GFCF Halloween Ideas

Since we have gone back to the GFCF diet (thank the Good Lord!!!) I have been trying to come up with fun Halloween treats for the boys. Both boys will need to take in Trick or Treat bags for the kids in their classes and I wanted to provide them with better Halloween treats (at least better than those store bought confections full of preservatives, dyes and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS)).

I was thinking about making Organic Candied Apples – by taking organic apples and making my own candy to dip them in. The recipe is quite simple:

Ingredients:

• 12 red apples
• 12 wooden ice-cream sticks (or even better , beautiful, washed and partially peeled sticks from your yard)
• 4-1/2 cups organic raw sugar
• 3/4 cup organic light corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon red food coloring (organic, natural coloring found in health food stores)
• 1-1/2 cups water
• 1 cup chopped peanuts (optional)

Preparation:

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside. Wash and dry the apples. Insert a stick through the stem of each, leaving about 2 inches of the stick for gripping. Place the chopped peanuts in a deep bowl large enough to roll apples in.

Place the sugar, corn syrup, food coloring , and water in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Bring slowly to a boil while stirring constantly and cook until the ingredients are dissolved.

Insert a candy thermometer into the liquid and continuing cooking, without stirring, until the temperature reaches 290 degrees F. This should take about 20 minutes.

Remove the syrup from the heat and dip the apples , one by one, coating each evenly. Work quickly so the sauce doesn’t harden. As you finish dipping an apple, roll it in the peanuts to coat evenly. Place each apple standing on the prepared cookie sheet. Let the apples cool for at least 1 hour before serving.

Another great idea are GFCF marshmallows cut into pumpkin shapes and dusted with orange sanding sugar, of course using organic food colors.

My parents want to make popcorn balls for the boys. Using 11 cups of popcorn, 1 package of mini marshmallows (not organic, but at least GFCF) and 3 Tbs of GFCF margarine. Prepare popcorn and remove un-popped kernels. Place in large bowl. Heat marshmallows and margarine in microwave for 1.5 minutes so that marshmallows are melted when stirred. Pour over corn and mix. Wet hands with water and shape popcorn mixture into balls. Serve immediately or wrap in plastic wrap or parchment paper (better choice) and distribute.

I hope these give you some ideas of fun foods to prepare for your little GFCF ghosts and goblins this year. You can always make GFCF cupcakes and decorate with organic candies, making them look like spooky Halloween entities. I hope to have pictures of a few of my creations up soon so you can see how ours turned out.