Easy Halloween Sweets and Snacks

Pretzel rods cloaked in sweet costumes make an irresistible holiday treat. Start with the ingredients below, then let your imagination fly.

Candy coating Look for colored candy disks at crafts stores. They come in a variety of colors and melt for dipping and decorating. Our critters use white, green, orange and black. Apply eyes and mouths with a small brush or toothpick. Dip twice for a contrasting face and body (see Dracula), or drizzle stripes (see Mummy). Make sure the candy sets between colors; chilling speeds the process.

Sprinkles For a fuss-free treat, roll a dipped rod in seasonal sprinkles or decorating sugar. Nonpareils and sprinkles also make good eyes and noses.

Gumdrops Mold a dark gumdrop into a pointed witch’s hat.

Fruit leather Snip colorful fruit leather into strips of hair (see Witch) or accessories (see Dracula’s bow tie).