Spooky Starters

7-Layer Spider Web Dip

Video Tutorial

Watch our video tutorial to see just how easy it is to create this festive Spiderweb 7-Layer Dip for your next Halloween gathering!

Equipment

• 10 to 12-inch plate or pie tin or tart pan

Ingredients

• 1 (15-ounce) can refried beans
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1 cup sour cream divided
• 1 cup chunky salsa mild or medium, not watery
• 1 cup freshly shredded Cheddar cheese or Colby jack cheese
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes halved
• 3 to 4 green onions diced
• 1/2 can drained olives divided
• 1 cup guacamole
• Tortilla Chips

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, combine taco seasoning with refried beans. Spread this mixture evenly on the bottom of your chosen 10 to 12-inch serving plate, pie tin, or tart pan. Carefully spread 3/4 cup of sour cream over the bean layer.
2. Add dollops of chunky salsa and gently smooth them over the sour cream. Next, add dollops of fresh guacamole and spread them slowly and evenly, being careful not to mix the layers.
3. Decorate the edges of your dip by adding a generous layer of freshly grated cheese, thinly sliced green onions, the sliced half of your olives, and the halved cherry tomatoes. For the spider web, place the remaining 1/4 cup of sour cream into a small plastic bag (like a Ziploc), snip off a tiny corner, and pipe a spider web pattern over the guacamole layer.
4. To create the olive spiders, halve a few whole olives lengthwise for the bodies, and then cut a few other olives into small strips for the legs. Arrange the halved olives as spider bodies on the web, and place the strips around them to form realistic-looking spider legs.
5. Serve your spooky Spiderweb 7-Layer Dip immediately with plenty of tortilla chips for dipping. This dip is best enjoyed fresh, ideally within 10–15 minutes of completion.

Recipe Notes

Walking Dead Mummy Dogs

Equipment

• Sheet pan (15″ x 10″)

Ingredients

• 1 (8-ounce) container refrigerated crescent rolls
• 10 large hot dogs
• Cooking spray
• Yellow mustard or ketchup or both

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 375℉ (190°C). Unroll the refrigerated crescent dough and lay it flat on a clean cutting board. Cut the dough along the perforations to create four even rectangles. Press the other perforations firmly together to seal them and create solid rectangles.
2. Using a sharp knife, carefully cut each dough rectangle lengthwise into 10 thin strips. This will give you a total of 40 dough strips for your mummy dogs.
3. Take one hot dog at a time. Make two shallow slits along the sides of the hot dog near the top to form the mummy’s arms. Then, make a single slit at the bottom for its legs.
4. Wrap individual strips of dough around the “arms” and “legs” you created on each hot dog. Continue wrapping the remaining dough strips around the body of each hot dog, leaving a small, unwrapped space for where the mummy’s face will be. You want a haphazard, bandaged look.
5. Place your assembled mummy dogs on a large, ungreased sheet pan. Lightly spray the dough-wrapped hot dogs with cooking spray to help them crisp and brown beautifully.
6. Bake the mummy dogs for 12–15 minutes, or until the crescent dough turns a light golden brown and is cooked through. Once baked, remove from the oven. To create the mummy’s eyes, pour a small amount of mustard into a plastic bag, snip off a tiny corner, and pipe two small dots onto the unwrapped “face” area of each mummy.
7. Serve your Walking Dead Mummy Dogs immediately with extra yellow mustard, ketchup, or your favorite dipping sauces. These are best enjoyed warm!

Recipe Notes

Cheesy Bread Fingers

Equipment

• Large sheet pan (15″ x 21″)
• Aluminum foil or parchment paper

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 cup freshly shredded mozzarella cheese (not bagged mozzarella)
• 2 cups freshly shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup mayo
• 1 tablespoon sour cream
• 1 loaf French Bread or ciabatta bread, halved
• 1 (6-ounce) bag pepperoni cut in quarters

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven’s broiler to high. Slice your loaf of bread in half horizontally, placing both halves crust-side down on a large sheet pan. For easy cleanup, line the pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper, or simply spray it lightly with cooking spray. Set the prepared bread aside.
2. In a small mixing bowl, combine the softened unsalted butter and minced garlic, stirring until the mixture is smooth and well incorporated. In a separate, larger bowl, thoroughly mix together the mozzarella cheese, sharp Cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, and sour cream until all ingredients are combined. Then, fold the garlic butter mixture into the cheese mixture.
3. Evenly spread the cheesy mixture across both halves of the bread. Place the sheet pan under the preheated broiler for 2–4 minutes, or until the cheese is nicely melted, bubbly, and lightly browned. It is crucial to watch the bread very carefully during this step to prevent burning, as broilers can cook very quickly.
4. While the cheesy bread is broiling or immediately after removing it, cut your pepperoni into quarters. These quartered pieces will serve as your gruesome “fingernails.”
5. Remove the cheesy bread from the oven and allow it to cool slightly for a few minutes. Using a sharp bread knife, carefully slice the bread into thin, finger-like portions. Once sliced, place one quartered pepperoni piece at the end of each “finger” to resemble a fingernail.
6. Serve these delightful Cheesy Bread Fingers immediately, perhaps with a side of warm marinara sauce for dipping to complete the monstrous presentation.

Recipe Notes

Monster Meatball Sliders

Equipment

• Toothpicks

Ingredients

• 1 bag frozen Italian meatballs (or see recipe notes for homemade options!)
• 1 (24-ounce) jar marinara sauce
• 24 dinner rolls
• 1 (16-ounce) block mozzarella cheese divided
• 1/2 of 1 jar black olives sliced
• Toothpicks

Instructions

1. Begin by preparing your meatballs according to the package directions. If you prefer to make them from scratch, consult the recipe notes for links to our favorite homemade meatball recipes!
2. Once the meatballs are cooked, combine them with the marinara sauce in a saucepan and gently heat through. From the block of mozzarella cheese, carefully cut out 48 small, triangular or jagged “teeth” – enough for all your sliders. Grate the remaining cheese to yield approximately 1 cup of shredded mozzarella.
3. When you’re ready to serve, slice your dinner rolls in half horizontally. Sprinkle some of the grated mozzarella cheese on the bottom half of each roll. Top each with a hot, marinara-covered meatball, a little extra sauce if desired, and then place the top half of the sandwich roll on top.
4. For the monster eyeballs, thinly slice black olives. Attach one olive slice to the end of a toothpick. Insert this toothpick into the top of each slider, positioning it to look like a single, monstrous eye. Finally, gently press the cut-out mozzarella “teeth” onto the meatballs at the front of the slider, creating a scary grin. Serve these Monster Meatball Sliders immediately for the best experience!

Recipe Notes