15 Vintage Halloween Treats That Scream Nostalgia

Salted Pumpkin Caramels

“Making your own homemade salted pumpkin caramels is much easier than you would think. Scooping out a pumpkin and carving a jack-o-lantern is much harder! If you’ve never made caramel candy, this recipe is a great place to start.” —Chef John

Caramel Popcorn Balls

Corn as a foodstuff dates back thousands of years, but the history of the popcorn ball is a little harder to verify. One fanciful story traces the origin story of popcorn balls to a perfect storm involving a hot Nebraska cornfield, a rain-soaked sticky sorghum field, and a tornado. What we do know for sure is that a recipe for Pop Corn Balls appeared in E.F. Haskell’s “Housekeeper’s Encyclopedia” in 1861.

Caramel Apples

The official origin story of caramel apples is that a Kraft Foods salesman named Dan Walker came up with apples dipped in melted caramel back in the 1950s when he was trying to use up some extra caramel stock after Halloween. Dentists have blessed or cursed him ever since.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

Cake-like cookies sandwiching a sweet filling were so beloved long ago that Amish farmers would shout “Whoopie!” when they found them packed in their lunches — or so goes one version of the lore. In the first decades of the 20th century, whoopie pies became commercially produced (some say 1918; others say 1925), and they’ve retained their old-fashioned appeal to this day. This version, made with pumpkin instead of the more traditional chocolate, is just right for Halloween, and just might get a few whoops of joy from your family and friends.

Marshmallow Treats

Officially dating back to 1939, this combination of marshmallows, crisp rice cereal, and butter was invented by Kellogg’s employees Mildred Day and Malitta Jensen. Yes, you can cut them into crispy, sticky beige squares as originally intended. But you can also add color and bend this highly malleable mixture to your creative will.

Crispy Rice Candy Corn Treats

Crispy rice treats also make the perfect base to customize with your favorite candy. We can’t think of a more classic choice for Halloween than candy corn, which dates back to the 1880s.

Honeycomb Toffee

With its light and airy construction, this crispy confection resembles a sponge or a honeycomb, and is known by many names all over the world. Some date the candy back to the 1940s, but that’s hard to verify given its global appeal. This particular recipe comes from Chef John, who says, “This very fun and simple-to-make candy goes by many names; cinder toffee, sponge candy, and my personal favorite, ‘hokey pokey,’ but no matter what you call it, this eye-catching confection is a proven crowd pleaser. As long as you’re very careful and heat the syrup up to the correct temp, there’s not a lot that can go wrong.”

Nutmeg Cake

The tradition of eating spiced “soul cakes” on All Hallow’s Eve dates back to the Middle Ages. Children would go door to door singing a ritual song in honor of the dearly departed, and collecting small, spiced cakes to eat.

Slime Popcorn

We’ve already talked about corn as a traditional foodstuff, but what about marshmallow? Food history tells us that ancient Egyptians enjoyed the sap of the mallow plant mixed with honey and nuts. Centuries later, the French used the same sap to create a fluffy but labor-intensive candy. And of course the process was mechanized and modern-day marshmallows were popularized in the United States in the early 1900s. Which brings us to this eyeball-studded bowl of green-tinted marshmallow popcorn. Who could resist?

Pumpkin Spice Cake

Pumpkin spice may have become an ultra-popular flavor in the 2010s, but the blend of spices dates to 1934 when McCormick began producing it with pumpkin pie in mind. The flavor has since inspired tons of recipes. Bake our Pumpkin Cake I in a bundt pan for vintage charm.

Hoot Owl Cookies

“This recipe has been around since the 1960s. My mom made them for us every fall,” reviewer Carolyn says. “My favorite thing about them: When they bake, they all take on different personalities!”

Bloody Skeleton S’mores

This cute and creepy treat is a gruesome twist on the classic graham cracker + chocolate + marshmallow treat you know and love as s’mores. While no one really knows who officially invented the s’more, it first appeared as a recipe in a 1927 publication about the Girl Scouts.

Apple Hand Pies

Food encased in pastry for portable, hand-held meals dates back to forever, and can be stuffed with both sweet and savory fillings. You’ll find a version of hand pies in cultures all over the world, so let us just focus on the hand pies before us. They’re stuffed with fall’s favorite fruit, making them perfect for this roundup of old-fashioned Halloween treats.

Monster Bites

Bobbing for apples is a popular Halloween party activity that actually dates back to the 14th century as a match-making game wherein women would try to capture a floating apple with one bite and thereby discover the names of their sweethearts. You know, because apples were ancient symbols of fertility and all that. Well, these playful apples bite back with almond teeth embedded in peanut butter, minus the angst of the dating game.

Pumpkin Cheese Ball

The cheese ball, whether sweet or savory, is a retro party-pleasing appetizer. This Halloween-friendly recipe incorporates a bell pepper stem as the pumpkin stem. During the chilling stage, the ball is wrapped in plastic wrap and rubber bands to form divots so the dish resembles a pumpkin.

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