Traditionally, there is no rule that Halloween has to be filled with mass-produced candies full of refined sugars and dairy additives. In fact, it wasn’t until recent panic-stricken times that treats needed to be in sealed packaging, sterilized from human contact and guaranteed 100% free of healthy contents. There once was a time when treats involved the fall harvest, when things like apples, pumpkins and GMO-free corn contributed to the celebratory flavors. Moms baked spooky shaped cookies and passed them out to neighborhood children, making the rounds in their simple homemade costumes, parents in tow.

Okay. Truthfully, I’m not sure how accurate all this is, but it doesn’t mean that Halloween can’t be this way. Not only could it be, it probably should be. This year is the year to ditch all those package-laden, bite-sized chocolate bars. This year is the year to bid adieu to hardened candy-colored corn syrup tooth-rotters. This year could be the year you change it all, become that innovative neighbor with the best treats on the block, in the building or at the party. This year it could all be about homemade dairy-free treats that melt those monsters’ minds.

And, we are here to help. Check out these fantastic ideas and recipes for all the hungry tricksters.

Homemade Vegan Caramel Apples

This is true to tradition here, a classic Halloween treat from the top of the list. Honestly, one apple per Halloween haunting would break the bank, which is why these bad boys could be cut into slices, stuck on toothpicks and eaten right away.

Homemade Caramel Corn

Of course, we want GMO-free popcorn here, but this is a great way to change things up a bit. Little paper bags of caramel popcorn for a trick-or-treating snack break. It’s fun and different, yet it feels right. This recipe also does it just about as healthily as possible.

iFOODreal 

Clean Eating Pumpkin Truffles

Looking for something useful to do with the lot of pumpkin removed from the Jack O’Lantern? How about a little chocolate delight the right way? These truffles are better than any candy bar on the market and better for the children’s health as well.

Halloween Vegan Bat Biscuits

Time to put all those kooky, fun cookie cutters to work, and isn’t Halloween the perfect holiday for it?! The cookies (not breakfast biscuits) are a much healthier and eco-friendly treat than plastic-wrapped candy

Vegan Peanut Brittle

This one somewhat mocks the idea of health, as the sugar levels get pretty high, but the chef also suggests an easy conversion to maple walnut brittle, which might help with redeemable qualities and food allergies. Anyway, brittle is no less than an edible artwork of delectability.

Hell Yeah It’s Vegan

Halloween Sunbutter Cups

Peanut-butter cups are, admittedly, a delicious memory from my past, but perhaps that’s because I’d not had hand-crafted Sunbutter Cups before. This is a great recipe with some notable nutritional tweaking—stevia, carob, coconut flour– to make it a worthwhile snack.

Vegan Candy Corn

Who knows how popular or unpopular this treat is nowadays, but without a doubt, it’s a Halloween classic. So, if you are determined to carry on the tradition, here’s the homemade version, sans honey and gelatin.

Not-So-Tricky Rice Crispy Treats

These can be shaped into spooky items—cats, witches hats, ghosts or bats—and they make for a great sticky treat that pleases the masses of little fingers. For us vegans, this recipe helps overcome the loss of easy-to-find marshmallow-y gooeyness.

Healthful Pursuit 

These all will work splendidly for parties and gatherings with friends and family, but as an advocate for a more trusting, closer community, I suggest bucking the system and offering them up as treats. Hey, if moms and dads don’t want their kids to risk it, that’s no problem: There’s always next-door.

Lead image source: Homemade Vegan Caramel Apples