Nutritious Halloween Recipes

Written by Ashley Fitzgerald | Reviewed by Emily Fultz, RD, LDN

I can’t believe we’re already nearing the end of October! The year always seems to go by so fast! While October brings beautiful Fall weather and the leaves change color to wonderful reds, oranges, and yellows, October also brings candy….lots of candy. Halloween is a fun holiday, for kids and adults, but go into any store and you’ll see several displays of candy and Halloween treats.

With these candies and treats being everywhere it is easy to overindulge as you grab a treat here and there. But consuming too much refined sugar can increase your chances for a variety of health diseases, including obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer (1). But don’t fret! It is okay to enjoy a treat occasionally, but it is important to be mindful and make sure you are also balancing out your diet with healthy, wholesome meals. 

Another option for when you are looking for a sweet fix is to choose healthier options than some of the refined sugar treats. You can consume dark chocolate with at least 70% cacao. Dark chocolate contains antibiotics and is rich in minerals like zinc, iron, and magnesium (2). You could also try snack bars like Lara bars, Kind bars, RX bars, or EPIC bars. These are a great option as they will keep you full longer with their more satiating ingredients. Fruit is also a great easy and healthy snack. Apples and clementines are great fruits to buy right now!

Here are 3 other healthier recipes for when you have time to bake some Halloween inspired treats.

1. Pumpkin Spice Apple Smoothie

Recipe makes 1 large smoothie or 2 small smoothies.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup milk
• 1 small honeycrisp apple
• ½ frozen banana (can also use a fresh banana but add ice to make your smoothie cold)
• ¼ cup pumpkin 
• 1 tablespoon cashew butter (or any nut butter will work)
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• Optional: 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder (great for a post-workout smoothie!)

Directions: Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until well combined.

2. Healthy apple muffins

Recipe makes 12 muffins.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups oats, blended into flour
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 ripe banana, mashed
• ½ cup applesauce
• ⅓ cup maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups diced apple (about 1 large apple) Reserve ¼ cup for topping

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together oat flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, mix together mashed banana, applesauce, maple syrup, melted coconut oil, and vanilla extract.
4. Fold in the diced apple, making sure to reserve ¼ cup of diced apples.
5. Use a silicone muffin pan or spray a non-stick 12-cup regular muffin pan with cooking spray. Spoon batter into the muffin cups so they are ¾ full.
6. Bake for 22-26 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
7. Allow muffins to cool in the pan for about 15 minutes before removing and placing on a rack to cool completely.
8. Store muffins in an air-tight container in the fridge.

3. Healthy soft-baked pumpkin chocolate chip cookies

Recipe makes 12-15 cookies, depending on size.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups instant oats (can also used rolled oats and blend for a few seconds in a blender until some oat pieces are broken down)
• 1 cup pumpkin, canned
• ¼ cup syrup
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F.
2. In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients until well combined.
3. Form batter into cookies and place on a greased or silicone cookie sheet.
4. Bake for 15-20 minutes.
5. Store cookies in an air-tight container in the fridge.

Let me know if you try out any of these healthier, tasty Halloween treats! 

References:

1. Kubala J. 11 Reasons Why Too Much Sugar Is Bad For You. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/too-much-sugar#section11. Published June 3, 2018. Accessed October 14, 2019.

2. Eske J. What are the health benefits of dark chocolate? Medical News Today. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/324747.php. Reviewed March 19, 2019. Accessed October 14, 2019.