Ree Drummond's Top 10 Favorite Halloween Recipes
It's a totally spooktacular spread.
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All ye who enter here, be warned: This list is full of sweets, treats, and spooky eats! (Well, not all of them are spooky, per se—but all of them are Ree Drummond's favorites for this time of year.)
"I love Halloween," Ree gushes, "partly because of the costumes, partly because of the decorations... but mostly because of the food!" Historically in Pawhuska, trick-or-treating takes place the night or two before October 31. Every year when the kids were little, the Drummonds would load up into the back of Ladd's pickup truck alongside Tim and Missy and their kids. As a crowd, they would drive from door to door, greeting neighbors who handed out candy to all the little whippersnappers. "I love trick-or-treating in our small town," Ree says. "It's such a community-wide effort." Today, The Mercantile (which coincidentally opened its doors on Halloween) hosts an annual festival of pumpkin painting, balloon art, and all kinds of delectable sweets.
If you're into homemade Halloween treats, The Pioneer Woman has lots of fun ideas here! Included are all the Halloween food ideas you need for a get-together, a spooky-themed potluck, or even a night at home watching scary movies. Admittedly, candy bark is her favorite kind of treat but there's plenty of sticky caramel apples, pumpkin spice cereal treats, and haunted house cookies. Oh, and a few savory pumpkin recipes made the list, too—after all, you need something to cut through all the sweetness! If you've tried one, dare you to try them all. Share your favorite in the comments!
Pumpkin Puree
If you've ever used fresh pumpkin versus the canned stuff, you know there's no comparison. Ree would agree: "Make your own pumpkin puree! It's fun and makes you feel like a Pioneer Woman." Use it in all kinds of pumpkin recipes. Not to mention, you can save the seeds for roasted pepitas!
Get Ree's Pumpkin Puree recipe.
Pumpkin Smoothies
On the morning of October 31, these smoothies will keep scavengers at bay until it's time to head out trick-or-treating. "Seriously one of the most delicious pumpkin recipes you'll ever taste in your life," Ree says. "I make 'em on Halloween."
Get Ree's Pumpkin Smoothie recipe.
Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls
Ree's cinnamon rolls are the stuff of legend. Yet, in all her years of trying different versions, she admittedly never thought to add pumpkin pie spice until her "life changed forever" with this recipe. "The color is gorgeous," she says, adding that "the flavors of pumpkin and spice really shine through without being totally overwhelming."
Get Ree's Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls recipe.
Salted Caramel Apples
"The great thing about caramel apples is that the possibilities are endless," Ree says. Decorate a bushel's worth these glossy dipped apples with crushed pretzels, pecans, or leftover Halloween candy.
Get Ree's Salted Caramel Apples recipe.
Pumpkin Spice Cereal Treats
The Merc made these treats for their Halloween party! They're made in two layers of pillowy soft marshmallows mixed with crispy rice cereal, and warmly flavored with pumpkin pie spice.
Get Ree's Pumpkin Spice Cereal Treats recipe.
Pumpkin Soup
October is soup season in Ree's kitchen, so any Halloween list would be remiss to not include one of her favorites. You can serve in bowls of hollowed pumpkins to be "fancy-schmancy" as she says; either way, the end result is "yummy, creamy, and so velvety smooth."
Get Ree's Pumpkin Soup recipe.
Candy Corn Bark
"Bark is my all-time favorite Halloween treat!" Ree says, and she's made several kinds over the years: Monster Bark, Spiderweb Bark, and this colorfully swirled candy corn inspired bark. "Now just bag it up in small cellophane bags, serve it on a platter, pack 'em in little gift boxes... whatever makes you smile," she adds.
Get Ree's Candy Corn Bark recipe.
Pumpkin Sheet Cake
If you're hosting a crowd for a Halloween party or potluck, here's the perfect dessert. "This is kind of like the chocolate sheet cake I've made for 25 years, but a pumpkin cream cheese version," Ree says. "It will make you dance with joy."
Get Ree's Pumpkin Sheet Cake recipe.
Platter of Darkness
At home on the ranch, Ladd and the kids liked to watch scary movies and eat candy. If you have similar Halloween plans, this tray of treats is a "fun way to mix things up," as Ree says. Pictured here: black licorice, jelly beans and M&Ms, chocolate cookies, and chocolate covered nuts and fruit. Ree's cookie-coated caramel apples add a homemade touch.
Get Ree's Cookie-Coated Caramel Apples recipe.
Haunted House Cookies
A gingerbread cookie... in October? Why, of course! From the archives of The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays, these cookies are easy to decorate. "Just make everything look wonky, crooked, throw in a ghost, and whatever other spooky things you can think of," Ree suggests. "This is a really simple version, but just think of the possibilities: black licorice snakes, spiders, candy corns."
Get Ree's Haunted House Cookies recipe.
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