SWEET & SPOOKY HALLOWEEN TREATS

Halloween is hands-down one of the sweetest holidays of the year and truly one of the best times to bring out your creative side. Sweet treats, healthy snacks, fizzy drinks and the cutest packaging around top off any Halloween party. Here are my top eight ideas to get you started.

1. WITCHES’ STEW

There is nothing fancy about this recipe. Actually, there is no recipe. Just mix together whatever snacks you have in the pantry — such as pretzels, goldfish, candy corn, marshmallows and chocolate chips to satisfy the hungry witches in your family.

2. COOKIE CRITTER POPS

These chocolate-dipped Oreos on a stick will surely spook your guests. Decorate them with black licorice to create spider legs, or add a candy eyeball to make a cute one-eyed monster.

3. CANDY CORN PRETZEL STICKS

Old-fashioned candy corn is a childhood favorite, but with a month full of sugar, you might want to throw something salty into the mix. Candy corn pretzel sticks are dipped in white chocolate with yellow and orange food coloring.

4. TANGERINE PUMPKINS AND BANANA GHOSTS

Halloween gives everyone an excuse to eat endless amounts of candy. Throw in a healthy twist with tangerines and bananas decorated to look like pumpkins and ghosts, a recipe courtesy of weelicious. com. The kids will never miss the sugar.

5. MARSHMALLOW APPLE CHOMPERS

This recipe, from Lindsay Weiss’ BabyCenter blog, is the perfect DIY craft with simple ingredients: apples cut to create a mouth, marshmallows arranged as the teeth and peanut butter sticking it all together.

6. HALLOWEEN WATERMELON PUNCH

This Frankenstein-green watermelon punch, from the food blog Design Eat Repeat, will satisfy the thirsty monsters roaming around your house on Halloween.

7. FIZZY PUMPKIN PUNCH

This recipe from House of Smiths mixes orange juice, lemon-lime soda, pineapple juice and orange sorbet. You might skip the candy and just sip on this sweet drink.

8. DIY BROOM BAGS

So many wonderful treats need the perfect packaging. Martha Stewart does it with “witch’s broom” party favor bags made with paper lunch bags, sticks and a ribbon of your choice. Simple and sweet.

Kristen Massad writes a monthly column about sweets and baked goods. The professional pastry chef graduated from the French Culinary Institute in New York City and owned Tart Bakery on Lovers Lane for eight years. She blogs about food and lifestyles at inkfoods.com.