Halloween Treats Don’t Have to Break Your Heart OR Your Budget
Imagine you have a delicious piece of expensive chocolate in front of you that you’ve been craving for weeks. Finally, you get to eat it. You unwrap it and go to take a bit, but right as you do someone comes and hits it out of your hand and throws it in the toilet. That’s what it feels like to be a kid around Halloween with food allergies. Almost all the candy that is handed out at parties or for trick or treating isn’t safe for kids with food allergies. It can be pretty isolating as a family when the goodies and treats have something “bad” in them. That’s where these 12 Halloween treats come in! These will ensure you and your kids can have a happy Halloween full of sugar and safety for all! Your Halloween party is going to be the best, because having allergies doesn’t have to mean sacrifice! All the recipes are going to be under $15 and you’ll use things you already have! These Halloween treats are the perfect example of how you never have to sacrifice health for anything!
Why Store-Bought Halloween Treats Fail Allergy Families (And What We’re Really Missing)
I can walk to the seasonal candy isle that everyone else is shopping on and pick up a package to read the label. 9/10 times you’ll find something undesirable and unsafe in them. They make expensive specialty treats but its not just about the money, it about inclusion and childhood memories. There is a better way. Our families and kids don’t have to miss out on anything! You’ll spend less time reading label and scouring the store for treats your family can actually eat and you’ll find yourself enjoying making easy Halloween treats for them!
The 8 Pillars of Wellness: How Halloween Treats Connect to Family Health
This might be my favorite section of the blog, I get to explain exactly how doing something with intention affects your whole life!
- Emotional Wellness: How inclusive Halloween treats build confidence in allergy kids and help them feel “normal”
- Social Wellness: Creating treats that let your child participate fully in Halloween activities. Plus they get to share the delicious treats with peers so they can enjoy them too.
- Financial Wellness: Proving gluten free Halloween treats don’t have to break the budget, all these treats are under $15.
- Physical Wellness: Using whole food ingredients instead of processed alternatives, you know exactly what is going into their bodies.
- Environmental Wellness: Less packaging waste when making homemade easy Halloween treats
- Spiritual Wellness: The joy and connection that comes from creating together and finding belonging in your own family
- Intellectual Wellness: Teaching kids they can problem-solve around their limitations
- Family Wellness: Building traditions that work for YOUR family’s unique needs
Smart Shopping: How to Make 12 Halloween Treats for Under $15
You’ll only need to go shopping once for all of these treats with a little planning! I hate unplanned trips to the store, so I make sure to always have some things on hand. PLUS when you plan you can always get the best price. Make sure to look at the ingredients for each treat you plan to make before you next shopping trip and add the ingredients you’ll need right to your list! Some things are perishable so I make sure I am committed to making that treat so I don’t end up wasting any money. Some things I think are non-negotiable to keep on hand at all time for ANY type of treat are:
Gluten free flour (king Arthur)
Baking soda
Baking powder
Sugar
Dairy free butter
Rice crispies
Vanilla
Food coloring
Cupcake liners
Soy milk
Powdered sugar
Canned coconut milk
Dairy free chocolate chips
Eggs
Canola Oil
10 Homemade Allergy-Safe Halloween Treats That’ll Make Kids Forget About Candy
Quick & Easy Wins (Under 20 Minutes)
Ghost Banana Pops
These Ghost Banana Pops are the perfect combo of cute and spooky! They are healthy enough to serve at any time but sweet enough they can be a treat! These are even easy enough that the kids can help make them! A quick and healthy Halloween treat!
Substitutions you will need are: switch yogurt for dairy free yogurt and use dairy free chocolate chips!
Chocolate “Dirt” Pudding Cups with Gummy Worms
These are a timeless Halloween treat. I thought these were cool when I was a kid and even better when they are allergen friendly! This Halloween treat can give you peace of mind about what is going into our kiddos body since they are totally homemade!
Candy Corn Rice Crispy Treats
It doesn’t get any easier than rice crispy treats. These are so fast and the only difference is some food coloring! You kids will love this Halloween spin on their favorite treat!
Green apple monsters
Another healthy and easy treat for the whole family. This ends up being a pretty balanced snack so your kids will not only get a sweet treat but get an extra boost of protein!
Show-Stopper Treats (Worth the Extra Effort)
Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
I love this cut our sugar cookie recipe, they turn out perfect every time! These can be pumpkins or any other Halloween shape you want! You could make these for the kids or have a cookie decorating party for your kids and some friends!
Almond Joy Minis
These are a great sub for a popular Halloween candy, Mounds! They are sooo delicious and simple!
“Snickers” Caramel Apple Slices
I don’t know who ate more of these me or… me. Okay, so I’m obsessed with caramel apples and I feel good eating them! These really can be done with any topping you or your littles can think of! This is the perfect recipe to pair with my Fall Bucket List– head to the orchard for a whole day of fun!
Ghost Meringue Cookies
These are such a unique but easy Halloween treat! The texture makes it so even the youngest eater can handle these yummy ghosts!
Party-Perfect Treats
Chocolate Cupcakes with Pumpkin frosting
You’re going to have a blast decorating these adorable and tasty cupcakes! These can make for an easy treat to share at a class Halloween party as well as a family game night treat! Don’t let the beautiful frosting stop you from trying this Halloween treat! It matters more what they taste like anyways!
Halloween Cookie Bark
This Halloween treat is an easy one for your kids to customize and have a great time helping you break it up!
When Life Gets Real: Smart Store-Bought Options
Making a special homemade treat is not always something that fits into our schedule or fits into the 2 hour time crunch that we have since our kids just told us about their class party… I for one have totally felt guilty buying store bought food instead of cooking something. But being practical, doesn’t make us bad moms, it makes us… practical, haha. The goal is to help our kids feel included and provide them with a safe snack, not be a Pinterest-perfect mom. Here are some safe and quick things you can pick up from the store as a Halloween treat!
- Fruit Snacks
- Ring Pops
- Lolipops
- Sour patch Kids
- Skinnypop
Traditions Beyond Candy: Creating Allergy-Safe Halloween Memories
These Halloween treats will help you give your kids the Halloween you want them to have. With some creativity and baking, they won’t feel like they missed a thing. But we can provide activities and memories that aren’t centered around candy. Halloween can be more than candy in our families. Here are some quick ideas to make that happen! Also check out my Fall Bucket List for great family activities.
- Pumpkin carving
- Spooky story night
- Movie night
- Halloween crafts
- Halloween night dinner traditions
- Glow stick dance parties
Start Creating Magic Today (Without Breaking Your Budget or Sanity)
Your perfect Halloween is right around the corner with these 10 Halloween treats! With all these treats being under $15, we never have to sacrifice, safety, health or memories to meet our budget! Which recipe will you try first? Let me know in the comments how these treats change your Halloween and other ways your making the impossible possible for your family this holiday season!
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