Three Guilt-Free Halloween Treats

Even though it wasn’t really a thing yet in Germany when I grew up, I have always been slightly obsessed with Halloween. Maybe because of all those American sitcoms I watched as a kid. The Fresh Prince of Bel-air, Married with children, Family Matters and the Nanny all made me feel like I deserved this ghoulish celebration in my life.

Fast forward twenty years and I am still obsessed. If you’re anything like me, thinking about a Halloween costume starts some time in August and is then only followed by counting down the days. Some of my favourite costumes so far show a bit of the evolution of my personality: slutty zombie high-school girl (at university), Tim Burton’s corpse bride (and my husband as groom the year of our engagement), Gomez, Morticia and Pubert Addams for our first family Halloween last year.

This year I want to pass on the spooky fascination to my toddler son with some guilt-free, low sugar, home-made Halloween treats.

Bloody Hot Chocolate (vegan)

Is there anything more comforting about the days getting shorter and colder than to cuddle up with a good book or movie while having a heart-warming cup of hot chocolate? To add a bit of spookiness make it bloody by adding red food colouring or red beet or pomegranate juice. It won't turn bright red but just give it enough of a tint to make it spooky.

You need:

• 250ml almond milk

• 1 tbsp raw cacao powder

• 1 tbsp pure maple syrup

• 1⁄4 tsp vanilla extract

• 2 tsp red food colouring (alternatively red beet or pomegranate juice)

• a pinch of salt

Put all the ingredients in a saucepan over high heat and stir using a whisk, breaking up any lumps as you go. Enjoy while reading a scary thriller ;)

Fruit Ghosts (vegan)

I love replacing sugary snacks with fruit. They’re full of nutrients and contain enough fibre to slow down the release of their sugars into your blood stream. And because this recipe is so easy and fun these fruit ghosts are the perfect healthy Halloween snack.

You need:

• 200g dark chocolate

• Various fruit (I used bananas, pares & oranges)

• Desiccated coconut or chopped nuts (optional for decorating)

Melt the chocolate by filling the bottom of a saucepan with couple of centimeters of water and bring to a simmer over a medium-high heat. Put the chocolate in a bowl and set over the simmering water. Let the chocolate melt, stirring occasionally, until no more lumps remain. Remove the bowl with the chocolate from the heat.

While the chocolate melts, line a large tray with baking parchment. Wash your fruit and pat dry well before cutting it up into slices – when fruit is wet, it’s much harder for the chocolate to stick. Instead of simply slicing them you could also use cooky cutters in spooky shapes.

Dip a third of the fruit slices into the chocolate and place on the parchment to set. Use a chopstick to paint faces on your fruit ghosts and optionally decorate them by sprinkling them with unsweetened desiccated coconut or chopped nuts before the chocolate has cooled and hardened.

CHOCOLATE BOOSCUITS

Who doesn’t love biscuits on a Halloween afternoon? There is some sugar in this recipe but this is the lowest amount possible while trying to still make these cookies taste good. For decorating them there is no limit to your imagination!

You need:

• 135g oats

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 large egg

• 4 tablespoons brown/ unrefined cane sugar

• 66g coconut oil

• 1⁄2 tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• Pinch of salt

• 90g dark chocolate chips

• Coarse sea salt

• Dried fruit and nuts (optional for decorating)

Blend the oats in a food processor until they resemble flour. Combine the vanilla extract, egg and brown sugar in a bowl. Melt the coconut oil and let it cool slightly before adding it to the bowl. Beat everything together until just combined. Stir in the oat flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Stir until just combined and then fold in the dark chocolate chips. Chill the dough for at least one hour in the fridge.

Preheat the oven to 180 ̊C. Break off a little of the dough and roll into a ball. Or alternatively use your spooky cookie cutters again. Press a few more chocolate chips in the tops if desired. Make sure you space them out well on your baking tray as they will spread out quite a lot.

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. Remove from the oven and rest on the baking sheet for another 2 minutes before removing to a wire cooling rack. You can use dried fruit or nuts to create scary creatures. Boo!

Please share your creations on Instagram and tag @ninafischernutrition so that I can applaude you for your Halloween spirit.