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Savory SnacksNo. 8029 · The 2026 edition

Halloween Snack Recipe: Hairy Eyeballs

These creepy 'hairy eyeballs' are fried polenta balls coated in corn silk and served with a bloodshot marinara drizzle.

Hard

Our own summary of the original — the full post and photos live at hgtv.com.

Halloween Snack Recipe: Hairy Eyeballs | HGTV
PHOTO · HGTV.COM

This Halloween snack turns polenta into spooky eyeballs with a crunchy corn silk 'hair'. After cooking and shaping the polenta, you dip them in egg and corn silk then fry until golden. Finish with marinara sauce for a gory bloodshot look.

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the grated onion and garlic and sauté until they become translucent.
  2. Pour in the chicken stock and bring it to a gentle simmer.
  3. While whisking continuously, slowly add the ground cornmeal to avoid any lumps.
  4. Continue stirring until the cornmeal is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed.
  5. Mix in the grated Parmesan and butter. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
  6. Transfer the polenta into two greased nonstick loaf pans.
  7. Once the polenta has set and cooled completely, use a large melon baller to scoop out round "eyeballs". For best results, press the baller flush against the surface to get a flat bottom and round top.
  8. In a separate pot, heat the canola oil to about 325°F.
  9. Set up a breading station with the whisked eggs in one bowl and the corn silk strands in another.
  10. Working one at a time, dip each polenta ball first in the egg, then roll it in the corn silk to coat completely.
  11. Carefully lower the coated polenta eyeballs into the hot oil and fry until the corn silk turns a rich golden brown.
  12. Remove the fried eyeballs and place them on paper towels to drain excess oil.
  13. Season each one with a pinch of kosher salt.
  14. To finish, drizzle a little marinara sauce over the top of each eyeball to create a bloodshot effect.

Open the original on hgtv.com