The leaves are turning, the air is cooling, and Halloween is approaching!
It’s time to welcome spooky season the right way: with a cozy dinner-and-a-movie night! Whether you’re gathering friends, family, a significant other, or flying solo (we fully support a me-night), this guide is your spell book for a magical evening built around a true Halloween classic: Hocus Pocus. While the movie isn’t packed with food scenes, we’ve brewed up a menu full of themed bites and spooky touches that will set the mood just right. So grab your broomstick, gather your coven, and prepare to light the Black Flame Candle… the Sanderson sisters await!
Set the Mood
Setting the scene is the perfect way to fully immerse yourself—and your guests—in the Halloween spirit. If you’re up for a little decorating spree, think faux cobwebs, black linens, taper candles, and a dash of macabre flair. Need some inspiration? You can shop a few spooky favorites here. Prefer cozy over creepy? A warm, inviting setup with soft blankets, flickering candles, plush pillows, and comfy pajamas makes a charming alternative.
Beverage
Every good gathering begins with festive libations or perhaps an evil elixir. This spiced pear margarita puts a wickedly delicious twist on the classic cocktail. With warm cinnamon, crisp pear juice, and traditional margarita ingredients, it’s the perfect autumnal sip. Sweet, spiced, and just a little enchanting, it might even keep you feeling forever young… Sanderson-style.
The Life Potion
Ingredients
- 2 ounces pure pear juice
- 1 ½ ounces tequila
- ½ ounces preferred orange liqueur
- ½ ounces fresh squeezed lime juice
- dash cinnamon
- simple syrup to taste
Instructions
- Douse the edge of your glass in lime juice and rim with cinnamon sugar
- In a cocktail shaker, combine plenty of ice, pear juice, tequila, preferred orange liqueur, fresh squeeze lime juice, cinnamon, and optional simple syrup
- Pop on the lid and give it a good shake
- train your cocktail into your prepared glass, add a lime wheel, and enjoy
Notes
Pro Tip: For an extra spooky experience, add edible glitter or green food dye to give your drink a ghoulish glow
Mocktail: To make this drink non-alcoholic, leave out the tequila and replace orange liqueur with club soda or orange juice
Starter
Once you’ve settled in and sipped your way through the opening scenes of the movie, it’s the perfect moment to bring out the appetizers. Enter Billy’s Bruschetta, a spooky spin on an Italian classic. Toasted crostinis are topped with a vibrant mix of diced Roma tomatoes, red onion, fresh basil, garlic, and a drizzle of balsamic glaze. It’s bright, refreshing, and the ideal bite to awaken the taste buds before the next round of spells (or snacks).
Billy’s Bruschetta (Serves 4 people)
Ingredients
- 1 French baguette sliced
- 4 to 6 Roma tomatoes diced
- 1 teaspoons garlic powder
- ⅓ cups basil leaves chopped
- 2 to 4 tablespoons balsamic glaze
- 2 tablespoons olive oil to taste
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- ¼ cups finely diced red onion
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees
- On a lined baking sheet, evenly space out your sliced baguette. Toast your baguette slices to your preferred toastiness, flip, and do the same again to the other side, keeping a watchful eye
- In a medium sized bowl, combine diced tomatoes, garlic, basil leaves, balsamic glaze, olive oil, seasonings to taste, and (optional) red onion. Gently mixed until well combined
- Adjust seasonings and balsamic glaze to taste as needed
- Once your freshly toasted crostinis have cooled, top each one with a good spoonful of your tomato mixture
- Finish with an (optional) additional drizzle of balsamic glaze and enjoy
Notes
Pro Tip: Making this dish several hours ahead will give the flavors extra time to mingle; just be sure to wait to top your crostinis till you are ready to serve. For another delicious variation, prep your crostinis the same way you would garlic bread
Kid Friendly: For younger palates, consider open face peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or crostinis baked to resemble miniature pizzas with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and pepperoni
Main Course
For the main event of the evening, Dead Man’s Toes are far more delicious than their name implies. Wrapped in golden puff pastry, these savory bites are the ultimate spooky-season finger food—and thanks to premade dough, they’re quick to assemble, leaving you plenty of time to enjoy the movie magic. Serve them alongside roasted veggies, crispy potatoes, creamy homemade mac and cheese, or a tangy autumn slaw for a frightfully satisfying feast.
Dead Man’s Toes
Ingredients
- 1 package puff pastry dough
- 1 package fully smoked sausage
- 1 egg beaten
- salt to taste
- garlic powder to taste
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven according to the directions on your puff pastry dough’s box
- Layout your puff pastry sheet, vertically, and begin cutting your dough into 1 to 2 inch strips
- Taking a puff pastry strip and a sausage, wrap the dough around the sausage, making sure to cover most of the sausage. Repeat with the remaining sausages
- Coat each sausage in a light layer of your beaten egg, then sprinkle to taste with salt, garlic powder, and black pepper
- Bake according to package instructions or until your desired crispiness is reached
Notes
Pro Tip: As an oozy twist, before slicing your puff pastry, spread a layer of goat cheese or Boursin on top for a cheesy bite. For a gluten free option, bacon would be a tasty substitution for puff pastry
Kid Friendly: For a simpler take, replace the puff pastry with rolled out crescent dough strips and the sausages with hotdogs
Dessert
No spooky soirée is complete without something sweet—and candy snatchers Jay and Ice would definitely approve. These Stolen Candy Cookie Bars are the perfect way to use up any leftover Halloween candy. Chop up whatever chocolate treats you have on hand, mix them into your favorite cookie dough base, and bake into chewy, golden bars. They’re salty, sweet, and dangerously easy to serve.
Stolen Candy Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- 2 sticks unsalted butter softened
- splash vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 1 cups cane sugar
- 1 cups brown sugar
- 3 cups all purpose flour packed
- ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 to 3 cups chopped chocolate candy
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9×13 baking dish
- Cream together salted butter, cane sugar, brown sugar. One at a time, add eggs and vanilla
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, and baking soda
- Add in your wet ingredients and gently mix
- Fold in chopped chocolate candy, careful not to over mix
- Transfer your dough to the prepared baking dish, pressing down with a spatula so that it is evenly spread
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until your bars are lightly browned on top and crisping on the edges
- Allow your bars to completely cool before cutting into squares and serving
