Pastry chef and culinary producer Ashley Holt is joining TODAY to share a few of her favorite spooky TikTok snacks and sips to celebrate Halloween. She shows us how to make white chocolate and pretzel spider webs, sweet and savory "char-spookery" boards and pull-apart sugar skull cupcakes, plus how to turn a pumpkin into a wine keg.
1. Pull-Apart Skeleton Cupcakes by @sugar_monsterr
These creepy cupcakes are as fun to make as they are to eat. The assembled cupcakes come together to create a sweet Day of the Dead-themed centerpiece for your Halloween table.
Ingredients:
- Cupcakes
- Frosting, a variety of colors
- Sprinkles (optional)
Equipment:
- Display board
- Offset spatula
- Piping bags and tips
Method: Bake cupcakes of desired size. Arrange on a platter or board in desired shape. Decorate with frosting and sprinkles to look like a skull!
2. Spooky Spider Webs by @berryandtheboards
Spider-web decorations are a must for any spooky Halloween celebration. These pretzel and white chocolate webs help set the scene and make for a delicious and easy homemade holiday snack.
Ingredients:
- Small pretzel sticks
- White chocolate, melted
- Candy eyeballs
Equipment: Piping bag
Method: Arrange pretzel sticks pointing outwards with the bottoms touching. Glue together with circles of melted white chocolate. Add candy eyeballs in the center for a cute touch.
3. Sweet Char-Spookery Board by @modernglamhome
Give snack boards a sweet, skeletal twist. All you need is a board, a bunch of candy, a bit of creativity and some Halloween spirit.
Ingredients:
- Cookies and cream chocolate kisses
- Yogurt-covered raisins
- Peanut butter cups
- Mini powdered doughnuts
- White chocolate-covered wafer bars
- Milk chocolate-covered wafer bars
- Ghost-shaped sugar-coated marshmallows
- Popcorn
- White chocolate truffles
- White chocolate-covered pretzels
Equipment:
- 1 (12- by 18-inch) black or wood board
- 1 pair skeleton hands
Method:
- On the board, create the skull outline using chocolate kisses and yogurt-covered raisins.
- Next, place 2 peanut butter cups in the middle for the eyes. Cut chocolate-covered wafer bars into 1/2-inch pieces and place them in two lines for the mouth.
- Fill in the skull shape with your white candies, snacks and chocolates. I like to place them in groups and somewhat keep the same type together. Use smaller items such as popcorn, nuts or milk chocolate chips to fill in any spaces or gaps (if you don't want to overload on sweets, you can use any white or light-colored food to fill in the skull). Place skeleton hands on each side of the board.
4. Savory Char-Spookery Board by @thebackyardfoodcompany
Expect the unexpected on this unpredictable snack board. The variety of cheeses, olives and crackers will keep you guessing, but the scary surprise in the center may take your breath away — but surely not your appetite!
Ingredients:
- A variety of cheeses
- A variety of olives
- Crackers
- Prosciutto
Equipment:
- 1 (12- by 18-inch) wooden board
- 1 small full-body skeleton
Method: Fill up the wooden charcuterie board with cheese, olives and crackers. Wrap a small skeleton in prosciutto and place it in the center of the board. Serve with additional prosciutto.
5. "Here for the Boos" Wine Keg by @thecraftaisle
This boo-zy pumpkin is sure to get party guests in the mood for celebrating. The secret to this festive fountain is a bag of wine hidden inside the pumpkin with the spout easily accessible in the front.
Ingredients: Pumpkin + wine bag
Equipment: Black and white paint markers
Method:
- Cut out a wide opening on the backside of a large, oval-shaped pumpkin.
- Completely scoop out the pumpkin's insides.
- Flip pumpkin over onto "front" side and create a slightly-larger-than-a quarter-sized hole toward the bottom that will fit the spigot of the wine bag.
- With paint markers, write "I'm here for the boos!" on this side. Insert wine bag!