Halloween is far and away my 9-year-old’s favorite holiday. It is bigger than Christmas for her. Over dinner the other night, she told us why Halloween is so important to her. Of course she loves dressing up and all the candy. She always likes the (age appropriate) spooky movies. However, more important to her, Halloween is about quality time with friends.
For the past couple years we have thrown a Halloween dinner party on October 31. Everyone gets together at our house to enjoy a home cooked meal. Then after dinner, (traditionally) the dads take the kids out through the neighborhood to trick or treat. Afterwards, the kids spread their candy all over the floor to inspect their haul and make trades. It is fun to watch the negotiation!
Knowing how special these childhood memories are to her makes Halloween emotionally difficult this year. The pandemic has stripped away a lot of what we love. While I am adjusting to more home time and less time on the road traveling, it is the broken traditions that sting most. Children grow up so quickly, and knowing that your child’s favorite holiday can’t be fully celebrated is tough. Especially when she only has a couple years of trick-or-treating left.
With this in mind, I have been trying to find small ways to keep Halloween fun this year. We started on October 1st by letting the kiddo decorate the house with all the Halloween kitsch I could get my hands on. The OCD in me is going a little crazy because it looks like Halloween exploded in my house. However, the joy this simple task gave her made it worth my anxiety attacks.
We have also planned a trick-or-treat exchange by mail with friends from school. Think Halloween care packages! We have already started planning what we’re sending out to friends.
I am trying to plan activities each week–most in the kitchen–that continue the celebration. We made Halloween sprinkled donuts yesterday for breakfast. Later in the week we’ll tackle caramel apples together. We also have some Halloween “gingerbread” houses planned.
I plan to also pepper in a Halloween themed dinner each week. Mummy dogs and jack-o-lantern pizza were special requests.
While shopping for Halloween kitsch the other day, I came across a skull ice tray. I bought it with no real plan for it. I thought at a minimum we could make skull ice cubes. However, I was sure there was something else I could do with it.
The ice tray has been sitting on the counter haunting me for the past couple days and I decided that today I would find a non-ice use for it. Since it said nothing about it being heat resistant, I decided I better go the cold route to be safe. After looking through the cupboards, I decided to make candy.
These Chocolate Caramel Skulls are pretty much as easy as it gets. Two ingredients–three if you want to have two varieties–and just a little bit of time. They are fun to make, and I recommend getting the kids involved so they can help too! The best part is that they look impressive, so make a batch and leave a treat for friends or neighbors!
Chocolate Caramel Skulls
Course: Candy, DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy20
servings5
minutes35
minutesIngredients
4 ounces white chocolate chips
4 ounces milk chocolate chips
1 2-ounce container Old-Fashioned Caramel Dip
Directions
- Start with white OR milk chocolate. Add chocolate to a microwave safe bowl and microwave on high for 30 seconds. Stir chocolate. Microwave 30 more seconds, then stir until chocolate is smooth. Do NOT overcook or chocolate will seize up.
- Take chocolate and “paint” a thin layer into a silicone ice cube tray using the tip of a butter knife. When all wells are “painted,” place in freezer for 5 minutes to harden chocolate.
- Remove tray from freezer and place 1/4 tsp caramel dip in each well. Cover caramel with about 1 tsp of chocolate. Once all wells are filled, smooth the entire tray of chocolates with a butter knife or bench scraper. Return to freezer for 5 minutes.
- Remove chocolates from the mold and trim off any excess from the shape. Wash tray and repeat process with other chocolate.
Notes
- I prefer Ghiradelli chocolate chips since they are readily available at most supermarkets. However, any quality brand will work.
