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Recipes

3 Cheap and Easy Snacks for A Wicked Halloween Party On a Budget

This article is written by a student writer from the Spoon University at Cal Poly chapter.

If you’ve recently walked through a supermarket or your local retail store, it’s pretty obvious that Halloween is coming up soon. However, as a college student, my bank account balance is probably the scariest thing you’ll see this Halloween. So, if you’re not convinced that you can throw the spookiest Halloween party on a budget, I’m here to scare off that thought.

Not only will you be saving money, but your guests will appreciate these recipes more over an ordinary serving of chips and salsa or the stale cookies lurking in the back of your pantry. If you’re ready to throw a killer Halloween party without breaking the bank, check out these recipes that were all made with under $20.

Critter Cookies

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 20 minutesCook time: minutesTotal time: 20 minutesServings:10 servings

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Twist apart each Oreo, revealing the inside. Set aside the cookie with no icing.

  2. Cut your candy straws into eight thin strips.

  3. Place the strips on the cookie’s icing in such a fashion to appear u0022spider-likeu0022.

  4. Place the cookie with no icing on the top of the cookie with the icing and candy straws.

  5. Use a pinch of icing from another sandwich cookie to attach the round chocolate candies to the top of your cookie. These will be the spider’s u0022eyesu0022.

  6. Repeat this process for as many cookies as you would like.

Candy Corn Vegetable Platter

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 10 minutesCook time: minutesTotal time: 10 minutesServings:10 servings

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Keep in mind that these ingredients can be substituted for any other foods, but make sure that you maintain the orange, yellow, and white color scheme.

  2. If using spinach, lay down some leaves on the plate to form your base.

  3. Construct the bottom layer of shredded carrots (this will be the base of your u0022candy cornu0022).

  4. Construct the middle layer of diced yellow pepper.

  5. Construct the top layer of crumbled tofu in a triangular fashion.

  6. Adjust the layers to make the final product as triangular as possible.

  7. If desired, include any side dressings of your preference.

Jell-Oh-No!

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time:3 hours Cook time: 5 minutesTotal time:3 hours 5 minutesServings:8 servings

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Prepare Jell-O according to directions on box.

  2. Before putting in fridge to set, place some of the candy snakes at the bottom of your mix. Set aside remaining snakes.

  3. After mix has set, place remaining candy snakes on top of the gelatin.

Halloween Treats for Cheap

After buying and preparing all the ingredients, the grand total was *drum roll* $19.41. These treats will keep your guests fueled all party long, and impressed with your spooky snack skills.

As always, the recipes above are completely customizable, so  you can truly make these dishes your own. You can even design your own creations with any leftover ingredients you might have. Whatever you do, make sure to have fun with it and leave your guests feeling full (of terror).

Happy Halloween!