How To Have A Healthy Halloween With Homemade Treats

Halloween is right around the corner, which means it's time to start stocking up on sweets to pass out to all the trick-or-treaters. Many will probably go out and buy a variety of favorites such as Snicker's, Reese's Pieces, and Smarties to have on hand for the swarms of ghosts and goblins that visit their doorstep, but while these classic goodies will forever be hailed as signature Halloween candies, it's no secret that they're not the most nutritional foods to be eating, and a quick glance at their nutrition labels will prove that there are a lot of ingredients on there that are harder to pronounce than your high school French vocabulary list.

Click here to see the Homemade Halloween Treats Slideshow

After reading that the average American consumes more than 24 pounds of candy each year the Cook editors at The Daily Meal started worrying about how the abundance of candy on Halloween could be detrimental to one's health, especially the packaged candies we all love to snack on. Packaged candies are highly processed, which is why a Butterfinger bought in Florida looks the same as it would if you bought it in Alaska, and therefore contain a large amount of unhealthy preservatives and high amounts of sugars and other high-calorie ingredients. 

Don't get us wrong —we'll certainly be enjoying a Milky Way bar here and there this Halloween season, but we thought there was room for some healthier bites as well. Whether you make these recipes to enjoy yourself or plan on passing them out to a princess or two, you'll know for certain what went into creating the sweet treats and will have a much healthier Halloween this year. 
 

Anne Dolce is the Cook Editor at The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @anniecdolce