31 Recipes to Cook in October

This collection is filled with my very favorite October recipes — everything from spooky (and seriously cute!) Halloween drinks and desserts to cozy fall dinners, hearty soups, creamy pastas, and plenty of pumpkin, apple, and chocolate treats. There’s even a little something for game day and easy entertaining. Basically, we’ve got a recipe for every single day this month! It was hard to narrow it down to just 31, but these are the ones I reach for most in October.

 

This year marks 13 years of Half Baked Harvest. My mom and I can hardly believe it! It’s wild to look back at how far we’ve come, how much we’ve grown, and all the ups and downs along the way. Every October, I love revisiting my very first post (a cozy butternut squash soup with ghostly grilled cheese — still one of my favorites). It’s so fun to see how this space has evolved.

October has always been a special month for me. The 9th is my Nonnie’s birthday — she loved Halloween and went all out with decor, candles, and cozy fall cooking. She’s the one who taught me to love candles and how to make a great pot roast. So much of what I love about fall comes from her. And the 11th is Oslo’s birthday!

Below you’ll find festive drinks, fun sweets, and the coziest dinners to make this month feel extra special. Pulling these recipes together reminded me just how many fall favorites I’ve shared over the years — some of these are truly tried and true!

I’d love to know which ones you’re most excited to try this October. Do you love the spooky cocktails? Should I bring back Cocktail Saturday? (I’m thinking yes — it’s tradition!). 

Here’s to a cozy, festive, frightastically delicious October – Boo!

Spooky Drinks For October Nights

Ghostly Ginger Cocktail (with mocktail)

Smoky Black Pomegranate Cocktail (with mocktail)

Haunted Pumpkin Patch Margarita

Smoky Sanderson Sisters’ Smash

Ginger Apple Moscow Mule

Smoky Harvest Apple Cider Margarita

The Golden Snitch Cocktail

Hocus Pocus Old Fashioned

Enchanted Graveyard Pomegranate Punch

Cozy Dinners

Red Wine Braised Pot Roast

Creamy Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup

Mini Spaghetti Squash Lasagnas

Crockpot Pumpkin Beer Braised Chicken

Crockpot Garlic Butter Chicken Meatballs and Creamy Orzo

Pull Apart Roasted Garlic Pizza Dip Sliders

Parmesan Popovers with Crispy Sage Garlic Butter

Sage Brown Butter Pumpkin Pasta Alfredo

Better For You Chicken and Spinach Ramen

Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Casserole

Crockpot Sunday Sauce

One Pot Stove-Top Pumpkin Mac and Cheese

Crockpot Herb Butter Chicken and Wild Rice

Healthier Slow Cooker Creamy Tortellini Vegetable Soup

Creamy French Onion and Mushroom Soup

Better Than Takeout Dan Dan Noodles

Creamy White Lasagna Soup

One Pot French Onion Pasta with Crispy Prosciutto

Cider Braised Short Ribs with Caramelized Onions

Creamy Pierogi Chicken Soup with Rosemary Bacon

Cider Braised Pot Roast with Crispy Sage Butter Potatoes

Smothered Chicken in Mushroom Wine Pan Sauce

Crockpot Buffalo Chicken and Broccoli

Coconut Sweet Potato Lentil Soup with Rice

Autumn Sweets

Cinnamon Swirl Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bars

Frosted Soft Pumpkin Sugar Cookies

Cinnamon Swirl Snickerdoodle Blondies

Gooey Pecan Pie Brownies

Cream Cheese Swirled Cinnamon Pumpkin Coffee Cake

Brown Butter Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Vanilla Chai Pumpkin Latte Cupcakes with Cinnamon Brown Sugar Frosting

Mini Apple Cider Cakes

Cinnamon Swirl Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Butter Bread

Easy Swirled Cinnamon Sugar Croissant Loaf

Pumpkin Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cream Cheese Swirled Cinnamon Pumpkin Butter Bread

Salted Bourbon Apple Crumble Coffee Cake

BOO! Fun for Halloween

Spooky Homemade Twix Bars

Milk Chocolate Stuffed Jack-O’-Lantern Cookies

BOO! Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

Halloween Monster Mash Cookies

Lastly, if you make any of these 31 Recipes to Cook in October, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love hearing from you and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!

Red candy apples are a classic fall treat with their shiny bright color, hard candy coating, and sweet or tart crisp apple underneath. It’s the best thing to make after apple picking, for a Halloween party, or just when you feel nostalgic and want to be a kid again.

Candy apples may look like an impressive dessert (and hard to make), but it’s actually pretty easy (just like our Easy Caramel Apples!)! We’ll show you how …

And just as a side note, since the sugar is extremely hot and you can get burned if not careful, we don’t recommend doing this project with kids. Just let them eat the final result rather than help with this one.

