Don’t be scared – these recipes are healthier than your usual Halloween treats
Perhaps the most frightening thing about Halloween is how this festival has become synonymous with sugary snacks. If you or someone in your family is living with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes you may be concerned about how much sugar there is in treats and snacks. Step forward Diabetes UK Cymru with a variety of recipes, from Halloween biscuits to jelly sweets, with all nutritional values available on their website (diabetes.org.uk/enjoyfood).
The good news is that these recipes are ideal for anyone who is looking for healthier Halloween treats. Lower in sugar, salt and fat than most shop-bought alternatives these recipes are guaranteed to be spook-tacular!
And if you want something to focus on beyond food this Halloween, then get your costumes ready to Dress Diabolical. On Friday 30 October, thousands of people will get sponsored to dress up at schools, work and clubs to raise much-needed funds for Diabetes UK. Find out more by hopping on your broomstick over to dressdiabolical.diabetes.org.
JELLY TREATS
Wobbly yogurt and jelly sugar-free sweets.
MAKES 20 SWEETS
PREP 15 minutes
COOK 5 minutes + 2 hours chilling time
low fat – low sugar – vegetarian – nut free
Ingredients
125ml sugar-free lemonade
1 pack sugar-free orange jelly crystals
1 x 6.5g sachet vegetarian gelatine
1 x 175g low-fat yogurt
Method
1 In a large pan, bring the lemonade to boiling point. Add the jelly and gelatine sachet and stir well, until dissolved.
2 Pour two thirds of the jelly into a flat container and place in the fridge to set.
3 Whisk the yogurt into the remaining jelly.
4 Once the bottom layer is set, pour on the jelly and yogurt mixture and return to the fridge to set.
5 Cut into desired shapes.
Diabetes UK chef’s tips
- Try making with different colours and flavours of jellies or yogurts.
- We used fun shapes to make the sweets here, but you could just cut into 20 squares.
POPCORN
Fun to make with children, this is healthier and tastier than popcorn you buy in the shops – and cheaper. If you put this sticky orange and ginger popcorn into bags and tie with a ribbon it’s a healthy treat for trick or treaters.
MAKES 10 small bags
PREP 5 minutes
COOK 3 minutes
low fat – vegetarian – vegan – nut free – dairy free
Ingredients
75g popping corn
juice of 1 orange + zest, finely grated
1 level tsp powdered ginger
3 tsp granulated sweetener
Method
- Heat a large deep pan with a lid, add half (or a third, depending on the size of your pan) of the popping corn and cover. Shake regularly and after 2-3 minutes you’ll hear the corn start to pop – don’t be tempted to open the lid! Keep shaking until the popping stops.
- Put the popped corn into a large bowl and discard any corn that hasn’t popped. Repeat until all your corn is done.
- Meanwhile, in another saucepan warm the orange juice, ginger and sweetener and until dissolved. Mix until it reaches boiling point then heat for 2-3 minutes until it becomes sticky and the volume is reduced by three quarters.
- Stir in the zest and add the popcorn, mixing well so it is all coated.
- Spread onto a tray and leave to dry completely before bagging it up.
Diabetes UK chef’s tips
- Don’t put too much corn in at once – cook in batches as it expands a lot. Don’t open the lid while it’s popping as it will pop out all over the kitchen.
- Take care not to let the pan dry completely as you need enough sauce to coat the popcorn, but if the sauce is too wet your popcorn will be soggy.
- Make sure the popcorn is thoroughly cooled before you bag it.
- Try adding a good pinch of spice, such as cinnamon or nutmeg.
Per 18g serving
POPCORN
|
Nutrient |
Per Serving |
% RI |
Traffic Lights |
|
Energy (kcal) |
31 |
1 |
N/A |
|
Fat (g) |
0.2 |
<1 |
Low |
|
Sat Fat (g) |
0 |
0 |
Low |
|
Sugar (g) |
0.8 |
<1 |
Low |
|
Salt (g) |
0.01 |
<1 |
Low |
|
Protein (g) |
0.8 |
N/A |
N/A |
|
Carbs (g) |
6.2 |
N/A |
N/A |
Please credit: www.diabetes.org.uk/enjoyfood
Per 16g serving
Jelly treats
|
Nutrient |
Per Serving |
% RI |
Traffic Lights |
|
Energy (kcal) |
8 |
<1 |
N/A |
|
Fat (g) |
0.2 |
<1 |
Low |
|
Sat Fat (g) |
0.1 |
<1 |
Low |
|
Sugar (g) |
1.1 |
1 |
Medium |
|
Salt (g) |
0 |
0 |
Low |
|
Protein (g) |
0.7 |
N/A |
N/A |
|
Carbs (g) |
1.1 |
N/A |
N/A |
Please credit: www.diabetes.org.uk/enjoyfood
HALLOWEEN BISCUITS
A healthier version of the northern ginger and oatmeal bread. They are traditionally served on bonfire night and are ideal for Halloween.
MAKES 24 PIECES
PREP 10 minutes
COOK 25 minutes
Vegetarian – nut free
Ingredients
50ml rapeseed oil
10g blackstrap molasses
100ml skimmed milk
100g wholemeal flour
100g oatmeal
1 level tsp baking powder
3 tsp powdered ginger
1 tsp mixed spice
12 tsp sweetener
1 egg, beaten
1 ripe banana, mashed well
Method
- Preheat the oven to 150°C/gas 2. Place the oil, molasses and milk in a pan, and heat gently for 2 minutes.
- In a bowl, mix together the flour, oatmeal, baking powder, ginger, mixed spice and sweetener. Beat in the egg and mashed banana.
- Line a 30cm x 20cm baking tray with baking parchment. Gently stir the oil mixture into the bowl and pour into the lined tin until about 1cm thick. Bake in the centre of the oven for one hour, or until the centre of the cake is just firm to the touch.
- Remove from the oven and leave it to cool in the tin for 15-20 minutes. Transfer to a chopping board and cut into shapes or squares.
Diabetes UK chef’s tips
- We used Halloween shapes for the picture, but you could just cut into more traditional squares. Or you could make the cake in a deeper baking tray and cut into smaller cubes.
- Blackstrap molasses is high in sugar but has a strong taste, so you only need a little to add a lot of flavour to your recipe.
HALLOWEEN BISCUITS
Per 22g serving
|
Nutrient |
Per Serving |
% RI |
Traffic Lights |
|
Energy (kcal) |
56 |
2 |
N/A |
|
Fat (g) |
2 |
3 |
Med |
|
Sat Fat (g) |
0.2 |
1 |
Low |
|
Sugar (g) |
1.3 |
1 |
Med |
|
Salt (g) |
0.1 |
1 |
Med |
|
Protein (g) |
1.6 |
N/A |
N/A |
|
Carbs (g) |
7.1 |
N/A |
N/A |
Please credit: www.diabetes.org.uk/enjoyfood
