Best Halloween Candy Platter Recipe

Halloween is one of the best holidays to celebrate with friends and family alike. It's centered around all the amazing treats that the kiddos get while trick-or-treating. It's one of our favorite holidays because of the sheer fact that there is so much candy and sweets involved. If you're on the same page and are in the mood to throw a festive bash complete with all the tricks and treats, then we have the perfect recipe for you.

This Halloween platter of treats is absolutely amazing, because it looks super adorable and spooky, and everything on it is oh-so-tasty. This would be great for a kid or an adult party, and if you have a sweet tooth, it's certainly a must-try. Say it with us: There's no such thing as too much sugar on Halloween!

Recipe developer Stephanie Rapone of Pantry to Plate Meals came up with this incredible platter that is sure to be a hit at your next boo bash. It's filled with candy eyeballs, candy corn, chocolate goodness, and candy melt-covered treats that everyone in your house will love. "I love that it lasts a long time," Rapone raves. "It makes it easy to make ahead — especially if you are hosting a get-together. It's also super easy and doesn't require any special skills."

The first thing you'll need to do is run to the store to gather all of the ingredients needed to create this delightful Halloween platter. For starters, make your way to the cookie aisle and get some peanut butter-shaped cookie sandwiches and cream-filled chocolate cookie sandwiches (like Oreos). You will also need some fun snacks like pretzel sticks and crisped rice marshmallow treats (like Rice Krispies).

For a little bit of sweetness, add almond bark to your cart. You will also need to pick up a few decorator icings in red, blue or green, and black. The last few items to grab you will need are candy eyes, melting wafers in different colors, and some of your favorite assorted Halloween candies. The few optional items on the list include pumpkins, gourds, skulls, or other items to add decor.

Are you ready to make this spooky and adorable Halloween platter for your next shindig? If so, keep following along. Start by adding the candy melts and the almond bark to either glass jars or coffee mugs. Place the jars in the slow cooker, and add water about halfway up the jars or cups. Be careful not to get any water in the actual cups. Turn the slow cooker on High, but keep the lid off. Set your timer for 30 minutes, and then stir the chocolate. If it hasn't fully melted yet, keep checking in 10-minute intervals. Once all the chocolate has melted, turn the heat down to keep it warm.

The first you should assemble are the ghosts. Before you begin, put parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet on the counter next to you to prevent the treats from sticking. Then, take out the peanut butter cookies, and dip them into your melted almond bark. Continue the process until you have all of the ghosts that you need for the tray.

Set them on parchment paper to harden. Once they have hardened enough, use the black decorator icing to make ghost faces on each one. Feel free to use your own creativity to make different faces. 

(These are peanut butter cookies, so take note of that if anyone at the party has a peanut allergy. You can either display them on a separate plate, or simply forgo the peanut butter cookies altogether and make more of the other treats on this list.)

Now, it's time to move on to the eyeballs. Grab the chocolate sandwich cookies that you would like to use for the tray, and carefully twist them open, one by one. On the side with frosting, make squiggly red lines with the red icing. The lines should stretch from the middle toward the outside edge, as pictured above.

Then, squeeze a circle of blue or green decorator icing in the middle of the cookie. This will serve as glue to help the candy eye stick. Press the candy eye down slightly so icing squeezes out from the side.

The crisped treats should be similar (or the same brand) as Rice Krispies. For this step, you will make use of your wafer melts. Take a knife, and dip it into a jar with the melted wafers. Then, spread it how you would like so it covers the top of the crisped treat. These are your own wonderful creations, so they do not need to be perfect or even. (This is also great to note if you have kids helping you, it should be fun — not perfect!) Then, add the candy eyes to the center, and decorate with sprinkles.

Take the pretzel sticks, and lay them in a circle so that it looks like a spoke. (Again, you will want to place these on a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.) Pour the almond bark into the plastic bag you prepped earlier, and twist the end. Snip the corner of the bag, and then pipe a blob in the center to hold the pretzels together. Carefully make concentric circles with the melted bark to create webs, as pictured above. Stick the pretzel webs in the freezer for 10 minutes to speed set, and then carefully peel them off the mat.

Once everything has set or hardened, it's time to build your spooky platter. "To follow this exactly, a long oval or rectangle works best," Rapone says of the platter. Start with the spider webs, and make a long, diagonal wavy line through the middle of the tray. Then, use bowls or glasses to break up the design on the platter.

You can group items around each one. Use the plain and undecorated items to help you prop and stack things and create height. You can also use your extra items and favorite Halloween candy to fill in the rest of the blank spaces. You could even add decorated cookies or cupcakes from the store — that's where you'll let your creativity run free here! And definitely don't forget the candy corn.

"This will last for more than a week. Just store everything in a zip-top bag or airtight food container," Rapone shares. We are sure this platter will impress your family and guests!