Seventh-graders Aaryn Wertz, left, and Abby Olker of West Junior High School.

Halloween isn’t associated with the elaborate feasts many people consume at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

But next to the costumes and spookery, treats take center stage this time of year.

We invited members of Angle, the Journal-World teen advisory board, to share recipes for their favorite Halloween snacks. Some prepared goodies from scratch; others offered craft projects to dress up store-bought candy.

All reflect the ghoulish spirit of Halloween – think quivering gelatin eyeballs and worm-and-dirt-covered cupcakes. And any one of them would work great for a school party or project for parents and children.

Sweet Spiders

Tootsie Pops

Black fabric

Wiggly eyes

Black pipe cleaners

Glue stick

Cut the fabric in 3-inch square pieces. Wrap one of the fabric pieces around a Tootsie Pop.

Wrap the middle part of pipe cleaner around the stick to keep the fabric together and to create the legs of the spider. Do the same with three more pipe cleaners. Cut the pipe cleaners to size.

Glue eyes on the fabric.

– Provided by Emily Corliss, junior at Free State High School, and Katherine Corliss, ninth-grader at West Junior High School

Spooky Sugar Cookies

2 cups butter

2 1/2 cups sugar

3 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

6 cups flour

3/4 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons milk or water

Cream butter. Add sugar, eggs and vanilla to butter mixture. In separate bowl, combine flour and salt and then add to butter mixture. If the mixture is too dry, add up to 4 tablespoons of milk or water.

Divide the dough in half or smaller quantities. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Roll out dough on floured surface to 1/8- or 1/4-inch thickness. Use cookie cutters to make Halloween shapes, such as pumpkins, bats or black cats.

Place on greased cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 12 minutes.

These can be frosted, and the recipe makes 5-6 dozen cookies.

– Provided by Stefan Vernberg, eighth-grader at South Junior High School

Ghost Cookies

1 package of Nutter Butter cookies

1 24-ounce package of white almond bark

Mini chocolate chips or mini M&Ms

Melt almond bark according to package directions. Dip cookies in almond bark and place on wax paper. Place two chocolate chips or M&Ms for eyes before almond bark sets. Makes 32 cookies.

– Provided by Aaryn Wertz and Abby Olker, both seventh-graders at West Junior High School, and Wayne Johnson Jr., eighth-grader at South Junior High School

Graveyard Cupcakes

1 cake mix

White frosting

Orange food coloring

Oreo Double Stuf cookies

Gummy worms

Make cupcakes according to cake mix directions. While cupcakes are cooling, mix orange food coloring with white frosting. When cupcakes are cool, decorate with orange frosting. Crush Oreo cookies and sprinkle over cupcakes. Put one gummy worm on each cupcake.

– Provided by Noah Nunn, seventh-grader at Southwest Junior High School

Spooks on a Stick

Chopped vanilla- and chocolate-flavored candy coating

Orange, green, violet or yellow paste food coloring

Wood skewers

Creme sandwich cookies

Assorted small candies and nuts

Melt small amounts of chopped vanilla- and chocolate-flavored candy coating in separate containers. If desired, add orange, green, violet or yellow paste food coloring to the vanilla candy coating. Insert a wood skewer into one end of creme sandwich cookie. If cookie begins to open too much, add some melted candy coating to the inside of cookie sandwich, press together around skewer, and chill in refrigerator until firm.

Working with one cookie at a time, dip cookie into melted coating, covering completely. Transfer to a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper. While coating is still soft, decorate with small candies and nuts making ghosts, skeletons, witches, pumpkins, monsters, mummies and owls.

– Provided by Bret Watson and Bailey Watson, sixth-graders at Quail Run School

Human Eyeballs

1 3-ounce package of green or blue Jell-O gelatin

3/4 cup boiling water

Styrofoam egg carton (washed and dried)

Large blueberries (fresh or frozen)

2 3-ounce packages of red Jell-O gelatin

1 7-gram envelope unflavored gelatin

1 cup lukewarm water (divided into 1/4 and 3/4 cups)

1/2 cup whipped topping

Heat 3/4 cup of water in the microwave until it is boiling (about 3 minutes). Add the blue or green Jell-O and stir until dissolved. Pour enough Jell-O in each cup of the egg carton to cover a blueberry. Place carton in the refrigerator for 10 minutes or until Jell-O just starts to harden.

