Maybe you didn’t have time to assemble a head-turning costume like the one you made last year. Perhaps there were too many commitments to plan that Halloween bash you were hoping to throw this month. That’s just fine—there’s next year for all that. But in the meantime, even if you haven’t planned a thing, there’s still time to get in the Halloween spirit right now. Here are seven festive yet easy food and drink ideas that you can pull together at the eleventh hour.
 Candy Platter
Why not apply the aesthetic of the modern cheese plate to create a very of-the-moment candy board? See our tips for pulling it all together.
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| Bacon-Wrapped Dates
This classic sweet-salty combo is a crowd pleaser, and it only requires three ingredients to assemble.
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| Blood-Red Punch
This non-alcoholic cooler adds macabre to any table without much effort (if you have berries, berry juice and sparkling water, you can make this!). Drop in a plastic spider or two for the full Halloween effect.
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| Pumpkin Soup with Sweet and Spicy Pumpkin Seeds
Using canned pumpkin means this soup comes together in under 30 minutes. It still feels special, though, thanks the topping of candied sweet and spicy pumpkin seeds.
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Not only are these popcorn balls ridiculously kid-friendly, but they come together in three (three!) minutes if you have a microwave oven.
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Poppy Seed-Cheddar Cheese Ball
With shades of black and orange, our test kitchen’s cheese ball makes a beautiful, impactful statement to your All Hallows’ Eve.
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This spiderweb cake design appears impressively intricate without actually requiring any hard work. To shorten the process, buy a pre-made round cake and store-bought icing, then make the ganache yourself (which only takes a few minutes).
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