We're baking these sweet and spooky Halloween cupcakes all October. Serve them at a Halloween party, after trick-or-treating or during a scary movie night.
15 Halloween Cupcakes to Make in October
Updated on Oct. 05, 2024
1/15
Sugar Ghost Cupcakes
Total Time
3 hours 20 min
Servings
2 dozen
From the Recipe Creator:
I had 10 neighborhood kids stop by to help me make these ghost cupcakes for a bake sale, though I have no doubt that most of the treats never made it that far! —Mysie Sabin, Franklin, Wisconsin
Get into the spooky spirit with these ghostly Halloween cupcakes. The ghosts are made by shaping white fondant. You can make faces on these ghouls the easy way by using a food-safe marker with food coloring ink.
2/15
Pumpkin Chip Cupcakes
Total Time
40 min
Servings
15 cupcakes
From the Recipe Creator:
I love these cupcakes that are loaded with chocolate chips and chopped walnuts. My mom makes them for dessert on special occasions or for a sweet autumn snack.
-Jacinta Ransom, South Haven, Michigan
Pumpkin is the flavor of the season. Pair a can of pumpkin with chocolate chips to create the batter for these autumnal cupcakes.
3/15
Sour Candy Cupcakes
Total Time
50 min
Servings
2 dozen
From the Recipe Creator:
If you love the pucker of sour candies, then these sour candy cupcakes will be right up your alley. The sour dust sprinkled on top gives you an instant pucker when you first take a bite, but the sweetness soon follows. —Elizabeth Bramkamp, Gig Harbor, Washington
If you love the pucker of sour candies, then these sour candy cupcakes will be right up your alley. The sour dust sprinkled on top gives you an instant pucker when you first take a bite, but the sweetness soon follows. Don’t forget to top with a few extra Sour Patch Kids!
4/15
Eyes On You Cupcakes
Total Time
30 min
Servings
6 cupcakes
From the Recipe Creator:
Look out! This crazy cupcake only has eyes for you. Don't worry though, he's delicious!
—Karen Tack, Riverside, Connecticut
Watch out! These Halloween cupcakes will creep up on you! Use melted chocolate and candies to create the ghoulish (and gleeful) googly eyes.
5/15
Cream-Filled Pumpkin Cupcakes
Total Time
55 min
Servings
1-1/2 dozen
From the Recipe Creator:
Here's a charming use for pumpkin. Bursting with flavor and plenty of eye-catching appeal, these sweet and spicy filled cupcakes are bound to dazzle your family any time of the year. —Ali Johnson, Petersburg, Pennsylvania
Why do we love these cream-filled cupcakes so much? Because that tiny pumpkin on top is just the section of the cupcake you remove to make room for the filling! There’s no waste and it looks pumpkin patch-perfect when nestled on top with an edible stem.
6/15
Spider Cupcakes
Total Time
55 min
Servings
2 dozen
From the Recipe Creator:
Spooky Spider Cupcakes are creepy—and easy! Make a chocolate cupcake into a spider by adding a half-marshmallow "body" under the frosting, licorice legs and mini M&M eyes. Add chocolate sprinkles for a "hairy" effect. —Darla Wester, Meriden, Iowa
What’s lurking underneath this spider? A marshmallow! Cover the cupcake in frosting, top with a marshmallow, then coat with the remaining icing. Roll the treat in chocolate jimmies to give these tantalizing tarantulas their signature look.
7/15
Chocolate Candy Corn Cupcakes
Total Time
45 min
Servings
2 dozen
From the Recipe Creator:
My oldest son asks me to make these cupcakes every year for his class Halloween party. I always get compliments about how tasty and cute these treats are. —Nicole Clayton, Prescott, Arizona
These candy corn-inspired cupcakes start with a box mix which makes them so easy to bring to the classroom Halloween party or your neighbor’s costume bash.
8/15
Applesauce Spice Cupcakes
Total Time
40 min
Servings
1 dozen
From the Recipe Creator:
I began making these moist cupcakes in grade school and still bake them today. —Edna Hoffman, Hebron, Indiana
After you’ve made applesauce, transform some of it into spiced applesauce cupcakes. These handheld treats get topped with cream cheese frosting.
9/15
Candy Cupcake Creatures
Total Time
1 hour 20 min
Servings
1-1/2 dozen
From the Recipe Creator:
Rich chocolaty cupcakes include a cream cheese surprise. Get kids in on the fun by letting them help decorate. ‐Mrs. Walter Jacobson, Ashland, Ohio
It’s time get creative and decorate your own cupcake monster! Use all colors of frosting, candies and sprinkles to make scary and silly faces.
10/15
Apple Pie Cupcakes with Cinnamon Buttercream
Total Time
40 min
Servings
2 dozen
From the Recipe Creator:
These apple pie cupcakes are always a hit! They are so easy to make and the flavor just screams fall. Of course, they're equally delicious any other time of year. —Jennifer Stowell, Deep River, Iowa
Grab your favorite baking apples! They’ll be used to make the spiced filling for these impressive treats perfect for Halloween—or any day in fall.
11/15
Frankie Cupcakes
Total Time
45 min
Servings
Varied
From the Recipe Creator:
These cupcakes are sure to impress the guests at your Halloween party. They will disappear soon after you set them out!—Taste Recipes Test Kitchen
Frankenstein’s monster is a whole lot sweeter when he’s made from marshmallows! Coat your favorite marshmallows in green sugar and decorate the faces to look cheerful or creepy—your choice!
12/15
Alien Cupcakes
Total Time
5 min
Servings
3 to 4 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
It's so much fun to make these and decorate with them! Bubbles can be made weeks ahead. Turn them into orange pumpkins, multi-colored balloons -- whatever! —Sarah Thompson, Taste Recipes Culinary Director
We’ve detected signs of alien life coming from our Test Kitchen! These extraterrestrials are made with gelatin and look great when landed on top of a bed of green frosting.
13/15
Caramel Apple Cupcakes
Total Time
45 min
Servings
1 dozen
From the Recipe Creator:
Bring these extra special cupcakes to your next event and watch how quickly they disappear! With a caramel topping and spice cake base, they're the perfect mix of two favorite fall treats. —Diane Halferty, Corpus Christi, Texas
Are caramel apples your favorite fall treat? You can use those same flavors to create these Halloween cupcakes. Chopped apples folded into a spice cake form the foundation and then sticky caramel tops these treats. Don’t forget the stick!
14/15
Bat Cupcakes
Total Time
45 min
Servings
2 dozen
From the Recipe Creator:
Even my adult children love these Halloween cupcakes! We serve them every year at our pumpkin-carving party. You can also make them with the fudge stripes on their wings facing up for variety. —Joyce Moynihan, Lakeville, Minnesota
We’re batty for these Halloween cupcakes! The bat wings are made by slicing cookies or chocolate candies in half; fudge-dipped cookies or peppermint patties work well. Then use a Rolo or chocolate kiss as the face.
15/15
Out-Of-This-World Cupcakes
Total Time
35 min
Servings
2 dozen
From the Recipe Creator:
These are a cinch to bake—and even more fun to decorate! Save the decorating fun for a party activity, and let the kids top their cakes any way they want. —Taste Recipes Test Kitchen
These Halloween cupcakes are a cinch to bake—and even more fun to decorate! Save the decorating fun for a party activity, and let the kids top their cakes any way they want.
