I have a confession to make, and while I know that I may be angering the restless spirits of Halloween and Childish Indulgence, I need to get this out:  I am sick and tired of Halloween candy.  I'm not saying that I don't eat candy, because I do.  In fact, I might be physically incapable of turning away a Snicker's bar or a Reese's cup.  As a case in point, yesterday I happily ate a marshmallow shaped like a brain. That marshmallow gave me a Halloween-worthy scare when I realized that it was filled with a reddish mystery-filling — and I liked it!



I don't mean to vilify to joy of a scary, sugary Halloween. I trick-or-treated enthusiastically for an entire childhood. I had so many chocolate bars that I could identify the age of a Kit-Kat by the amount of chalky residue on it's surface. If a piece of Laffy Taffy was too hard and brittle to be chewed, I knew it would relent after a half hour of sucking. And I've nearly pulled my teeth out more than once trying to release them from the grip of multiple Jolly Ranchers.


I am giving myself a break from Halloween candy, but we still need snacks, so here are few snacking options that still sit comfortably in the Halloween tradition.

1. Mini Pumpkin Pies - Just like an ordinary pumpkin pie, but you cook these in cupcake tins. Small and shareable. Sweet Satan, I love pumpkin pie.


2. Bonfire Toffee - This classic English toffee has become a Halloween favorite. You can even make your own. The real thing is less sweet than most candy so be prepared for a bitter treat.

3. Colcannon - In classic Irish tradition, this dish made of potatoes and kale or cabbage was served with prizes hidden inside. If you are revisiting your Irish heritage, or you are trying to figure out why everyone loves Boondock Saints so much, cook this simple dish for your friends.

4. Soul cakes - Small cakes cooked with allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, or other sweet spices, raisins or currants, these have perhaps the most morbid history or any All Souls' Eve food. This fun NPR article has all the frightening details, including a recipe. According to the article:



"Explanations on the origins of soul cakes vary. Some say that cakes were baked for the bonfires and that they were a lottery: pick the burnt cake, and you get to be the human sacrifice that ensures good crops next year. Or, soul cakes may have been tossed around an area to appease evil spirits condemned to wander in animal form."

5. Doughnuts and Cider at a Haunted Apple Orchard - If you are already eating, why not get scared too? If that doesn't make any sense at all, here is a $1 coupon for Night Terrors at Wiard's Orchards. No one could pass up such enormous savings. (valid only Sunday night)

6. Brains - Okay, so maybe brains don't sound very appetizing, but you can't know until you've tried them.  And their nutritional value must be under-rated. Have you ever noticed how fit zombies seem to be?  (Listen up Weight Watchers.) More importantly, no culinary decision creates more Halloween fear than eating brains. For a less authentic scare, make a Jelly and Spaghetti Brain