Dress up your Halloween this year with a kid-friendly Halloween Corn Croquettes recipe! Wrapped in layers of puff pastry sheets, these scary yet cute and admirable little corn croquettes will bring along loads of cherished moments for the little guests who come to visit you.
A kid-friendly, fun, festive, and spooktacular snack that celebrates the spirit of Halloween taste way better than they appear and promises to really freak out your family and little trick-or-treaters!
Are you planning a spooky recipe that is frightfully delicious and aptly scares up everyone’s appetite? You, indeed, are in the right place.
Here is a fantastic Halloween recipe that is super delicious, addictive, and packed with a petrifying punch!
Serve these party-worthy appetizers as snacks before trick-or-treating and win adorable little hearts.
What is Halloween Corn Croquettes
A croquette is a savory food that comprises a breaded patty prepared with veggies or meat and is usually fried or baked.
The name ‘Croquettes‘ in french means croquer (kro-kay), meaning to crunch.
Originally from France, these croquettes are an easy way to use up the leftovers in the fridge. The leftover meat or veggies are mixed with other ingredients and rendered a cylindrical shape. These are then rolled in the breadcrumbs and deep-fried or baked.
The croquettes you come across in Spain are the customized version of French croquettes, which are filled with béchamel sauce instead of potato and veggies/meat filling.
This mummified croquette is a scary-looking yet superbly delicious treat you must try at your Halloween party. It is fun to make for the spookiest night of the year, and it will satisfy all your cravings for yummy food.
Just cook the corn croquettes, unroll the pastry sheets, wrap the croquettes with the pastry sheets and bake them in the air fryer! They are this easy!
Corn, carrots, and peas are the filling ingredients that are tasty and healthy too. Onions add their distinct flavor, and chilies bring the heat.
Reasons You’ll ♡ Halloween Corn Croquettes
Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, these Croquettes are perfect finger food that can easily be paired with cocktails and mocktails.
Besides that, you will love these spooky, fun treats as they are —
- Fun and super easy
- Delicious, attractive, and addictive
- Veggies make them healthy
- Comes together pretty quickly, and
- Scalable as per the need
A bit of friendly advice — Prepare a double batch of these vegetarian bite-sized snacks to keep your party going without a halt, as you may soon run out of them!
The best part is these Halloween appetizers can be prepped ahead of time and served just as when the party kicks off.
Halloween Corn Croquettes Ingreient List
Puff Pastry — Puff pastry sheets are used for making the crispy outer covering of the croquettes. These are readily available at your nearby grocery store in the freezer section.
Corn kernels — Forms the key ingredient, lending nutrition, and color to the recipe. You can use store-bought frozen corn or even fresh ones.
Green peas — High in nutrients, fiber, and antioxidants, this recipe uses frozen green peas that add color and nutrition.
Carrots — Carrots are a great source of vitamins and minerals and rich in beta-carotene. Wash, peel, chop and cube the carrots before adding them to the recipe.
Potatoes — Boiled and mashed potatoes help bind the croquette mixture together, easing the process of shaping Halloween corn croquettes.
Red Onions — These add structure to the recipe, and the intense flavor of the red onions takes the delectability of the recipe to another level.
Green Chillies — Chopped green chilies spice up the flavor of the recipe.
Cilantro — Freshly chopped herbs like cilantro add color and flavor to the recipe.
Breadcrumbs — Breadcrumbs are added to the croquette mixture to absorb the extra moisture and help the ingredients to bind correctly. I have used homemade breadcrumbs, although store-bought breadcrumbs also work great.
Seasonings — Seasonings like cumin seeds, paprika, salt, and pepper add more flavor and spiciness to the corn croquette recipe.
Oil — For brushing the croquettes.
Recipe Tips and Variations
Substitution for corn — Corn kernels can be substituted for any other protein like paneer, tofu, etc. This makes a healthy variation to the recipe.
