How Did Halloween Become All About Candy?

Between the costumes, glowing pumpkins, and tiny voices shouting “trick or treat,” Halloween became a holiday we could practically recognize by its candy wrappers.

But did you know those trick-or-treat bags weren’t always filled with candy?

Once upon a time, children might come home with fruit, nuts, homemade treats, or even coins.

As a culinary nutrition chef who loves helping families reconnect with food, that little piece of history makes me curious:

Could we get the Halloween fun without the junky-candy treat?

Think cinnamon, roasted sweet potatoes, creamy cacao, and little apple monsters with peanut butter…

There is so much we can create with ingredients already sitting in our kitchens.

Let’s take a quick trip through the history—and then make something pretty delicious.

Jump to the recipes

Before the candy wrappers

Halloween’s story stretches back centuries, with roots in the Celtic festival of Samhain and later Christian observances around All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day.

The customs that helped shape trick-or-treating included “souling,” when people received food in exchange for prayers, and “guising,” when costumed visitors performed for treats. The celebration we know today grew from several traditions over time.

In the United States, early trick-or-treaters received a surprisingly varied assortment: cookies, cake, fruit, nuts, coins, toys, and candy.

As trick-or-treating became more popular in the 1950s, candy companies increasingly marketed small, individually wrapped sweets for the occasion.

They were convenient to buy, easy to distribute, and ready for a neighborhood full of visitors.

By the 1970s, parents becoming concerned about homemade treats helped make packaged candy the familiar Halloween handout.

Interesting, right? The Halloween candy tradition we know today is much newer than the holiday itself.

A little Pretty kitchen magic

At Eat Pretty Please, I want children to discover how much creativity lives in ordinary ingredients.

Banana Ghosts. Apple Monsters. Sweet Potato Jack-o’-Lanterns.

A little imagination can turn everyday food into something children are excited to create—and eat.

For these recipes, “Pretty-Approved” means familiar ingredients, playful presentation, and opportunities for children to participate. Think fruit, vegetables, seeds, and simple pantry staples coming together in something festive and delicious.

And the chocolate? It starts with cacao! We use unsweetened cacao powder in our mousse and cacao-rich dark chocolate in our little pumpkin cups.

Let’s make some Halloween magic.

Recipe 1

Boo-nana Ghosts

Soft, sweet, and almost too cute to eat.

Yield

8 ghosts

Time

10 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 bananas
• 24 mini chocolate chips

Make the magic

1. Peel the bananas and cut each one in half crosswise.
2. Place the halves on a platter with the pointed ends facing up.
3. Gently press two mini chocolate chips into each banana for eyes and one for a mouth.
4. Serve immediately.

Little chef job: Give every ghost a different expression.

Pretty touch: The banana supplies the sweetness, with a little chocolate for decoration.

Recipe 2

Apple Monster Smiles

A crunchy snack with plenty of personality.

Yield

8 monster mouths

Time

15 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 medium apples
• ¼ cup smooth peanut butter, or sunflower seed butter
• 4 strawberries, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons sunflower seed kernels, optional

Make the magic

1. Cut each apple into eight wedges, removing the core.
2. Spread a thin layer of peanut butter or sunflower seed butter on one cut side of each wedge.
3. Place a strawberry slice on eight wedges so it sticks out like a tongue.
4. For older children, add a few sunflower seed kernels along the edge as teeth.
5. Top with the remaining wedges, leaving the mouths slightly open.

Little chef job: Choose the tongues and assemble the smiles.

Pretty touch: Apples, strawberries, and peanut butter become a snack with a whole lot of character. For younger children, slice the apples thinly or soften them, and leave off the seed teeth.

Recipe 3

Cacao-Rich Chocolate Pumpkin Butter Cups

A homemade candy-inspired treat with a cozy fall center.

Yield

12 mini cups

Time

20 minutes, plus approximately 40 minutes of chilling

Ingredients

• 1 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil
• ¼ cup smooth sunflower seed butter
• 2 tablespoons plain pumpkin purée
• 1–2 teaspoons maple syrup, to taste
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• Pinch of salt

Make the magic

1. Line a mini muffin pan with 12 paper liners.
2. Melt the chocolate and coconut oil in short microwave intervals, stirring frequently, or over a double boiler.
3. Spoon approximately 1 teaspoon into each liner. Spread it across the bottom and slightly up the sides.
4. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
5. Mix the sunflower seed butter, pumpkin, maple syrup, cinnamon, and salt.
6. Divide the filling among the cups, keeping it away from the edges.
7. Cover with the remaining chocolate and chill until firm, about 30 minutes.

Little chef job: Stir the pumpkin filling and help fill the cooled chocolate shells.

Pretty touch: Pumpkin and cinnamon bring a little autumn to every bite. Store in the refrigerator and enjoy within four days.

Recipe 4

Sweet Potato Jack-o’-Lanterns

Because Halloween deserves a savory treat, too.

Yield

Serves 4

Time

About 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 large sweet potatoes
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Make the magic

1. Heat the oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
2. Scrub the sweet potatoes and cut them into rounds about ¼ inch thick.
3. An adult can carefully cut simple eyes and mouths into a few larger rounds. Leave the others whole.
4. Toss gently with the oil and seasonings.
5. Arrange in a single layer and roast for 20–25 minutes, turning once, until tender and lightly browned.

Little chef job: Mix the seasonings and suggest funny faces.

Pretty touch: Sweet potatoes bring their own beautiful orange color to the Halloween table. Serve with your favorite yogurt dip or hummus.

Recipe 5

Little Monster Cacao Mousse

A creamy dessert with a surprising green ingredient.

Yield

4 small servings

Time

10 minutes, plus optional chilling

Ingredients

• 2 ripe medium avocados
• ¼ cup unsweetened cacao powder
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup, plus more to taste
• ¼ cup milk or unsweetened plant milk, plus more as needed
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• 4 strawberry slices
• 8 small banana slices
• 8 mini chocolate chips

Make the magic

1. Blend the avocado, cacao, maple syrup, milk, vanilla, and salt until completely smooth.
2. Taste and adjust the sweetness. Add a little more milk if needed.
3. Divide into four small cups.
4. Decorate each with two banana-slice eyes, chocolate-chip pupils, and a strawberry tongue.
5. Serve immediately or refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Little chef job: Design the monster faces.

Pretty touch: Avocado gives this dessert its creamy texture, and cacao brings the chocolate flavor. The green ingredient is our little kitchen secret.

Make a memory, not just a snack

Pick one recipe, clear a little space, and invite your children to help.

Let the ghosts look silly. Let the monster mouths be uneven. Let someone sneak a chocolate chip while you cook.

We can enjoy Halloween and bring a little more intention to what we make. A favorite candy, a homemade treat, a nourishing meal before heading out—there is room to create a celebration that feels good for your family.

These recipes are for enjoying at home or sharing at a gathering where ingredients and allergies can be communicated. Choose textures and decorations appropriate for your child’s eating skills, and check ingredient labels when cooking for others.

This Halloween, let’s make room for imagination at the table.

Create like a chef. Cook like a nutritionist. Celebrate like a kid.

For more playful recipes and ideas for raising healthy, happy humans, join the Eat Pretty Please newsletter.

A little more history

• HISTORY: How Trick-or-Treating Became a Halloween Tradition
• Library of Congress: The Origins of Halloween Traditions
• Smithsonian National Museum of American History: From Homemade Halloween Treats to Colorfully Packaged Candies