Put together a frightful meal for a truly haunting Halloween bash. These recipes may end up looking pretty eerie, but fear not, they taste much better than they look.

Bloody vampire bat wings

Time from start to finish: 45 minutes

What you’ll need:

Your favorite store-bought chicken wings — from the frozen section

Brown or black food dye

Red Hot sauce or your favorite brand of buffalo wing sauce

Ranch dressing

Large Ziploc bag

This is a simple side dish that will surely scare your guests. In a large Ziploc bag, place your chicken wings and about a tablespoon of food dye. Seal and shake it up, coating the wings to create a bloody appearance. Preheat the oven and bake the wings according to package directions.  

While your wings bake, fill a small serving bowl with ranch dressing. Add about two tablespoons of hot sauce or buffalo sauce and mix. This will be your bloody dipping sauce. Once your wings have cooked and cooled enough to be handled, serve. Create fun labels for your dishes so your guests have no doubts about what type of bat they’ll be devouring.

Edible eyeballs

Time from start to finish: 10 minutes

What you’ll need:

Apples sliced into large circular pieces

Caramel apple dipping sauce

Dried apricots, smashed flat

Dried cranberries

Take your apple slices and lay them flat onto your serving dish. If you’d like to stop your apples from browning you can add a sprinkle of lemon juice, then add a bit of sugar to offset the sourness. Top your slices with a drizzle of caramel — this will act as edible glue. Place your apricot on top and use the cranberries to finish off your eye, again using caramel to make them stick. Your apple will be the white of your eye, the apricot your iris and the cranberry the black center. These creepy treats are tasty and good for you all at the same time. It’s a nice way to offset your upcoming candy coma.

Halloween and candy go hand-in-hand. No matter how old you may get, Halloween candy always has some appeal. What’s the point in spending $9 on a bag of mixed mini candy bars when you can make your own? Follow these step-by-step directions and learn how to make cost-effective, delicious homemade treats. Brag to your friends that you’ve created your own ghoulish treats. All of these recipes have been created from scratch and are easily replicated in your own kitchen or dorm.

Murderously good chocolate truffles

These rich treats are my go-to. They’re impressive and simple to make — literally to die for.

Time from start to finish: 1.5 hours

What you’ll need:

10 to 12 oz. of dark chocolate, chopped up

(milk chocolate is OK, too)

1/2 cup of heavy cream

1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 cup of powdered sugar

Nuts or sprinkles

a glass bowl

a small saucepan

For this you’ll need to set up a simple double boiler. Your glass bowl will need to fit into your saucepan with a few inches between the bottom of the pan and the glass bowl. You’ll fill up your saucepan with a few cups of water and bring it up to a simmer, setting your bowl on top of the simmering water. Don’t let your water touch the bottom of the glass — you’ll burn your chocolate.

Add the chopped chocolate into the double boiler and stir it until it melts. Slowly add in your heavy cream and mix until completely blended. Take your bowl off of the heat and allow your truffle mix to cool until it’s slightly thickened and easy to handle. If you’re impatient you can stick it in the fridge for an hour or so.

Mix together your cocoa powder and powdered sugar. Pour this mix onto a cookie sheet with a raised edge. Using a teaspoon, scoop out spoonfuls of your cooled truffle mix and quickly roll it into a ball using your palms. Roll your truffles into the cocoa mix and coat. Repeat with chopped nuts, sprinkles or anything of your liking. Put the truffles onto plates or cookie sheets and allow to cool in the fridge.  

Haunted strawberries deluxe

Time from start to finish: 1.5 hours

What you’ll need:

Truffle mix (see above recipe)

Large strawberries

Skewers

Parchment paper

Orange and black sprinkles or colored sugar

Wash your strawberries and remove the stems. Stick your skewers into the stem end of your strawberries. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place your sprinkles and sugar into separate, shallow bowls

Cook up your truffle mix using 10 to 12 oz of chocolate but only a ¼ of a cup of heavy cream. Once your chocolate and heavy cream have been melted together and mixed, remove the mix from the heat and dip your strawberries and coat them. Once covered in chocolate, coat in your choice of sprinkle or sugar. Lay them out of the parchment paper and allow them to cool in the fridge for about an hour. Share and enjoy!

Drinks

Bloody Brew

Fill a mixing glass 3/4 full with ice. Add 1 1/2 oz. of vodka and 4 oz. tomato juice. Spice it up with salt, pepper and Tabasco Sauce. Strain into a glass and fill to the top with beer. Garnish with creepy toppers of your choice.

Black Widow

In a shaker, put 1 tsp. sugar, 4 slices of ginger and 4 blackberries. Fill with ice and add 1 1/2 oz. vodka and 3 oz. purple grape juice. Shake and strain into a glass. Garnish with blackberries and eyeballs.

Pumpkin Martini

Shake 1 oz. canned spiced pumpkin pie filling, 2 oz. orange vodka, 1 tbs. maple syrup, 1/2 oz. lemon juice and 1/2 oz. coconut water in a shaker, strain into a glass and garnish with a gooey spider.

Vampire Elixir

Pour 1 1/2 oz. vodka, 1 oz. apricot brandy and 1 oz. lime juice over ice. Top off with club soda and add a splash of pomegranate juice for a bloody effect.

Bloody Shot

Simple and sweet. Add a dash of grenadine to a shot of your favorite fruity vodka. Plop in an eyeball to frighten your friends, but don’t let them choke!

Green Goblin

For a stronger brew, pour 2 oz. vodka over ice and top off with sour apple imitation liqueur. Drizzle with caramel syrup for extra sweetness and garnish with worms.