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Halloween is the one time of year when it’s totally fine for your dessert to stare back at you. Candy eyes, chocolate spiders, little ghosts and mummies: the sillier the better. Halloween treats are just as fun to make as they are to eat, which is why they’re perfect for a kids’ party, a classroom snack or a cozy night in with a scary movie.
This list has a little bit of everything. There are no-bake treats you can whip up in 15 minutes, cute cookies and cupcakes for a weekend baking project, and a few classics like homemade caramel apples. Most of them use easy grocery store ingredients, and plenty are simple enough for little hands to help decorate.
I rounded up 13 of the best Halloween treats from some of my favourite food bloggers, so you can find the perfect spooky sweet for your celebration.
The Best Halloween Treats to Make This Year
This article is all about the best Halloween treats.
1. Mummy Halloween Brownies
What it is: Fudgy brownies dressed up as little mummies with drizzled “bandages” and candy eyes peeking out.
The brownies get a layer of dark chocolate ganache, then the bandages are piped across the top so every square looks a little different. Plan on about 1 hour 50 minutes, including 30 minutes in the fridge. Tip: let the brownies cool completely before you decorate, or the bandages will melt and slide right off.
2. Halloween Boo Bark
What it is: The easiest Halloween treat on this list: melted chocolate spread thin and loaded with candy.
Use chocolate chips or candy melts, then pile on candy corn, pretzels, Halloween M&Ms, sprinkles and googly candy eyes. It takes about 5 minutes of work plus 15 minutes in the freezer. Tip: melt the chocolate in 20-second bursts and stir between each one. A spoonful of coconut oil makes it extra smooth.
3. Witch Hat Cookies
What it is: Adorable no-bake witch hats made from striped fudge cookies, chocolate Kisses and a ring of coloured candy melts.
Orange and green candy melts make the hat bands, and a mini M&M works as the buckle. They take about 15 minutes plus setting time, so they’re perfect for making with kids. Tip: if you use white chocolate instead of candy melts, add about 1 tablespoon of coconut oil per cup so it melts smoothly.
4. Halloween Graveyard Dirt Cups
What it is: Individual pudding cups turned into tiny spooky graveyards.
Layers of chocolate pudding, whipped topping and crushed Oreo “dirt” are topped with Milano cookie tombstones, marshmallow ghosts and gummy worms crawling out. Prep takes about 30 minutes. Tip: add the decorations just before serving so the cookies stay crisp and the ghosts don’t get soggy.
5. Pumpkin Rice Krispie Treats
What it is: Classic Rice Krispie treats tinted orange and shaped into mini pumpkins.
Butter, mini marshmallows and a little orange food colouring do most of the work, then mini Tootsie Rolls become the stems and green icing adds the leaves. Black icing turns a few into jack-o’-lanterns. They take about 1 hour 15 minutes. Tip: let the mixture cool slightly and grease your hands with butter before shaping so it doesn’t stick.
6. Ghost Meringues
What it is: Light, crisp meringue cookies piped into little ghosts with chocolate faces.
You only need egg whites, cream of tartar, sugar and vanilla, plus a bit of melted dark chocolate for the eyes and mouths. They’re naturally gluten free. Allow about 3 hours 15 minutes, since most of that is drying time in the oven. Tip: wipe your bowl with lemon juice or vinegar and use room-temperature egg whites for the fluffiest, most stable meringue.
7. Halloween Puppy Chow
What it is: A sweet, crunchy snack mix (also called muddy buddies) with a Halloween twist.
Chex cereal is coated in melted chocolate, peanut butter and butter, shaken in powdered sugar, then tossed with Halloween candy and candy eyes. It’s ready in about 15 minutes and makes a big batch for parties. Tip: add the candy after the powdered sugar coating, so the colours stay bright and nothing gets dusted white.
8. Homemade Caramel Apples
What it is: Crisp Granny Smith apples dipped in a rich, soft homemade caramel.
The caramel is made with salted butter, sugar, light corn syrup, evaporated milk and vanilla, and it tastes so much better than the store-bought wrapped kind. Plan on about 1 hour. Tip: you can make the caramel days or even weeks ahead and simply rewarm it when you’re ready to dip.
9. Spider Cookies
What it is: Soft peanut butter cookies topped with a mini Reese’s cup “body”, chocolate legs and candy eyes.
The dough is just peanut butter, sugar and an egg, and the whole recipe takes about 19 minutes. Melted chocolate wafers are piped on for the legs. Tip: wait about 2 minutes after the cookies come out of the oven, then press the peanut butter cups in so they stick without melting.
10. Spooky Spider Web Halloween Cupcakes
What it is: Moist chocolate cupcakes with a fondant spider web and a little spider on top.
Sour cream keeps the cupcakes tender, and the chocolate frosting gets a pinch of cinnamon for extra warmth. Allow about 1 hour 20 minutes. Tip: keep your fondant wrapped in plastic while you work so it doesn’t dry out and crack.
11. Halloween Oreo Balls
What it is: No-bake Oreo truffles dipped in candy melts and decorated as monsters, mummies and bats.
Crushed Oreos and cream cheese are rolled into balls, chilled for at least an hour, then dipped and finished with edible eyes, sprinkles and pretzel pieces. Tip: use thin Oreos for the bat wings. The truffles keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, so they’re great to make ahead.
12. Halloween Monster Cookies
What it is: Chewy, loaded monster cookies packed with Halloween colours and silly candy eyes.
Oats, crispy rice cereal, M&Ms, peanuts, peanut butter chips and mini chocolate chips all go into the dough. They’re ready in about 27 minutes. Tip: press the candy corn on right after baking instead of mixing it into the dough, because it melts in the oven.
13. Spooky Halloween Pretzels
What it is: Pretzel rods dipped in white chocolate and green candy melts and turned into monsters, mummies and witch fingers.
Sprinkles, candy eyes and sliced almond “fingernails” make them look extra creepy, and they only take about 12 minutes. The salty and sweet combo is hard to beat. Tip: tint white chocolate with gel food colouring, not water-based colouring, or the chocolate will seize.
Tips for Making Halloween Treats
- Stock up on candy eyes. They instantly turn brownies, cookies, pretzels and truffles into monsters, and they’re cheap at most grocery and craft stores.
- Use candy melts for bright colours. They melt smoothly and set firm, so they’re easier to work with than tinted white chocolate.
- Melt chocolate low and slow. Short bursts in the microwave, stirring in between, keep chocolate from burning or seizing.
- Make ahead when you can. Bark, Oreo balls, meringues and caramel all keep well, which frees up time on Halloween itself.
- Let kids decorate. Set out bowls of sprinkles, candy and icing and let everyone build their own spooky creation.
Which Halloween treat are you making first? Pin this post so you can find it again for Halloween parties, school treats and spooky movie nights!
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