One of my favorite creepy snacks to serve at a Halloween party is Eerie Eyeballs. I originally got the recipe from Britta Blvd and it’s a pretty easy one with great impact. I love seeing people (especially kids) squirm and squeal over these chewy, gummy, and freaky little bites!

The trick to these is in the mold. My favorite mold is a simple plastic paint palette They are cheap, easy to store, and have a perfect round shape and a smooth, slick surface. Best of all, you can find them at any store that sells craft supplies. Just make sure you’ve never used them for paint before — we want these eyeballs to be edible!

You can also use any other mold you can find that has a round shape. Some suggestions are truffle molds and round ice cube trays. Or, you can just put the mixture in a bowl and use a melon baller, but your results won’t be nearly as consistent or round.

Eerie Eyeballs 3 oz box (that’s the small size) of lemon gelatin (can be sugar-free) 1 cup hot water 1/2 cup miniature marshmallows 1 cup pineapple juice 8 oz cream cheese (can be lowfat/Neufchatel) Dissolve lemon gelatin in 1 cup water in double boiler, add marshmallows, and stir to melt. Remove from heat. Add pineapple juice and cream cheese. Beat until well blended. Cool slightly. If you are using molds, spray them very lightly with non-stick cooking spray, then pour the mixture in the molds and leave to set in the fridge. To decorate the eyes, use food coloring (liquid or paste) and a tiny (clean!) paint brush and get creative. You will need black food coloring for the pupils, but the irises can be any color you like.

You can have a lot of fun with the painting. The eyes can be realistic and creepy, or wild and crazy (think cat eyes, bloodshot eyes, or eyelids and huge lashes!). I tend to go to parties with kids at them, and I don’t want to gross them out, so I make the eyes pretty tame. Just ordinary blue eyes is still enough to make most people shiver to see one being eaten, though!

This recipe will make a LOT of eyeballs, especially if you are using the palettes as your molds, since they are not very deep. If you don’t have a lot of molds, you might want to try to cut this recipe in half.

Here are some fun ways to display the eyeballs:

• Arrange them on a platter in the middle of the buffet table.
• Put one or two eyes on the edge of each plate, including serving platters and your guests’ dining plates.
• Put one or two on top of a cupcake or use them to create a border around a cake.
• Spear them with a swizzle stick or umbrella and use them to decorate a cocktail glass (Note that if your eyeballs are flat, you might want to put two of them back to back for this idea, to create a fuller-looking eye.) Add a drop of red food coloring on the stab wound and really gross them out!
• Put one on your tongue and walk up to a guest at your party and stick your tongue out. This is sure to get a reaction, especially if chew the eyeball up right after they see it!

Got any favorite creepy treats that you serve at your Halloween parties? I’d love to hear about them!