Macaroni and Peas

Duncan at Halloween 2007

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Halloween is by far my favorite holiday. Yeah, I dress up to take my son trick or treating. And yeah, we do a gazillion Halloween related activities. And of course, Halloween is full of tons of treats in our house.

Halloween has offered up one of my biggest challenges. I’m all about healthy food that kids still love to eat and Halloween is all about candy and other sweet treats. It’s not easy to transform candy corn into a healthy food without losing all of the kid appeal.

Here’s my theory on Halloween (and most other major holidays): It’s special, right? It only comes once a year. So a complete and total ban of treats is akin to cruel and unusual punishment.

Like everything else in life, it’s all about balance.

That being said, parts of the treat I’m about to suggest are healthy and others are decidedly not. It is intended to be prepared with the help of your kid(s).

Pumpkin Cupcakes

These are painfully easy to make and they’re always a hit.

Mix a can of plain, pureed pumpkin (not the pumpkin pie stuff) with a box of spice cake. The mixture will be super thick and gooey…that’s normal, don’t add any liquid. Scoop the mixture into a muffin tin lined with festive Halloween themed papers. The cups should be about ¾ full. If you’re not going to use papers, spray the muffin tin very, very well with cooking spray. These cupcakes are very sticky.

Depending on the age of your kids, they can help stir the mix and scoop it into the pan.

Bake your masterpieces at 350 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes. Since these cupcakes don’t really turn brown as they cook, check one of the center ones with a toothpick to see if it’s done. It should come out with crumbs or nothing at all.

Let the cupcakes cool for about 10 minutes. Remove them from the pan and let them cool completely on a cookie rack. While they’re cooling, you can mix up the frosting and get out your decorations.

You’ll need two tubs of white frosting, funky food coloring (purple, black, orange, and lime green are great), and other goodies like sprinkles and candies. Mix up a small batch of each color of frosting. Once the cupcakes are cool, get a base coat of frosting on them. Mix it up, you’ll want a few in each color.

Put each type of decoration in a small bowl or cup. I love using colored sugars, sprinkles, mini m&ms, and chocolate chips. Don’t be afraid to add bigger things like marshmallows, chocolate kisses, peanut butter cups, or licorice.

Now, step back and let the kids go to town. Oh sure, you can find all sorts of recipes for perfectly cute Halloween cupcakes, but most of them require you to follow directions and stuff. That’s not nearly as fun as going crazy with the toppings.

I’d love to see pictures of these creations (and any other Halloween treats you and your kids make).

I’ll post a new treat every few days between now and Halloween, so check back often. Better yet, you can subscribe via RSS or email to get updates automatically.