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I’ve been sprinkling in Halloween themed recipes for the whole month of October, but with the holiday finally right around the corner this weekend, here are some of my favorite party dips to share with friends and family if you get together with them for the spooky season!

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SPIDERWEB TACO DIP

3 roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped

1/2 white onion, chopped

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste

Juice of 2 limes, plus more to taste

2 medium avocados

1 (16-ounce) can refried beans

1 (4-ounce) can green chiles

1 tsp. ground cumin

A few dashes of hot sauce

2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend (about 8 oz.)

1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. sour cream

1/4 cup whole black olives, drained

1 green onion, sliced

Tortilla chips, for serving

In a medium bowl, combine the tomatoes, jalapeño, onion, cilantro, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and the juice of 1 lime. You should have about 2 cups of pico de gallo.

In a second medium bowl, mash the avocados with a fork, making sure to leave them relatively chunky. Add the remaining ½ teaspoon salt and the juice of 1 lime. Stir in ½ cup of the pico de gallo. Taste and add more salt and lime if desired.

In a medium skillet, warm the refried beans over medium-low heat. Stir in the green chiles, cumin, and hot sauce and stir well.

Spread the beans in the bottom of a 9-inch glass pie plate. Sprinkle with 1 cup of the Mexican cheese blend. Top with 1 cup of the pico de gallo. Spread 1 cup of the sour cream over the pico de gallo. Spread the guacamole over the sour cream. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup Mexican cheese blend.

Cut 1 black olive in half lengthwise. Thinly slice the remaining black olives crosswise into rings. Cut 8 olive rings in half to form spider legs.

Spoon the remaining 2 tablespoons sour cream into a zip-top bag and snip about ¼ inch off the corner. Pipe a spiderweb pattern over the Mexican cheese blend. Place the olive halves on the spiderweb and arrange the halved rings around them for legs. Spoon the remaining ½ cup pico de gallo around the edge of the dip in a ring. Sprinkle the pico with sliced green onion and the olive rings.

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CARAMEL APPLE DIP

6 Tbsp. salted butter

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

3 Tbsp. heavy cream

8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature

1/4 cup chopped roasted, salted peanuts

3 apples (assorted colors), sliced

Make the caramel: Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and heavy cream and bring to a simmer, stirring. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer gently until the sugar is dissolved and the caramel is bubbly, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly, 15 to 20 minutes. 

When the caramel is warm (not hot), beat the cream cheese in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in three-quarters of the caramel until incorporated. Spoon into a serving bowl. 

Microwave the remaining caramel until pourable, about 20 seconds, then pour over the dip. Sprinkle with the peanuts. Serve immediately with the sliced apples or refrigerate for up to 4 hours; let sit at room temperature 30 minutes before serving. 

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BEER CHEESE DIP

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 (12-oz.) can IPA beer

1/4 cup half-and-half

6 oz. shredded fontina cheese

6 oz. shredded sharp yellow cheddar cheese

1 tsp. dijon mustard

1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Chopped chives and/or black pepper, for garnish

Pretzels, to serve

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened, 4 to 6 minutes. Gradually whisk in the flour and cook, whisking constantly, until lightly browned, about 1 minute. 

Gradually whisk in the beer and half and half. Cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce is thickened and just begins to bubble, 5 to 7 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and gradually add the cheeses, whisking constantly, until melted and combined. Remove from the heat.

Whisk in the Dijon mustard and the Worcestershire sauce. Garnish with chives and black pepper, if you like. Serve with pretzels; re-warm gently as needed. 

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ROASTED GARLIC & PUMPKIN HUMMUS DIP

For the Roasted Garlic

1/2 cup olive oil

3 cloves garlic, smashed

For the Hummus

1 15.5-ounce can chickpeas, drained

1 cup canned pure pumpkin puree

2 Tbsp. lemon juice, plus more if needed

2 Tbsp. tahini

1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Kosher salt, to taste

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

Crackers and cut-up vegetables, for serving

For the roasted garlic: Preheat the oven to 375 ̊. Place the olive oil and garlic in a ramekin or small baking dish and roast until the garlic turns a light golden color and becomes tender but does not brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

For the hummus: Add the roasted garlic plus 2 tablespoons of the oil from the ramekin to a food processor (reserve the remaining oil). Add the chickpeas, pumpkin puree, lemon juice, tahini, pumpkin pie spice and a nice pinch of salt. Blend until smooth, then add a bit more of the roasted garlic oil. Taste and add a bit more salt and lemon juice if needed. Spoon into a bowl and pour any remaining roasted garlic oil over the top; cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

When ready to serve, cook the pumpkin seeds and a pinch of salt in a skillet over medium-high heat, tossing, until the seeds are fragrant and develop a bit of a sheen, about 4 minutes. Season with a pinch of salt. Sprinkle the toasted pumpkin seeds on the hummus and serve slightly chilled or at room temperature with crackers and cut-up vegetables.

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CANDY CORN COLADA

1½ cups frozen pineapple chunks

1½ cups frozen mango chunks

1 squeeze of lime

2-3 drops orange gel food coloring

2 bananas, frozen

1 can coconut cream, sweetened (divided)

1-2 oz. Malibu Rum with pineapple 

Additional milk of choice (Add as needed for smoother consistency)

Add a splash of pineapple rum to the blender for each fruit layer. Please enjoy responsibly.

Add 2/3 can of coconut cream to blender and add pineapple, mango, and squeeze of lime and blend until smooth. Add additional milk if needed. Pour ⅔ cup each of the yellow smoothie into two Collins glasses.

Add orange food coloring to the remaining smoothie in the blender and blend until the desired color is reached. Pour next layer into Collins glasses.

Rinse out blender.

Pour remaining 1/3 of coconut cream into blender, add frozen bananas and blend until smooth. Pour the banana layer into Collins glasses and serve.

Add a splash of pineapple rum to the blender for each fruit layer. Please enjoy responsibly.

TFD: “There are three things that I’ve learned never to discuss with people: religion, politics and the Great Pumpkin.” — Linus, “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown”

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