Lifestyle Holiday Halloween Creepy-Cute Halloween Treats You Can Actually Make Spooky and sweet, salty and scary: These simple Halloween snacks are perfect for kids and adults alike By People Staff Updated on October 25, 2024 01:24PM EDT Photo: Greg Dupree Spooky season is upon us! If you need a break from Halloween candy or want something more substantial to serve guests, look to these eerie yet adorable dessert ideas. Fan of gore? Try Sarah Kieffer's red velvet cream cheese-swirled ice cream cake. Prefer something more simple? You can't go wrong with Zoë François' spider linzer cookies. Just make sure to share or you'll end up with a scary stomachache! Happy Halloween, bakers. 01 of 25 'Bloody' Red Velvet Ice Cream Cake Sarah Kieffer's ‘Bloody' Red Velvet and Cream Cheese-Swirled Ice Cream Cake. Greg Dupree Blogger Sarah Kieffer uses red melting wafers to create a "bloody" drip down the sides of her chilly dessert. "This cake has several textures: a creamy ice cream base and a nice crunch from the cookie crunch layer," says the author of 100 Afternoon Sweets. "It's very rich, and a little bit goes a long way, so this makes it perfect for a big crowd." Just make sure to prep it in advance as it requires 8 hours of chilling time. Get the recipe here. 02 of 25 ‘Spider’ Linzer Cookies Zoë François' Blackberry ‘Spider’ Linzer Cookies. Greg Dupree Not a master decorator? No problem. Use a toothpick to sketch out spider legs on top of classic linzer cookies once the jam pops through the middle hole. Zoë François likes blackberry preserves for her recipe "but you can use chocolate-hazelnut spread or pumpkin-spice buttercream," says the Zoë Bakes Cookies author. Get the recipe here. 03 of 25 ‘Monster’ Cookie Fudge Kim-Joy's ‘Monster’ Cookie Fudge. Greg Dupree "You can get really creative with the Halloween toppings: Use any cookies, sweets or sprinkles that you have lying about," says baker Kim-Joy. The Great British Baking Show alum, who released her cookbook Bake Joy in September, tends to reach for a sandwich cookie because it "gives you the impression of a mouth when it is broken in half." Get the recipe here. 04 of 25 Mini ‘Mummy’ Apple Pies Fred Hardy II Maegan Brown's Halloween treats come together in just 30 minutes thanks to some store bought pie dough. "Not everyone has the time to commit to baking a full pie from scratch. These satisfy those pie cravings," says the Brilliant Bites cookbook author. Get the recipe here. 05 of 25 Tie-Dye Sugar Cookies Jennifer Causey "These tie-dye cookies are the perfect way to add a fun pop of color to your dessert table," says Melissa Ben-Ishay, founder of Baked by Melissa and author of the Come Hungry cookbook. "They come together easily — even for novice bakers — are festive, and most of all, delicious!" Get the recipe here. 06 of 25 ‘Dracula’ Jam-Filled Cupcakes Fred Hardy II Buddy Valastro made these macabre masterpieces when his four kids were younger and "they’ve continued to be a family favorite." The Cake Dynasty star suggests focusing entirely on the decorations if you don't have time to make homemade cupcakes. "I know that some years you just have more time than others so you can bake them from scratch, use box cupcakes or buy them made from the bakery," says Valastro. "No one has fun when they’re stressed!" Get the recipe here. 07 of 25 Hocus Pocus 2-Inspired Dark Chocolate Brownies & Potion of Life Cocktails JENNIFER CAUSEY Light a black flame candle and celebrate the return of the Sanderson sisters — again! — with this party-ready brownie-and-cocktail combo. Taking a cue from the evil Manual of Witchcraft and Alchemy spellbook used by Winnie (Bette Midler) to bring the child-hungry witches back to modern-day Salem in both the Hocus Pocus movies, these fudgy candy-eye-topped brownies and spooky green cocktails will put a sweet spell on everyone. Get the recipe here. 08 of 25 Harry Potter-Inspired Butterbeer Ice Cream Floats JENNIFER CAUSEY Served hot and foaming at the Three Broomsticks tavern in the Harry Potter books and movies, this Muggle twist on the butterscotch-flavored drink is much cooler. The ice cream float combines caramel sauce, cream soda, whipped cream and homemade butterbeer ice cream — magically made without any churning. Get the recipe here. 09 of 25 Addams Family-Inspired "Thing" Hand Pies Jen Causey Thing, the bodiless forearm that lives with the Addams family, emerged from boxes in the original 1960s series but mischievously scurries around on its fingertips in the movie revivals and Tim Burton's Netflix series, Wednesday. Like Thing itself, these hand-shaped pastries — filled with blood-red raspberry jam and served with a sweet iced-maple sauce — are delightfully creepy, kooky and altogether ooky. Get the recipe here. 10 of 25 Monster Meringues Ellis Parrinder Kim-Joy shared the recipe for these fuss-free sweets. "You can pipe any shape, and they all work — they’ve each got their own personality!” said the author of Bake Me a Cat. "There are different ways to pinch the meringue and create different effects." Eat them on their