44 Sweet and Spooky Halloween Desserts

Planning a fa-boo-lous party? Add these spooky Halloween desserts to your menu. We have ideas that are a little scary, a little sweet and a whole lot of fun.

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Edible Arachnids

I like to bring cake pops to movie nights. This year for Halloween, I used my go-to recipe to make these not-so-scary spiders. They’re such a fun Halloween dessert!—Nicole Rae Paoli, Newark, Delaware

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Jack-o'-Lantern Cream Puffs

These jack-o'-lanterns may look spooky on the outside, but inside is a creamy, sweet treat. The classic flavor of pumpkin pie spice will have all your ghosts and goblins screaming for more! Karalee Helminak, South Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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Witches' Brooms

Pair these edible mini brooms with Witches’ Brew for a spellbinding combination. The only ingredients you need here are pretzel rods and licorice. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen
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Candy Corn Cookies

Get a head start on these buttery cookies by shaping and chilling the homemade dough ahead of time. When you’re ready, just slice and bake this Halloween dessert. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen
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Black-Hearted Candy Apples

The glossy coating of these old-fashioned candy apples is hard, not soft like the more common caramel variety. It's best to lick them like a lollipop. You can also cut into wedges with a sharp knife, but the candy coating may crack. —Agnes Ward, Stratford, Ontario
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Tombstone Treats

My brother loves Rice Krispies squares, and my mom loves sugar cookies. I came up with a cute Halloween dessert they’d both like.

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Halloween Peanut Spider Cookies

These cute spider cookies are so easy. They'll be the star at your next Halloween party! —Rashanda Cobbins, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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Halloween Witch Cake

If you’re looking for an extra-special Halloween dessert, this witch cake will delight all the ghouls and goblins at your party. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen
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Cake Eyeballs

Customize these cake balls to your liking with the flavors of your choice. — Taste of Home Test Kitchen
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Jack-o'-Lantern Cake

I pieced two fluted tube pan cakes together to make this gap-toothed grinner that will make the best-ever centerpiece at your Halloween party. —Julianne Johnson, Grove City, Minnesota
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Candy Corn Pudding Pops

Bring on the fall fun with these easy-peasy Halloween desserts. A few drops of food coloring make each pop look just like candy corn, but feel free to switch up the colors to match your event. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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Spiced Chocolate Truffles

I make truffles for family events and gift-giving. Someone once asked me to add pumpkin spice, and now my recipe is legendary. —Gerry Cofta, Milwaukee, WI
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Spooky Gelatin Bubble Cupcakes

It’s so much fun to make these Halloween desserts! Bubbles can be made weeks ahead. Turn them into orange pumpkins, multi-colored balloons — whatever! —Sarah Farmer, Taste of Home Culinary Director
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So-Easy-It's-Spooky Bat Cake

This gorgeous dessert starts with a boxed cake mix. Then it’s an easy and magical trick to make the bat silhouette with cocoa. —Crystal Schlueter, Babbitt, Minnesota
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Witches’ Fingers

You don’t need a cauldron to conjure these frightening fingers. They’re a sweet-and-salty treat that’s spooky easy to make. —Beth Tomkiw, Chief Content Officer, Taste of Home
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Meringue Bones

This unique treatment for meringue travels well, too! You will certainly get requests for the recipe, and folks will be surprised at how simple it is! —Taste of Home Test Kitchen
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Jack-o'-Lantern Pie

Pumpkin pie does not have to be difficult to make. This recipe has wonderful maple flavor and is sure to be a hit at your fall get-togethers. —Marty Rummel, Trout Lake, Washington
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Day of the Dead Cookies

I love making this intricate Halloween dessert. Using candies, food coloring and a wild imagination, try your hand at this Day of the Dead cookie decoration. —Kristine Fossmeyer, Huntley, Illinois
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Marshmallow Ghosts

Kids of all ages can help prepare these easy-to-make treats. With just three ingredients that I often keep on hand, they can be put together at a moment's notice.—Nancy Foust, Stoneboro, Pennsylvania
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Owl Cookies

I came up with these cookies as a treat for my kids’ class parties. Not only do they look cute, but they are also delicious.—Starrlette Howard, Ogden, Utah
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Brownie Haunted House

You don’t have to worry about getting this spooky Halloween dessert to stand upright. These fudgy brownies are the perfect canvas for creating a silly haunted house. Trick-or-treaters beware! —Sarah Farmer, Greenfield, Wisconsin
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Scary Eyeballs

Kids will squeal with delight at the sight of these eyeball treats. But the peanut butter flavor is the best part! —Shannon Blatchley, Ludlow, Massachusetts. Looking for more ideas? Check out our collection of spooky Halloween cakes.
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Brownie Spiders

I’m absolutely petrified of real spiders. But I can make an exception for these cute ones made from chocolate. They make perfect Halloween treats. —Ali Ebright, Kansas City, Missouri
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Eyes On You

