Halloween usually spells sugar and fat overload. Those mini candy bars? Sure, they’re small, but who eats just one? In keeping with our (and your) commitment to building a stronger, leaner body, we decided it was time to develop some healthy trick-or-treat sweets for Halloween.
These delicious - and even a little creepy - goodies do not require baking and are actually good for you. Perfect for a Halloween party, to hand out to trick or treaters or just to eat yourself.
Celebrate a clean Halloween with these easy-to-make recipes.
Spiced Marzipan Pumpkins
Swap fake orange-colored candy pumpkins for these homemade ones. With the rich fall flavors of maple syrup and spices, these taste 10x better. Just be sure not to eat the clove stem - it’s just there to look good.
Ingredients:
Makes 12 - 15 pumpkins
● 200g (2 cups) almond flour
● 100g (½ cup) pureed pumpkin, unsweetened
● 50 ml (¼ cup) maple syrup
● ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
● ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
● ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
● 12 - 15 whole cloves
Preparation:
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Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly. With hands, knead the mixture for several minutes into a smooth marzipan dough.
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Remove a heaping tablespoon of marzipan and roll with hands into a ball. With a sharp knife, make 6 shallow cuts, top to bottom, on the sides with (as pictured). Smooth the edges into pumpkin-like ridges. Place a clove in the top as the stem. Repeat with the rest of the marzipan dough.
Protein “Eyeballs”
Who doesn’t love gruesome-looking food at Halloween? It’s all part of the tradition, and these “eyeballs” taste way better than the store-bought junk food variations. Tasty enough to serve at a party, but clean enough to eat as a post-workout snack.
Ingredients:
Makes 10 - 12 balls
● 200g (7 oz) pitted dates
● 50g (½ cup) dried, shredded, unsweetened coconut
● 2 large fresh or frozen, defrosted strawberries
● 15g (2 tablespoons) cocoa powder
● 1 tablespoon coconut oil
● 40g (¼ cup) raw sunflower seeds
● 2 tablespoons chia seeds
● handful of white grapes
For the chocolate
● 3 tablespoons coconut oil
● 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
● 1 teaspoon agave syrup or honey
● pinch salt
Preparation:
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Soak dates in boiling water for 10 minutes. Drain and transfer dates to a food processor. Spread coconut onto a large plate. Mash strawberries with a fork into a pulp.
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To make the chocolate, melt coconut oil in pan, then add other ingredients and mix over low heat until combined and the consistency is that of a melted chocolate bar. Place to the side.
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Add cocoa powder, coconut oil, sunflower seeds and chia seeds to the dates in the food processor and process for about 1 - 2 minutes, stopping in between a couple of times to scrape the contents from the sides.
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Remove a tablespoon of date mixture and roll with water-moistened hands into a ball. Roll the ball in coconut to cover completely and transfer to a clean plate. Repeat until all balls are finished.
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With your thumb, make a small indentation in the top of each ball, and fill with a small dollop of strawberry puree. Place a grape piece on top (as pictured). Dip a toothpick in chocolate and add a drop in the middle of the grape to form the pupil of the eye. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.
Banana Ghosts
With just 5 ingredients, these are probably the easiest Halloween treats you could make. And the healthiest, too. No sugar added - just the combined awesomeness of bananas and chocolate. Make these shortly before serving so the fruit does not go brown.
Ingredients:
Makes 10
● 10 large, firm bananas (not too ripe)
For the chocolate
● 4 tablespoons coconut oil
● 4 tablespoons cocoa powder
● 2 teaspoon agave syrup or honey
● Pinch salt
Preparation:
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Cut off a 8-cm (3-inch) piece from the top and bottom of each banana. Set the middle part aside to eat later.
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To make the chocolate, melt coconut oil in pan, then add other ingredients and mix over low heat until combined and the consistency is that of a melted chocolate bar. Place to the side to allow to cool and thicken.
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Dip the end of a teaspoon into the chocolate and draw eyes and large oval mouth on each banana (as shown). Lay them down on a plate and refrigerate briefly until chocolate hardens.
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Serve them cut-side down on a plate.