own or add them as decoration to any dessert for a haunting effect. Get the recipe here. 11 of 25 Monster Cake Pops Jennifer Causey Preppy Kitchen founder John Kanell says his bite-sized treats are great for home cooks who want to make something "really festive that won't be frustrating or take all day." Plus, the little creatures are great to make with kids who can "put their own spin on the decorations" to make the perfect party or school treat. Get the recipe here. 12 of 25 Floating Ghost Cupcakes Jennifer Causey A ghoulishly good-looking dessert in just 20 minutes? Count us in. By using store-bought cupcakes and Dum-Dums lollipops, food blogger Tara Bench creates Floating Ghost Cupcakes that elevate a party with their levitating look. Get the recipe here. 13 of 25 Red Velvet "Eyeball" Cake Truffles Jennifer Causey Zac Young's cake balls are just as creepy as some of the sweets he judges on Food Network's Halloween Baking Championship. The fresh raspberry inside each one gives them that gory look — a sure way to spook trick-or-treaters. Get the recipe here. 14 of 25 Brownie and Pretzel Spiders Jennifer Causey Kim-Joy's cute critters are gooey and festive, with easy decorations that really step up your dessert game. The author of the Celebrate with Kim-Joy cookbook recommends making perfectly imperfect treats with some "wonky spiders who are missing legs or squashed" to capture the Halloween spirit. Get the recipe here. 15 of 25 Sprinkle Cake-Batter Cookies Jennifer Causey Customize DŌ owner Kristen Tomlan's treats with any combination of Halloween-colored sprinkles you have — the moist yet crunchy texture will be all the same. "It's perfect for when you can't decide between a cupcake and a cookie!" says the author of the Hello, Cookie Dough cookbook. Get the recipe here. 16 of 25 Maple and Candied Ginger Dip with "Boo-Scotti" Jennifer Causey Cory Colton, the executive pastry chef at Quality Italian in New York City, says his dip is a "frightfully easy dessert." But it's his spooky spin on biscotti where the fun comes in. Serve them with the dip, on their own as a snack or with hot coffee for dunking. Get the recipe here. 17 of 25 Ghost-Topped Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate Victor Protasio Pastry chef Jacques Torres tops his thick peanut butter hot chocolate recipe with hauntingly-cute whipped-cream ghosts that eventually melt to create the creamiest cocoa for a cold fall night. Get the recipe here. 18 of 25 Graveyard Pumpkin Pie Shooters Victor Protasio The Office star Angela Kinsey, who hosts YouTube's Baking with Josh and Ange with husband Joshua Snyder, reveals there are more ways than one to use a shot glass at a party. With three main ingredients (cookies, cream cheese and pumpkin puree), these Graveyard Pumpkin Pie Shooters are an easy last-minute treat for kids and adults. Get the recipe here. 19 of 25 Spiderweb Brownies Greg DuPree Even novice bakers can impress their guests with this shockingly easy dessert from restaurateur Elizabeth Blau. To make the webs, simply pipe four to five concentric circles on each brownie with white frosting, then drag several lines with a wooden toothpick through the frosting, starting at the smallest center circle. Get the recipe here. 20 of 25 Pumpkin Spice Jack-in-a-Jar Greg DuPree "I love that you can take an ordinary jar and bring it to life," says Duff Goldman of his mason jar dessert layered with pumpkin spice cake and vanilla buttercream. For added "flavors and textures," the owner of Charm City Cakes suggests adding different orange-colored candies between the layers. Get the recipe here. 21 of 25 Red "Dead" Velvet Cake Victor Protasio If you're looking for something a little more ghoulish for your party, this is the perfect dessert. Austin, Texas-based pastry chef Dennis Van's Red "Dead" Velvet Cake is a blood-red cake covered in cream cheese and splattered with red food coloring. Get the recipe here. 22 of 25 Mummy Meringues Hector Manuel Sanchez Cookbook author Dorie Greenspan suggests piping her sweet meringue mixture back and forth to create mummies. To create ghosts instead, "pipe the meringue vertically using a circular motion to create little towers," says the author of Dorie's Cookies, adding, "Don't go higher than 2 1/2 inches — the ghosts will topple over." Get the recipe here. 23 of 25 Black Candy Apples Hector Manuel Sanchez Colton of Quality Eats in New York City colors his caramel to give the look of "poisoned" candy apples. The result is a crunchy dessert on the outside that turns your whole mouth black. Get the recipe here. 24 of 25 Chocolate Cobweb Cupcakes Hector Sanchez According to the owners of Georgetown Cupcake, the secret to mastering this "creepy-crawly dessert" is a Ziploc bag, a steady hand and a serious passion for chocolate fudge. Get the recipe here. 25 of 25 Pretzel "Bones" Hector Sanchez Sarah Michelle Gellar's scary snack is a fun (and stress-free!) way to spend an afternoon with the kids. Once you've got your dough together, all you do is roll, twist and snip. Get the recipe here. Close