Whoever said you couldn’t play with your food likely never really knew the joy of eating. We certainly aren’t suggesting tossing handfuls of spaghetti across the table at your annoying little brother, but we do think that the fall season is perfect for a little crafting-meets-snacking.

Some of our favorite seasonal treats are perfect for gathering ’round the family, getting plenty messy, sharing lots of giggles, all while making something yummy to enjoy as we gear up for Halloween. Fun and delicious treats don’t have to be sugar bombs. These homemade treats are healthful and fun to eat, too!

Ready to dig in?

BROWN PAPER BAG POPCORN

Forget the microwave popcorn you think you know. With nothing more than a brown paper sack, whole popcorn kernels, and a microwave, you’ll have light and airy popcorn in minutes without the chemicals, calories, and sodium.

The kids will love helping you make this, whether it’s movie night or a Halloween party. Make the popcorn something special with our Cinnamon Raisin Popcorn treat, which is simply brown bag popcorn, cinnamon, and raisins.

To share with friends or handout at a school party, let the kids make Hand-O-Lanterns to decorate each brown paper sack. Just paint their palms orange, their fingers green, and press on to the bags. When the paint dries they can use black markers to draw pumpkin faces!

HOMEMADE TRAIL MIX

This is the best fall snack for those on the go. Full of protein and just enough sweetness to satisfy a craving, it’s a treat that is no trick to make. Our Sweet and Nutty Trail Mix has walnuts, almonds, pecans, dried cranberries, raisins and dark chocolate chips with one instruction – mix. The kids can do it themselves! For a holiday touch, swap the chocolate bits for candy corn.

You could share this in your Hand-O-Lantern goodie bags, or get a little more crafty. Use gauze or paper party streamers to wrap old jars – like baby food, jam, or spaghetti sauce – to make mummies! Just apply googly eyes to the front, fill with trail mix, and share as a Halloween gift with neighbors, teachers, and co-workers.

BAKED PUMPKIN SEEDS

The most beloved Halloween tradition of all yields one of the yummiest and healthiest fall snacks – pumpkin seeds! Make a trip to the pumpkin patch to collect your gourds, then return home to clean them out, carve, and bake the seeds.

There’s really no wrong way – just rinse, dry, then season to taste and bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes. We have a Pizza Roasted Pumpkin Seeds recipe, and you could even use them to top our Chocolate Pumpkin Brownies. Have extra seeds? Toss them in the trail mix.

CARAMEL APPLES

Who doesn’t love this fall treat? Those apples come in to season and we’ll do anything we can to get the freshest and juiciest ones. And honeycrisp? Just stop. They’re almost too good to be true. For a memorable and active family outing you could visit a local orchard, pick your own, and head home to make apple crisps, apple pies, applesauce, and even caramel apples! Of course apples from the grocery store work, too!

Our friends at NutritiousAmerica.com created this healthier caramel recipe for guiltless dipping. Using coconut sugar and coconut milk, you’ll make a rich caramel sauce. The entire family can dip their own and then roll in a choice of crushed nuts, coconut flakes, and maybe even a little chocolate.