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.
41 Sweet and Spooky Halloween Desserts
Updated on Oct. 08, 2024
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
1/41
2/41
Jack-o’-Lantern Cream Puffs
Total Time
1 hour 30 min
Servings
12 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
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
3/41
Witches’ Brooms
Total Time
30 min
Servings
6 brooms
From the Recipe Creator:
Pair these edible mini brooms with Witches’ Brew for a spellbinding combination. The only ingredients you need here are pretzel rods and licorice. —Taste Recipes Test Kitchen
4/41
Candy Corn Cookies
Total Time
45 min
Servings
5 dozen
From the Recipe Creator:
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 Recipes Test Kitchen
5/41
Candy Apples
Total Time
40 min
Servings
4 apples
From the Recipe Creator:
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
6/41
Tombstone Treats
Total Time
55 min
Servings
16 treats
From the Recipe Creator:
My brother loves Rice Krispies squares, and my mom loves sugar cookies. I came up with a cute Halloween dessert they’d both like.
7/41
Spider Cookies
Total Time
38 min
Servings
2 dozen
From the Recipe Creator:
These cute spider cookies are so easy. They'll be the star at your next Halloween party! —Rashanda Cobbins, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
8/41
Halloween Witch Cake
Total Time
1 hour 55 min
Servings
16 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
If you’re looking for an extra-special Halloween dessert, this witch cake will delight all the ghouls and goblins at your party. —Taste Recipes Test Kitchen
9/41
Cake Eyeballs
Total Time
1 hour 35 min
Servings
2 dozen
From the Recipe Creator:
Customize these cake balls to your liking with the flavors of your choice. — Taste Recipes Test Kitchen
10/41
Jack-o’-Lantern Cake
Total Time
1 hour 5 min
Servings
32 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
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
11/41
Candy Corn Pudding Pops
Total Time
20 min
Servings
8 pops
From the Recipe Creator:
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 Recipes Test Kitchen, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
12/41
Spiced Chocolate Truffles
Total Time
50 min
Servings
about 2 dozen
From the Recipe Creator:
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
13/41
Spooky Gelatin Bubble Cupcakes
Total Time
5 min
Servings
3 to 4 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
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 Recipes Culinary Director
14/41
So-Easy-It’s-Spooky Bat Cake
Total Time
50 min
Servings
16 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
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
15/41
Witches’ Fingers
Total Time
20 min
Servings
1 dozen
From the Recipe Creator:
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 Recipes
16/41
Meringue Bones
Total Time
2 hours
Servings
1 dozen
From the Recipe Creator:
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 Recipes Test Kitchen
17/41
Jack-o’-Lantern Pie
Total Time
1 hour 10 min
Servings
8 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
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
18/41
Day of the Dead Cookies
Total Time
2 hours 10 min
Servings
1 dozen
From the Recipe Creator:
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
19/41
Marshmallow Ghosts
Total Time
20 min
Servings
about 15 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
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
20/41
Owl Cookies
Total Time
50 min
Servings
1 dozen
From the Recipe Creator:
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
21/41
Brownie Haunted House
Total Time
50 min
Servings
16 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
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
22/41
Scary Eyeballs
Total Time
50 min
Servings
40 pieces
From the Recipe Creator:
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.
23/41
Brownie Spiders
Total Time
50 min
Servings
9 brownie spiders
From the Recipe Creator:
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
24/41
Eyes On You
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, this Halloween dessert is delicious! —Karen Tack, Riverside, Connecticut
25/41
Kiss from a Vampire Cookies
Total Time
45 min
Servings
2 dozen
From the Recipe Creator:
Raspberry jam eerily oozes from these soft butter cookies. One bite, and you'll have a hard time stopping! —Taste Recipes Test Kitchen
26/41
Ghosts in the Graveyard Cake
Total Time
1 hour 30 min
Servings
1 graveyard cake (9 servings) and 20 tombstones
From the Recipe Creator:
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 Recipes Test Kitchen
27/41
Scary Hairy Caramel Apples
Total Time
45 min
Servings
10 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
This is a cute and tasty version of a caramel apple. It’s a perfect Halloween dessert. —Sally Sibthorpe, Shelby Township, Michigan
28/41
Creepy Candied Corn
Total Time
1 hour 30 min
Servings
7 quarts
From the Recipe Creator:
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
29/41
Crazy Halloween Blondies
Total Time
40 min
Servings
2 dozen
From the Recipe Creator:
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
30/41
Halloween Monster Cookies
Total Time
25 min
Servings
16 monster cookies
From the Recipe Creator:
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
31/41
Ghost Shortbread Cookies
Total Time
50 min
Servings
2-1/2 dozen
From the Recipe Creator:
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
32/41
Bones & Blood
Total Time
1 hour 10 min
Servings
40 cookies (2 cups sauce)
From the Recipe Creator:
Like a zombie, you'll be desperate for more of these bone-shaped cookies and dip. Fight nicely over them—no biting! —Taste Recipes Food Styling Team
33/41
Brainy Cake
Total Time
1 hour 15 min
Servings
12 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
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
34/41
Mummy Brownies
Total Time
50 min
Servings
32 brownies
From the Recipe Creator:
The grave couldn't hold these mummified treats for long! Watch these fudgy brownies pull a disappearing act at your Halloween get-together. —Taste Recipes Test Kitchen
35/41
Halloween Sugar Cookies
Total Time
1 hour 10 min
Servings
2 dozen
From the Recipe Creator:
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
36/41
Martian Marshmallows
Total Time
30 min
Servings
3 dozen
From the Recipe Creator:
If you have any leftovers of this Halloween dessert, wrap them in cellophane and hand them out as favors. —Teri Rasey, Cadillac, Michigan
37/41
Halloween Layer Cake
Total Time
50 min
Servings
16 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
There's nothing "scary" about this cake. I make it every Halloween for my husband, Mike, and our three children. —Karen Wirth, Tavistock, Ontario
38/41
Cemetery Cake
Total Time
1 hour 5 min
Servings
16 servings
From the Recipe Creator:
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
39/41
Frosted Pistachio Bars
Total Time
40 min
Servings
2 dozen
From the Recipe Creator:
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
40/41
Halloween Chocolate Cookie Pops
Total Time
35 min
Servings
2 dozen
From the Recipe Creator:
Our children look forward to making these cute cookies each year. They've become experts at making silly faces with little candies.
41/41
Ghostly Cupcake Cones
Total Time
50 min
Servings
about 2 dozen
From the Recipe Creator:
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 Recipes Test Kitchen, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
