Something Wickedly Cheesy: Halloween Appetizers for the Little Monsters

by Paula Butler

Earlier this week we fed the grownups. There was baked Brie in a pastry spiderweb, and wine, and not one single person asked for ketchup.

Tonight belongs to the little monsters.

These Halloween appetizers are built for small hands and big imaginations. Friendly ghosts, silly monsters, and one very hardworking mummy, all made with soft, melty cheese. Grownups handle the oven. Everyone else handles the giggling.

This is the second of our two Halloween party posts. If you missed the first one, our grownups’ edition is waiting for you, with bubbling Brie and something lovely to pour.

Now then. Costumes on. Cheese at the ready.

Mini Mummy Pizzas

Every mummy worth its bandages is hiding something delicious underneath. In this case, pizza sauce.

Makes: 8 mini pizzas
Prep time: About 10 minutes
Oven temperature: 375°F
Bake time: 10 to 12 minutes

What you’ll need

• 4 English muffins, split in half
• ½ cup pizza sauce
• 6 ounces sliced mozzarella, cut into thin strips
• Sliced black olives, for eyes

How to make it

1. Heat your oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
2. Place the muffin halves cut side up on the baking sheet. Spread each with about 1 tablespoon of sauce.
3. Lay mozzarella strips across each muffin in overlapping bandages, leaving a few small gaps so the sauce peeks through.
4. Add two olive slices for eyes, tucking them between the cheese strips.
5. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the muffins are toasty at the edges.
6. Let them cool until just warm before serving. Little mouths and hot cheese are not friends.

For younger children, cut each mummy into pieces appropriate for their age and eating skills.

Friendly Ghost Ricotta Dip

These ghosts are more interested in your crackers than in haunting anyone. Underneath those little faces is a lemony whipped ricotta that disappears with suspicious speed.

Makes: About 8 small servings
Prep time: 15 minutes
Chilling time: At least 30 minutes

What you’ll need

• 1 cup well drained ricotta, homemade or purchased
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• Salt, to taste
• A little thick balsamic glaze, for the faces
• Pita triangles, crackers or soft bread, for dipping

How to make it

1. If the ricotta is wet, drain it in a fine mesh strainer in the refrigerator before measuring. Excess moisture makes sleepy puddles instead of standing ghosts.
2. Blend the ricotta, cream cheese, lemon juice and garlic powder in a food processor until smooth. Season with salt.
3. Chill for at least 30 minutes, until firm enough to hold a soft mound.
4. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip, or use a food storage bag with one corner snipped off. Pipe short ghostly mounds onto a platter, lifting at the top to make a little point. Slightly lopsided is perfectly respectable.
5. Use a toothpick to dot each ghost with two eyes and a little mouth of balsamic glaze.
6. Arrange the dippers alongside and serve promptly, or refrigerate until serving.

Make ahead: prepare the dip a day ahead and keep it covered in the refrigerator. Pipe and decorate the ghosts shortly before the party. If your ricotta is too soft to pipe, serve it in a shallow bowl with ghost faces dotted across the surface. Still delicious. Still haunted.

Silly Monster Cheese Ball

Every party needs one guest who is mostly eyes. This creamy little monster takes its job very seriously.

Makes: One small cheese ball, about 8 servings
Prep time: About 20 minutes
Chilling time: At least 30 minutes

What you’ll need

• 4 ounces soft goat cheese, or chèvre, softened
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• ½ cup finely chopped fresh parsley, washed and dried well
• 1 slice mozzarella, cut into small rounds, for eyes
• A little thick balsamic glaze, for pupils
• 1 thin strip red bell pepper, for a smile
• Crackers or small pieces of bread, for serving

How to make it

1. Beat the goat cheese and cream cheese together until smooth.
2. Scoop onto parchment, gather into a rounded mound and chill for at least 30 minutes, until firm enough to handle.
3. Roll gently in the parsley, pressing the leaves onto any bare patches until your monster is green and shaggy. Monsters should look slightly unkempt.
4. Press on the mozzarella eyes and add tiny dots of balsamic glaze for pupils. Finish with the pepper smile. Three eyes or five, we do not judge.
5. Keep refrigerated until serving. Set out with a spreading knife and crackers or bread.

For a milder monster, use another 4 ounces of cream cheese in place of the goat cheese.

Jack o’ Lantern Cheese Quesadillas

Warm, melty and grinning. These come together faster than a costume meltdown, which on Halloween is saying something.

Makes: 4 quesadillas
Total time: About 25 minutes

What you’ll need

• 8 small flour tortillas, about 6 inches across
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• 1 cup shredded mild orange cheddar
• A little butter or oil for the pan

How to make it

1. Have a grownup use clean kitchen scissors or a small knife to cut jack o’ lantern faces out of 4 tortillas. Keep the openings fairly small so the tortillas stay sturdy.
2. Mix the cheeses. Divide between the 4 plain tortillas, leaving a small border around the edges. Top each with a face tortilla.
3. Warm a skillet over medium low heat with a little butter or oil. Place a quesadilla in the pan with the face side up.
4. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the bottom is golden and the cheese begins to melt. Turn carefully with a wide spatula and cook the face side for another 1 to 2 minutes. Lower the heat if the tortilla browns before the cheese melts.
5. Return to face side up and let rest until just warm. Serve whole for the grin, then cut into manageable wedges for eating.

A Few Party Notes From Our Kitchen to Yours

Grownups handle the oven, skillet and cutting. Let melted cheese cool before serving, choose textures and pieces suited to each child, and supervise children while they eat. These recipes contain milk, and tortillas, muffins and many dippers contain wheat, so check labels and ask guests about allergies.

Keep the cold cheese dishes refrigerated until serving. Set out small portions and replenish from the refrigerator. Refrigerate perishable food within 2 hours, or within 1 hour if the temperature is above 90°F.

For something to sip, warm apple cider becomes a witch’s brew the moment you give it a wonderfully spooky name. Serve it comfortably warm, not hot.

And if any of these cheeses have you thinking you might like to make your own next time, our cheese making kits are a good place to start. There is something very satisfying about making the cheese before making the monsters.

Happy Halloween from all of us at Standing Stone Farms. May your cheese be melty and your monsters be friendly.

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