Fry the croquettes — Instead of baking these delicious corn croquettes, you may also consider frying them. Place the croquettes in the moderately hot oil and cook them for 3- 4 minutes or until golden. Then, flip them and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. Ensure the oil is not too hot or will burn the croquettes and spoil the recipe.
Scalable recipe — If you need to feed a large crowd, you can always double the Halloween corn croquette recipe as it is easily scalable.
For better binding — The croquette mixture may have some extra moisture, making it difficult to bind. This also doesn’t let the croquettes hold their shape. To fix this, add some flour or breadcrumbs to the mixture. The flour/ breadcrumbs soak the extra moisture, making it easy for the fritters to bind and hold their shape.
For cheese-stuffed corn fritters — You can also make these croquettes by stuffing the croquettes with cheese cubes. Cheese stuffing will make a delicious variation to this recipe and curate a cheesy Halloween snack that tastes yummy!
More veggies for more flavor — This recipe comprises veggies such as potatoes, peas, carrots, and corn. You may also add more veggies of your choice to make this recipe more flavorful and healthy.
Adding a healthy punch — You can also add chopped spinach or kale to the croquettes for more flavor, color, and nutritional significance. Spinach and kale provide more vitamins and minerals to the recipe.
Swap peas for other veggies — If you don’t like peas, swap them entirely and add other veggies of your choice.
Caution when frying — If you are frying the croquettes, please be a little careful as the corn tends to break and burst in the hot oil. This may cause the hot oil to sprinkle around.
Baking the croquettes — You can brush them with oil and bake them in a preheated oven at 400° F (200° C) for 15 to 20 minutes until they turn crispy golden.
Shallow frying is another option — You can also shallow fry the croquettes if you prefer something other than deep frying or baking. Shape them cylindrical and shallow fry them in a pan in batches. Ensure they are not over-crowded in the pan, or else they will not fry properly.
Baking duration — The baking time of the croquettes may vary depending on the number of puff pastry layers that you have added to each corn croquette.
Making edible eyeballs — You can substitute the eyes with a small circle of cheese slices and place a black peppercorn or corn kernel for the eyeball.
Thawing the pastry sheets is essential — Read the instructions given on the puff pastry sheets box before using them. Thawing is a crucial step to be addressed. Thaw the pastry sheets in the fridge overnight before using them, or else the frozen pastry sheets may tear apart when unfolding forcefully.
Work with one pastry sheet at a time — If kept at room temperature for a long time, the puff pastry sheets may become sticky and tough to work with. Keeping them in the fridge, covered in a large zip-lock bag, until ready to use is best. Take one sheet at a time and work on it.
Roll the puff pastry sheet on a floured surface — The puff pastry sheets may stick to the board when rolling; therefore, flour the surface before rolling them.
Bring more crispiness to the recipe — You may place your freshly shaped corn croquettes in the refrigerator and chill them for some time to ensure extra flakiness and crispiness when they are fried.
Garnish — I have used a dab of vegan mayo to stick the edible eyeballs to my Halloween corn croquettes. But you can use mustard sauce or ketchup too to create eyes.
Let me know what you think!
So, are you ready to surprise your little guests with this freaky appetizer? If yes, this is when you make the frighteningly fantastic little treats.
Get ready with the ingredients, and let us begin our Halloween adventures! I promise you will love the unlimited fun and flavor that will come along.
Should you make these Halloween-themed snacks, please let me know your thoughts by sharing your comment below.
And don’t forget to share it with your family and friends.
