Each year, Halloween is celebrated by many Americans and Canadians, as the spookiest holiday of the year can also be one of the most fun. Indeed, October 31 is a special day, and children are not the only ones to get excited. While kids highly enjoy Halloween because they can wear costumes and go treat-or-treating, many adults also take part in the festivities. The traditional costume parties are pretty popular, as they are a great opportunity to gather with your friends or co-workers while impersonating someone else and squireling some delicious treats away. And rather than going to a party, some people simply organize a little get-together for the occasion, to relax in front of a spooky movie and tell scary stories. Even though Halloween is not an official holiday, it is still associated with fun and creativity, which is probably why many people enjoy it so much. That, and all the sweet treats that are often prepared for the occasion. The most important thing to remember is, Halloween can indeed be celebrated safely.
When it comes to such festivities, the classic store-bought candies and decorations do not necessarily come to mind first. Homemade spooky desserts, snacks and drinks, as well as DIYed costumes and decorations can be much better, less expansive and are generally eco-friendly too. If you are planning a party or decorating and are wondering which theme you could go for, the maple syrup industry could be a pretty good idea. I often say that maple syrup is quite versatile, and that is not only true in the kitchen. There are a lot of maple-inspired Halloween ideas online that can be pretty fun to try at home, whether you try them with your children or not. I’ve gathered a few of them to give you some examples.
Maple trick-or-treat candies
A great idea to celebrate Halloween is to make your own maple syrup candies, as they can be a great alternative to store-bought candies. Sure, they are more time consuming than regular candies, which is why you might not want to distribute them to unknown children. You can always give them to your own children or to your friends through a fun treasure hunt in the house, for example, but you can also eat them yourself if you wish. It does not matter what you decide to do with them, because they can be enjoyed by everyone. So, if you like baking, and have a bit of time to craft some cute wrappings for your candies, you can try your hand at making this recipe. To make 18 maple candies, you will need about 2 cups of pure maple syrup. Lighter grades of syrup – such as the Grade A Amber Color – are probably the most appropriate for this recipe, as the recipe contains no ingredient that could dilute their delicious, smooth taste. Of course, you could always add some chopped walnuts to it, but simply be mindful of allergies. To really embrace the spookiest time of the year to the fullest, there are rubber Halloween-themed molds available in stores, although you could order them safely online. Once you’ve made the recipe, simply pour the thick maple in your molds, and voilà! You should have delicious pumpkin, skull and ghost-shaped maple candies for all your loved ones to enjoy.
Maple snacks for spooky movies
One of the most popular Halloween traditions is to invite some friends over to watch or re-watch some scary Hollywood classics. While closing all the lights is an essential step, such nights would not be complete without some tasty snacks. And what better snack to accompany them than popcorn? While some of them may not get to watch the movie they voted for, all your friends will love this sweet maple popcorn recipe. It will also please your vegan guests. Simply make sure to make a lot of it, so everyone gets to taste this irresistible snack. You could also prepare a delicious maple chili nut mix, which also makes a great movie treat for Halloween. And who knows? Some of your friends may even feel less scared of horror movies after tasting your sweet maple snacks!
Maple Halloween party treats
If you plan on going to a Halloween party or on organizing one, you probably know that the best way to enhance the spooky experience to the maximum is with some bone-chilling party appetizers. Ghoulish cookies, crawly bites, abominable cupcakes and a bowl of blood-curdling punch are often found on the table for Halloween. A very popular recipe – you’ve probably heard of it or even tried it in the past – is the witch fingers cookies. They might not look appetizing at first glance, but they are quite delicious, and their size is perfect for a party. Plus, this particular recipe is also vegan, which is perfect if some of your guests have food restrictions. It is also healthier than other rich dessert recipes because of its simple list of ingredients, and the pure maple syrup really adds a perfectly sweet touch to it. You could also prepare a batch of this delicious maple mayo sauce, and serve it with sweet potato fries, breadsticks or crudité. Adding green food coloring to the dipping sauce and serving it in a small emptied acorn squash, for example, could really give a spooky cauldron look to this appetizer.
A lot of spooktacular, macabre party treats have sugar in them, which you could easily replace with maple syrup. The same goes for sugary Halloween punches and cocktails: in most cases, the syrup adds an irresistible sweet little something to the recipe. For instance, you could try to create your own version of the popular Witches Brew by adding a touch of maple syrup to it.
Costumes and decorations
Of course, the maple syrup industry can inspire you to create things other than sweet treats. There are a lot of great Halloween costume and decoration ideas available online, so why not choose some fun maple DIYs? Sure, buying something from the store might be faster, but it can also be quite costly. Also, handmade decorations are often ecofriendly and usually are quite satisfying to make. For example, depending on which character you plan to impersonate, you could make a crown out of maple leaves. Creating fun decorations with them could also be a great idea if you have a few of them lying around. It could also be a fun activity for your children, as they could paint some leaves, add glitters to them and make cute garlands, for instance. If you plan on carving pumpkins, you could also decorate your jack-o’-lanterns with maple leaves if you wish. Plus, fun crafts can be made out of empty maple syrup bottles, and they can be reused for the holiday season, since Thanksgiving comes soon after Halloween in the United States.
Whether you plan on buying your costumes or making them yourself, it might be a great idea to disguise yourself as a bottle of syrup or a pile of pancakes. The two of them would be even better together if one of your friends or your partner is ready for a couple costume!
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