Halloween party food Tray-passed desserts

Delicious Halloween DessertsThrowing a Halloween party? If you are looking for some festive food ideas, try these yummy pumpkin pie bites, candy corn spoons and other passed desserts.Pumpkin pie bites

We consulted caterer and event planner Andrea Correale of Elegant Affairs, who provided us with a variety of Halloween recipes.

Pumpkin pie bites

Premade pie crusts make these Halloween desserts a breeze.

Makes 24 pies

Ingredients:2 refrigerated ready-to-roll pie crusts8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature1/2 cup sugar1 cup canned pumpkin3 eggs1 teaspoon vanilla1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (mix cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice)Pumpkin-shaped cookie cutter1/2 cup chocolate morselsVegetable oilResealable plastic bagsDirections:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Use cookie cutter to cut 12 pumpkin shapes from each pie crust. You will need to roll the dough thinner than it comes out of the box.Press dough shapes into a 24 cup mini muffin tray. (Make 12 at a time, alternating cups to make sure pie crusts don't overlap each other.)Apply egg whites from one egg to the top edges of each pie. Mix cream cheese, sugar, canned pumpkin, remaining 2 eggs, vanilla and pumpkin pie spice together until thoroughly combined.Spoon mixture into each pumpkin-shaped pie crust.Bake for 12-15 minutes. Remove pies to cool and repeat with second pie crust. Place the muffin tray in the freezer to cool it quickly for reuse.Keep refrigerated.

Note: The pumpkin cookie cutter used here was 3-3/4 inches wide, but if you don't have one, don't worry. Just use a round cutter around that size or slightly smaller to cut circle shapes out of the dough. Then make stems with the scraps. Press each stem over the edge and down the side of the dough before filling.Decorations:

You can add whipped cream to the top of the mini pies or decorate them with a chocolate happy face instead.

To decorate, melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl in the microwave on medium.Heat in 30 second intervals, stirring in between until melted. Add a little vegetable oil to make the chocolate more fluid.Transfer to a resealable plastic bag and cut the corner off. Drizzle or draw faces on pies.

Black and orange spook cupsCandy corn spoons

Black and orange spook cupsIngredients:1 quart cold milk, divided1 package (4 serving size) Jell-O chocolate fudge flavor instant pudding mix10 glasses or plastic cups (7 ounce size)1 package (4 serving size) Jell-O vanilla flavor instant pudding mixRed food coloringYellow food coloring10 Oreo cookies, crushed1/4 cup Halloween sprinklesDirections:

Add two cups of the milk and the dry chocolate pudding mix to a large bowl.Beat with a whisk for two to three minutes. Spoon evenly into glasses, filling each half full.In a separate bowl, mix remaining two cups of milk and the dry vanilla pudding mix.Beat with a whisk for two to three minutes. Stir in drops of food coloring until pudding is the desired shade of orange.Spoon evenly over chocolate pudding layers and top with crushed cookies.Chill for at least an hour or until ready to serve. Top with sprinkles.

Candy corn spoons

If you are in a rush and want something that looks good and tastes good, grab some spoons! These candy corn spoons are perfect for a last-minute get-together or if you run out of desserts and your Halloween guests are craving something more.

With these tray-passed desserts, you can simply add a little bit of yogurt or pudding, a mandarin orange and a bit of drained crushed pineapple onto each spoon for a easy, sweet Halloween treat.

Bonus: Halloween cocktails

Spooky screwdriverBlack cherry ghoul

Spooky screwdriverIngredients:6 ounces orange juice4 ounces black vodkaDirections:

Pour in orange juice. Gently layer black vodka over juice. Serve.

Black cherry ghoulIngredients:3 1/2 ounces black vodka1/2 ounce blackberry brandy or Chambord Black Raspberry Liqueur or cherry juiceBerries or cherries for garnishDirections:

Pour the ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice and shake well. Pour over ice and serve.

More Halloween recipes

DIY pumpkin keg and harvest sangria recipe
Top 10 scary snacks for Halloween parties
Halloween candy cookies

Images courtesy of Andrea Correale, Elegant Affairs