Halloween Candy

 Witches, ghosts, jack-o-lanterns, spiders, and other spooky critters may be entertaining Halloween figures, but when children think of Halloween, they always think of candy first. Whether it is free trick-or-treat gifts or homemade party candy, sweet treats are central to Halloween fun. Providing appropriate Halloween candy for kids does not have to be time consuming or difficult. A little creativity and imagination can go a long way even if bulk bought prepackaged candy is used.

The following types of candy may be transformed into novelty Halloween creatures of all kinds using Halloween molds or cookie cutters:

• Rice Krispy Treats

• Chocolate

• Fudge

• Fondant

Once these treats have been molded or shaped into pumpkins, eyeballs, witch hats, spiders, bats, and other traditional symbols of Halloween, they can be decorated using candy corn, licorice, red hots, or chocolate chips. Plenty of red frosting is also a great idea and will provide that gory touch so popular at Halloween.

No matter what kind of strange candy concoctions a hostess creates for a Halloween party, they will always be more highly prized if accompanied by a great Halloween name. Each dish or bowl of candy should have its own colorful place card denoting its Halloween moniker. Some of the following may be helpful ideas to jumpstart family creativity:

• Ghost Tracks

• Spider Eggs

• Magical Monster Brains

• Bloody Eyeballs

• Haunted Cobwebs

If homemade Halloween candy takes too much time, candy can be purchased which will make mouths water and eyes sparkle just as much. It is important, however, to make sure that any candy that is included in goody bags or given during trick-or-treating should be in sealed wrappers and safe for all ages.

Individually wrapped Halloween candy is also excellent to use for the games during a Halloween party. For example, each child might be given a container or jar holding five pieces of candy. A plastic pumpkin might be set up for the children to take turns attempting to hit the opening with their five pieces of candy. After all of it has been thrown, the child who has gotten the most candy into the pumpkin gets any of the other candy that has landed in the pumpkin as well, as the prize. If there is a tie, the winning children get to split the pumpkin’s contents.

Another great game for using cheap or leftover Halloween candy is to make a great spider’s web, winding yarn all over the room, around chair legs, and over, under and around obstacles. A piece of candy should be tied to the end of each piece of yarn. Children will be given the other end and asked to untangle their piece. Because it is difficult to distinguish which piece belongs to the end of a string, children will spend several minutes having a giggling good time before being rewarded with a treat.

Take the time to make some special Halloween memories this year by carefully choosing the most appropriate and interesting Halloween candy. Calories can be forgotten on this one special day of the year!