The Trick for Gluten-Free Treats

Halloween is creeping up on us. And in a world where we are just getting over the pandemic many are still not comfortable going back to the traditional door to door tradition to collect treats. But that does not mean that candy is gone, during Halloween candy can be found everywhere.

Surprisingly, a lot of your favorites from major manufacturers are already gluten free. Hershey’s, in particular has an extensive list. For more on those sweet treats check out this list from Beyond Celiac. Remember: It is important to read labels to verify that all ingredients are gluten-free, as manufacturing practices may change.

And if you are not doing the “door to door” routine, here are a few treats to make your party a hit. Remember stay safe, maintain social distance, wash hands and HAVE FUN!

Cinnamon Witch Bits {Puppy Chow}

Witch Bits are a seasonal take on traditional Puppy Chow using cinnamon cereal coated with a mix of Pumpkin Spice Kisses and Butterscotch chips. Interlaced with candy any witch is sure to love makes this an easy, fun treat for any Halloween celebration.

Ingredients

• 9 cups Cinnamon Chex Cereal (gluten-free) (approximately 1 ½ 13.5-ounce boxes)
• ¼ pound (4 tablespoons) unsalted Butter
• ½ cup Butterscotch Baking Chips
• 1 package (10 ounces) Hershey’s Pumpkin Spice Kisses, unwrapped
• 1 ½ cups Confectioner’s Sugar
• Extra bits: Caramel Apple Sugar Babies (1-5 ounce box), Sour Patch Kids (2 3.5-ounce boxes), Hot Tamales (1-5 ounce box), Trolli Sour Brite Crawlers (1-5 ounce bag)

Instructions

1. Place Chex in a large bowl.
2. In a double boiler (or in a metal bowl placed above a saucepan of boiling water) melt the butter.
3. Once butter is melted, add the butterscotch chips, stirring constantly until fully melted.
4. Add the Kisses and stir constantly until fully melted. Remove from heat immediately and pour over the Chex cereal. Toss to fully coat the cereal.
5. Place coated cereal in a two gallon zippered plastic bag. Pour in confectioner’s sugar, seal, to shake aggressively to fully coat the cereal. Turn the bag upside down and sideways to ensure all the sugar is absorbed onto the cereal.
6. Pour the mixture in a single layer onto wax paper. Allow to dry and harden (approximately 30-45 minutes). Note: an alternative to using a two gallon bag is to divide the mixture evenly between two 1 gallon zippered plastic bags, adding ¾ cups confectioners’ sugar to each bag and proceeding with the coating steps indicated above.
7. Place in a bowl and toss in extra candy.

Homemade “Rolo” Knock-offs

Ingredients:

• large pitted soft Medjool dates
• 1/2 tbsp SunButter
• pinch of fine grain sea salt
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1 tsp coconut oil
• chia seeds (optional)

Instructions

1. Process dates with nut/seed butter until a sticky paste forms.
2. Chill date mixture in freezer for 10 minutes, then shape into about 18 small balls.
3. Freeze balls again for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, melt chocolate with coconut oil.
4. Dunk each chilled ball into chocolate. Tap off excess. Sprinkle with chia and stick with toothpick.

So Simple Hot Apple Cider

Ingredients

• 1 quart organic apple cider
• 4 organic cinnamon sticks

Instructions

1. In a small pot, heat apple cider and cinnamon sticks over low heat.
2. Pour into mugs and serve with cinnamon sticks.

And here are a few more treats to check out:

Spooky Apple Punch

Chocolate Plentil Goodies

Zombie Slime