Push a blueberry into the center of each cup and return it back to the refrigerator for an hour.

Meanwhile, make red Jell-O as instructed on the box.

When the blue or green Jell-O is completely firm make the white layer. Put 1/4 cup of the lukewarm water in a mixing bowl, add the unflavored gelatin and stir thoroughly.

Microwave the other 3/4 cup of water until it boils and then stir it in the unflavored gelatin mixture. Stir in whipped topping until it is fairly smooth. Place the white mixture into the freezer for about 10 minutes to cool. When cooled to lukewarm, pour into the egg carton to the top of each cup. Return the carton to the refrigerator for three hours or overnight.

To serve, cut up the red Jell-O and place it on a serving platter. Remove the eyes from the egg carton using a spoon, place them on top of the red Jell-O and enjoy.

– Provided by Megan Smith, eighth-grader at Bishop Seabury Academy

Ghost Droppings

5 cups Peanut Butter Crunch cereal

3 cups Rice Krispies cereal

2 cups skinny pretzels, broken into short pieces

2 pounds white chocolate

2 1/2 cups mini marshmallows

Mix all dry ingredients in large bowl. Melt white chocolate in double boiler or microwave. Pour melted chocolate over dry ingredients and stir well. Spread out on wax paper to cool. Break into chunks.

– Provided by Courtney Cooper, sixth-grader at Deerfield School

Devilish Cupcakes

1 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup cocoa

1 cup butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup water

2 eggs, plus 1 yolk

Vanilla frosting

Orange food coloring

Candy corn and bats

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar and cocoa, and set aside. In another bowl, beat butter, vanilla, water and eggs until creamy. Once combined, gradually add the dry ingredients in small batches. Mix until batter is smooth.

Place cupcake wraps in muffin tin. Pour batter into cups, filling two-thirds full. Bake 15 to 18 minutes.

Let cool. In the meantime, use food coloring to dye the icing orange. After cupcakes are frosted, decorate tops with candy corn and bats.

– Provided by Kim Carter, ninth-grader at West Junior High School

Devilish Dirt

1 box of chocolate pudding mix

2 cups milk

1 package of gummy worms

Oreo cookies

Vienna Fingers cookies

Decorative icing

Prepare the pudding mix according to box directions. Pour pudding into a clear plastic cup. Crush Oreo cookies and stir into pudding. Write “R.I.P.” in decorative icing on one end of the Vienna Fingers cookies and stick other end in pudding. Place two gummy worms in cup and drape one over cup. Dig in.

– Provided by Gavin Kirk, seventh-grader at Southwest Junior High School

Candy Corn Rice Krispies Treats

3 tablespoons margarine or butter

1 10-ounce package marshmallows or 4 cups miniature marshmallows

6 cups Rice Krispies

Red and yellow food coloring

white chocolate

Melt margarine in large saucepan over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat. Add Rice Krispies cereal. Stir until well coated.

Using buttered spatula or waxed paper, press mixture evenly into 13-by-9-by-2-inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. When slightly cooled cut cereal mixture into triangles and let cool completely.

Melt white chocolate until there are no lumps. Dip top part of triangular Rice Krispies until no brown can be seen. Let harden for about 10 minutes.

Melt white chocolate and add yellow food coloring. Put a spoonful on bottom part of triangular Rice Krispies and let harden.

Melt more white chocolate and add orange food coloring. Put a spoonful in center of triangular Rice Krispie. Once the white chocolate has hardened, serve.

– Provided by Olivia Taylor-Puckett, seventh-grader at McLouth Middle School

Scary Ghosts

Lollipops

White tissue

String

Black marker

Wrap white tissue around lollipop and tie with string. Use marker to make scary faces.

– Provided by Mack Mumford, sixth-grader at Quail Run School