Looking for more fall treats? Check out:

What are candy apples?

Candy apples are a whole apple on a stick dipped in hot melted sugars which hardens to form a thin candy shell. While usually red, they can also be dyed other colors and they first appeared in 1908 in New Jersey when candy maker William Kolb created them. Red Hots candies were a popular choice to use for the outer coating, so some prefer to make theirs a cinnamon flavor coating to mimic that nostalgic flavor.

Ingredients for candy apples:

• Apples: Using smaller apples will get you more finished apples out of one batch of candy coating. Try and pick ones with a nice round shape for the best looking candy apples.
• White sugar: This candy apple recipe uses plain granulated white sugar to give the candy coating its sweetness.
• Light corn syrup: Corn syrup helps you get that smooth candy finish.
• Water: The water mostly boils off while the candy rises up to the proper hard crack stage temperature.
• Red food coloring: Gel food coloring is preferred if you have it since it’s more concentrated so the color is brighter for the best candy apples.

Supplies for candy apples:

• Apple skewers: You can also use popsicle sticks or even sticks from branches for your skewers, but we like these bamboo ones since they already have a point for easy insertion.

How to prepare your apples:

Wash and dry apples: You want to try and remove any wax coating that’s on the apples so your coating will stick and you can avoid getting annoying bubbles that pop out of the coating.

You can scrub them really well with a clean textured scrubber after rinsing them in hot water and rub them dry with a textured towel to try and remove as much wax as you can, or some people like to boil water and dip the apples in the water for about 5 seconds before rubbing dry (longer than 8-10 seconds can start to cook the apples, so don’t leave them in too long!).

Make sure the apples are fully dry before dipping as any amount of water will create bubbles in your coating.

Add skewers: Push or tap your wooden skewers or lollipop sticks halfway into the top of your dried apples and set aside.

How to make candy apples:

Prepare your pan: Prepare a sheet pan or parchment paper sprayed with nonstick spray or butter so you’ll be able to remove the apples easily once cooled.

Cook your coating: Combine sugar, water, corn syrup, and food coloring in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir together with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula and bring the sugar mixture to a boil with a candy thermometer clipped to your pot (make sure it’s not touching the bottom of the pot or it won’t be an accurate read).

Bring coating up to 300°: Let the mixture boil for about 15-20 minutes on medium-high heat until it reaches between 300°-310°. Remove the coating from the heat and allow the bubbles to settle down for a minute until smooth.

Dip your apples: Working quickly, tilt your pan to the side and dip an apple in the candy mixture, swirling the apple to get each side coated. Pull the apple out and let the excess drip off before placing on a prepared baking sheet, wax paper, silicone mat or parchment paper (just coat whichever one you use with cooking spray).

If the candy coating starts to harden before you are done dipping all your apples, put it back on medium heat until it thins out again.

NOTE: Remember, this sugar is very hot, so be sure to keep your skin away from the sugar to avoid burns. You can also have a bowl of ice water nearby just in case you make contact with the sugar so you can quickly dip your hand in that, or even use heatproof gloves made for cooking.

Let cool: Once all your apples are dipped, let the coating harden (it just takes a few minutes) and your apples are ready to eat! Remember, candy apples have a hard sticky coating, so eat with caution!

Tips for Making Candy Apples

• Use organic apples if you can since some companies don’t use wax on their apples so you don’t have to try to remove it. Or use apples from a local orchard that doesn’t wax their apples.

• Make sure your sugar reaches the 300° mark or the coating won’t harden and it will be more of a taffy texture.

• Try and keep the candy shell thin when you dip; it doesn’t need to be super thick and will be harder to eat.
• If you want to add a topping to your apples, just roll them in chopped coconut, nuts or sprinkles before the candy coating sets.

• You can make your candy apples a color other than red if you want! Just remember the color of the apple comes through a bit and may muddle your final color depending on what shade you pick, but purple or black for Halloween is fun!

What the best way to clean your pot after making candy apples?

Now that your candy apples are made, you may be staring at your pot thinking “Now, how am I ever going to clean that?!” It’s actually pretty easy!

• Fill your pot with water.
• Boil the water on the stove, stirring every so often.
• Once the candy leftover is dissolved, pour the water out and the hardened sugar is gone!

If you have some sugar up on the sides of your pot above the boiling water line, just use a spatula to keep pulling up some of the hot water over that spot until it starts to dissolve.

You can also dip your thermometer into the water as it boils to remove any hardened candy for the tip of that as well.

How do you store candy apples?

Candy apples can be stored in an airtight container for up to three days in the refrigerator, although they are usually best eaten in the first 24 hours. The outer hard shell will last longer than three days, but the hole that is poked into the apple is what starts to oxidize the apple after a few days and makes it mushy inside.