Try these Halloween-themed healthy treats – good for ages 8 months and up.
Stuffed Date “Candy” Bugs
Finger lickin’ goodies with a calcium-rich center
Dates are nature’s candy–so naturally sweet! Increase their nutritional value by stuffing them with calcium rich cream cheese flavored with maple syrup and peanut butter.
Serves 4 – 6; double the recipe for a party platter.
**Omit the orange juice and peanut butter for babies under 12 months. Mash up for babies 8 to 10 months old, and be sure to cut into age appropriate bites for other early eaters.
What you’ll need:
– 2 oz cream cheese, softened
– 2 tsp maple syrup
– ¼ tsp ground ginger
– 1 tbsp orange juice**
– 1 tbsp creamy peanut butter (optional)**
Making your bugs
1) Mix cream cheese, maple syrup, ginger, orange juice and peanut butter until smooth.
2) Cut each date with a slit lengthwise to open and remove stone.
3) Fill the centers with cream cheese and press closed. The dates will be sticky enough to stay closed on their own.
4) Decorate as desired!
Want to up the Halloween ante? Black licorice-lace antennae make these morsels look like creepy crawlies!
Pumpkin Patch Mini-Muffins (or Cupcakes)
Halloween-spiced morsels chock full o’ vitamin goodness
These addictive, freezer-friendly muffins are full of goodness: Pumpkins are chock full of vitamins (especially A, C, K, and E), minerals (like magnesium, potassium, and iron), fiber and antioxidants. The muffins, which easily double as cupcakes, are made with relatively little sugar, flax seed for an omega 3 boost and unsweetened applesauce for even more natural goodness – a truly wholesome treat.
Yields 4 dozen 1 ounce muffins for babies 8 months and up. Cut into age appropriate bites for your youngest eaters.
What you’ll need
– 4 tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature
– 2 c sucanat or light brown sugar
– 4 large eggs
– 1 tsp vanilla extract
– 1 c unsweetened applesauce
– 1 ½ c pumpkin puree (1-15 oz can)
– 3 c flour
– ¼ c ground flax seed
– 1 ½ tsp baking powder
– ½ tsp baking soda
– 1 tsp salt
– 2 tsp cinnamon
– ¼ tsp nutmeg
– 4 oz cream cheese, softened
– cinnamon sugar, optional
– butter to grease pan (unless using silicone)
How to make them
1) Preheat oven to 350°F.
2) In the meantime, cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer. (Sucanat is grainier than sugar and won’t cream the same way–the recipe will work fine so long as the sucanat and butter are well mixed.)
3) Add eggs, vanilla, applesauce, and pumpkin to butter-sugar combo and mix well on low speed.
4) Combine all dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
5) Slowly add to the wet ingredients while continuing to mix on low speed.
6) Fill each well of a greased, 1-ounce mini muffin tray half way.
7) Add a ¼ tsp dollop of cream cheese on top of batter.
8) Finish filling each well to the rim.
9) Sprinkle each muffin with cinnamon sugar.
10) Bake for 18-20 minutes. Muffins are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (except for some cream cheese filling)!
11) Allow muffins to cool in tray for about 5 minutes.
12) Remove from tray and finish cooling them on a baking rack.
13) Decorate Halloween-style!