Craving for more? other Halloween treats you’ll love:
Follow the step-by-step instructions to make the best Halloween Corn Croquettes
Halloween Corn Croquettes
INGREDIENTS
BASE INGREDIENTS
- 1 can Corn Kernels drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup Carrots peeled, rinsed, and cubed
- 1/4 cup Peas frozen
- 2 small Potatoes boiled and mashed
- 1/4 cup Onions peeled, rinsed, and chopped
- 1 small Green chili chopped
- 1 tablespoon Cilantro leaves rinsed and chopped
SPICES
- 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
- 3/4 teaspoon Paprika
- 1 teaspoon Coarsely crushed black peppercorns adjust to taste
- – – Salt to Taste
- 1.25 cups Breadcrumbs
- 1.5 teaspoons Oil to brush the croquettes
- 1 – Puff pastry sheet (thawed)
GARNISHES
- 10 pairs Edible Eyeballs
- – – Black sesame seeds
SERVE WITH
- – – Green Chutney
- – – Tomato Ketchup
INSTRUCTIONS
PREPARING CORN CROQUETTES
- Before progressing with the recipe, thaw just ONE puff pastry sheet according to package instructions.
- While the pastry sheets are thawing, let’s prepare the corn croquettes. Gather your ingredients – Add corn kernels, frozen peas, and carrots to the food processor.
- Pulse until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs.
- The mixture should look coarse, not smooth or paste-like. Therefore, take precautions and pulse in increments until you reach the desired texture.Tip — Keep the filling moisture-free — The moisture-laden mixture will not be easy to shape and fry. Therefore, always make sure the mixture is devoid of extra moisture.
- In a large bowl, combine the corn-peas-carrot mixture with mashed potatoes. Mix until incorporated. Add chopped onions and green chilies. Mix in chopped cilantro. Stir in all the seasonings – cumin seeds, paprika, salt, and pepper. You can taste the mixture at this stage and adjust the seasonings if needed. Stir in breadcrumbs. Mix until all the ingredients are evenly mixed.The combined mixture should feel dry, not sticky. Grease your palms with oil and shape the mixture into croquettes. Place the croquettes on a plate and allow them to rest in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
- Arrange these croquettes in a single layer in the air fryer. Bake at 375 degrees F for 10-12 minutes, turning them about halfway through cooking. Bake until the croquettes are slightly golden brown and crispy.
- Remove them from the air fryer and set them aside to cool.
ASSEMBLING HALLOWEEN CORN CROQUETTES
- Time to assemble. Unfold the thawed pastry sheet and place it on a lightly flour-dusted surface. Using a rolling pin, flatten out the dough into a big square.Tip — Refreezing the puff pastry sheets — Unused pastry sheets can be wrapped in a plastic sheet and placed in the freezer. It stays best for about 2 months and can be used after thawing overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Using a pizza cutter, cut the puff pastry sheet lengthwise into 1/4 inch strips. You will end up with 38-40 thin strips. You will need 4 strips in total on each croquette.
- Stretch and wrap 3 strips on the bottom part of each corn croquette. Leave some space in between for the eyes and cover the last strip on the top, making it look like a bandana (headscarf).
- Repeat the process with the rest of the croquettes. Secure the end of the last strip by pinching the dough together to secure the strip if necessary. Arrange the wrapped corn croquettes mummies on a greased baking tray and brush them all with oil.
- Bake the corn croquettes mummies in the preheated oven. At 375 degrees F for 14 -16 minutes or until golden brown.
- Brush the freshly-baked croquettes with melted butter and allow the corn croquettes mummies to cool.
- Time to attach the eyes to these mummies. I have used a dab of vegan mayo to stick the edible eyeballs to my corn croquettes.
- Serve these Halloween corn croquettes with green chutney or tomato ketchup.
RECIPE NOTES
- Cool the corn fritters properly after they are cooked. Please put them in a freezer-safe container and place them in the freezer. They will be good to use for a month.
- Thaw them in the refrigerator when needed and reheat them in the oven as instructed.
- To reheat – Place the Corn Croquettes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake them at 350° F for about 8 to 10 minutes or until heated through.
- frozen pizza dough
- crescent dough
- bread dough
- flaky buttermilk biscuit dough
- Homemade pizza dough works best too.
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