange them nicely on your plate or cupcake stand. As you can imagine, each piece should have a couple of spooky eyes staring right back at you.
Steak Bites with Bloody Mary Dipping Sauce
Any Halloween recipe with the word “steak” in its name deserves a spot on your dining table. The Steak Bites with Bloody Mary Dipping Sauce is sure to thrill everyone gathered for your Halloween feast. This particular recipe is courtesy of another stunning celebrity cook by the name of Rachael Ray.
First, make your bloody mary dipping sauce. Saute 1 small finely chopped onion in 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil for 5 minutes. Add 1/2 cup vodka and reduce it by half. Add 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce, 2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce, 1 cup tomato sauce, and 1 rounded tablespoon of prepared horseradish. Stir everything together and cook further until the sauce bubbles. Finally, season with salt and pepper.
For the steak bites, lightly coat 1 1/3 pounds beef sirloin (cut in bite-sized chunks) in olive oil. Add a bit of steak seasoning blend to give it more flavor. You can also use coarse salt and black pepper to season the meat. Next, cook the steak on a non-stick skillet over high heat for two minutes on each side or until the meats are caramelized all over.
Pour the dipping sauce into a small dish then set it in the middle of your serving platter. Place the steak bites around the sauce. Serve with 6 to 8-inch bamboo skewers.
Vampire Steak
Here’s one of the easiest Halloween recipes you can prepare for the family. First, you’ll need to mix together 4 teaspoons of minced garlic, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, 2 teaspoons of Spanish smoked paprika, and 2 teaspoons of chopped fresh tarragon. Grab your trimmed flank steaks (about 1 1/2-pounds) then score a diamond pattern on both of its sides. Rub the lemon juice mixture evenly on both sides of your steak. Cover then refrigerate for an hour.
Once you’re ready to do some cooking, preheat your grill to high heat. Season the steak with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Coat the grill with cooking spray before placing your steak over the heat. Let it grill for 6 minutes on each side. Adjust the grilling time depending on your preference. Once done, take the steak off the grill and let it cool for 5 minutes. Slice across the grain before serving your vampire steak.
Witches Blood Halloween co*cktail
For the adults, a nice glass of their favorite wine or co*cktail would be a great way to loosen up after your Halloween dinner. Of course, you have to serve drinks that look terrifying. It’s Halloween, after all.
The Witches Blood is an easy co*cktail to make. You can even make enough for a huge crowd. Start off by mixing 1/2 cup cherry schnapps, 1/2 cup black vodka (or any kind of vodka), 1 cup whiskey, and 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice in a pitcher. Add a cup of ice and stir well. Gradually pour 4 cups of cherry soda into the pitcher and carefully stir to combine.
Serve your Witches Blood co*cktail in a punch bowl or in sugar-rimmed glasses. Let your imagination go wild and decorate the drinks with whatever spooky thing comes to mind.
You’ll find plenty of Halloween recipes you can try for this year’s celebration. There are lots of Halloween-themed dishes both kids and adults can enjoy so make sure to prepare early. Decide on what to make for your Halloween celebration and get all your ingredients early. Visit Gentleman Pirate Club and discover more amazing recipes you can whip up for any occasion.