Look out! This crazy cupcake only has eyes for you. Don’t worry though, this Halloween dessert is delicious! —Karen Tack, Riverside, Connecticut
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Kiss from a Vampire Cookies

Raspberry jam eerily oozes from these soft butter cookies. One bite, and you'll have a hard time stopping! —Taste of Home Test Kitchen
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Ghosts in the Graveyard Cake

This spooky cake is easy to make and fun to decorate. To save time, bake and freeze the brownies weeks in advance, then thaw at room temperature overnight before decorating.—Taste of Home Test Kitchen
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Scary Hairy Caramel Apples

This is a cute and tasty version of a caramel apple. It’s a perfect Halloween dessert. —Sally Sibthorpe, Shelby Township, Michigan
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Creepy Candied Corn

I couldn’t stop eating this popcorn when I first tried it at a friend’s party. My generous pal offered the recipe, and now I bring it to gatherings often. Color your corn an eerie green hue to add a spooky effect at Halloween. —Courtney D Wilson, Fresno, California
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Crazy Halloween Blondies

I have a real sweet tooth, so Halloween is my favorite holiday. I came up with these bars for my kids, but I think I like them even more than they do! —Nancy Heishman, Las Vegas, Nevada
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Halloween Monster Cookies

Don’t be surprised if all the monsters come out of hiding when you assemble this fun and easy Halloween dessert. My kids and I made them for their classroom Halloween party one year. Their classmates loved them, and it’s now a tradition to make them every year. —Dina Crowell, Fredericksburg, Virginia
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Ghost Shortbread Cookies

Pac-Man was my favorite video game when I was growing up. For a party, I decided to get creative and shape my go-to sugar cookies into the ghosts from the game. —Jamie S, Regina, Saskatchewan
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Bones & Blood

Like a zombie, you'll be desperate for more of these bone-shaped cookies and dip. Fight nicely over them—no biting! —Taste of Home Food Styling Team
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Brainy Cake

My Godson and I made this Halloween dessert after fun day at the science museum. We’ve made it several times now, and we get a kick out of experimenting with the frosting colors. —Faith Cromwell, San Francisco, California
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Mummy Brownies

The grave couldn't hold these mummified treats for long! Watch these fudgy brownies pull a disappearing act at your Halloween get-together. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen
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Halloween Sugar Cookies

I've been making these Halloween sugar cookies for about 40 years—first for my children and now my grandchildren and all their friends, too. I make about 20 trays a year to give away to trick-or-treaters. —Pamela Shank, Parkersburg, West Virginia
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Martian Marshmallows

If you have any leftovers of this Halloween dessert, wrap them in cellophane and hand them out as favors. —Teri Rasey, Cadillac, Michigan
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Halloween Layer Cake

There's nothing "scary" about this cake. I make it every Halloween for my husband, Mike, and our three children. —Karen Wirth, Tavistock, Ontario
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Graveyard Cake

Underneath tasty tombstones, ghosts, pumpkins, worms and soil that make this dessert a conversation piece, you'll find a delectable chocolate cake made from scratch in a few simple steps. It's a recipe I use year-round with different frostings. —Vicki Schlechter, Davis, California
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Frosted Pistachio Bars

Bar cookies are the best Halloween dessert-so fast and easy. Go as spooky as you dare when decorating this pan for Halloween. Shannon Sheehy, Chesterfield, Virginia
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Halloween Chocolate Cookie Pops

Our children look forward to making these cute cookies each year. They've become experts at making silly faces with little candies.
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Ghostly Cupcake Cones

Top peanut buttery cupcakes with your favorite frosting and spirited faces to make these frightfully ghostly treats. They’ll vanish into thin air before you know it! —Taste of Home Test Kitchen, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Ellie Martin Cliffe
Ellie has spent almost 20 years writing and editing food and lifestyle content for several well-known publishers. As Taste of Home's content director, she leads the team of editors sharing tasty recipes, cooking tips and entertaining ideas. Since joining Taste of Home 13 years ago, she has held roles in digital and print, editing cookbooks, curating special interest publications, running magazines, starring in cooking and cleaning videos, working with the Community Cooks and even handing out cookies and cocoa at local holiday events. Gluten- and dairy-free since 2017, she’s a staff go-to on allergy-friendly foods that actually taste good. If she's not in her plant-filled office, find Ellie in her family’s urban veggie garden, in the kitchen trying new GF/DF recipes or at a local hockey rink, cheering on her spouse or third grader.
Katie Bandurski
As Senior Shopping Editor, Katie connects Taste of Home readers with the best gifts, deals and home products on the market. An avid foodie and a holiday enthusiast, Katie is an expert at cultivating meaningful moments. When she’s out of the office, you’ll find her exploring Wisconsin, trying out new vegetarian recipes and watching Christmas movies.