35 Easy Halloween Treats to Make

A plastic zip-top bag makes it easy to pipe the web pattern onto the frosting. Here’s a tip for keeping your piped webs picture perfect when slicing these decadent blondies—run a sharp and clean knife under hot water before making each cut. A larger knife, such as a chef’s knife works best.

These super simple Halloween spiders are a perfect activity for craft-loving kids and parents. For best results, use chocolate candy melts (such as Wilton’s) over chocolate chips. The body parts and webs are fragile, so make sure to pipe more than you think you’ll need.

We give a classic recipe a fresh fall makeover by swapping in fresh grated pumpkin for canned, whole wheat pastry flour for all-purpose, and olive oil for butter.

We stayed away from artificial food coloring and instead added drama in other ways: A coating of black sesame seeds makes for creepy bats and spiders with great texture (we use chopped pistachios for the bats’ eyes), and ghosts become ghoulish with little more than a layer of glaze and either mini chocolate chips or black sesame seeds for eyes. Pumpkin puree adds rich flavor and a bit of golden color to the cookie dough.

Our serves-one recipe yields four fluffy pancakes, but you can easily double, triple, or quadruple the ingredients for a crowd. Top them with a drizzle with honey and almond butter or a sprinkling of ground cinnamon and powdered sugar.

These adorable treats use mini chocolate chips for eyes to achieve a truer-than-life look. Put these ghoulishly good meringues out for grabs, and your hungry little goblins will be thrilled as ever.  

Greek yogurt, cream cheese, and canned pumpkin combine for a simple, crowd-pleasing frozen treat that only takes 10 minutes to prep. The best part? No ice cream machine necessary.

Blood-red pitted cherries make sure a dramatic presentation that’s sure to stir Halloween revelry in party guests. If it’s too chilly to grill outside, you can use a grill pan to mark the Camembert.

Taquitos are crispy rolled tortillas that are typically deep-fried—we bake ours to keep calories and fat in check. Serve these two-bite jackfruit-stuffed “fingers” (which are also vegan!) at your next creepy soiree.

The cider-honey base pleases all palates by offering adult and kid-friendly twists in a single recipe. To ensure the bubbliest batch, stir in the seltzer water and beer or sparkling cider just before serving.

Orange juice and rind gives caramel a tangy burst of flavor, which pistachios and chocolate add crunch and decadence. Here’s a tip: Chilling your apples before dipping helps the caramel set faster.

These blood-red cinnamon and brandy-spiked candy apples make for a deliciously gruesome centerpiece on the table at your next Halloween blowout.

Not for the faint of heart, this blood-curdling take on the classic Manhattan is a delectably boozy treat. Here, we’ve used a lowball glass, but a coupe would also work well.

Savory bacon and salty pretzels meet peanut butter-infused caramel in these explosively flavorful apples. Make sure to wash the apples thoroughly beforehand to remove ay wax coating—this will help the caramel stick better.

You probably have most of the ingredients for these gratifyingly gooey bites in your pantry already. For a festive twist, break out the Halloween cookie cutters and let kids carve out their most ghoulish creations.

Kids will love this salty-sweet popcorn—as a lower sugar alternative to candy, we love it too. Pre-portion into fun spooky-themed plastic bags and distribute to trick-or-treaters on Halloween night.

No treat screams Halloween more than caramel apples. While any soft-fleshed apple will work in this recipe, we recommend tart Granny Smith apples to counter the sweetness of the white chocolate, pumpkin, and caramel toppings.

Who needs canned biscuits when you can make drop biscuits from scratch in roughly the same amount of time? These fluffy, pumpkin-spiked treats deserve a place on the table at your next Halloween-themed brunch.

For this tantalizing take on the classic southern cake, we combine dried pineapple, flaked coconut, and toasted pecans for a crunchy-sweet topping.

Hazelnut meal is a gluten-free, finely ground nut flour that adds a pleasingly texture to this show-stopping brittle. For a Halloween twist, drizzle chocolate spiders, ghosts, webs, and more over top.

Buttermilk adds a rich and tangy flavor, while half-and-half and evaporated milk keep fat and calories in check. Yes, you read it right—simply toss your leftover pumpkin pie into your ice cream maker and watch the magic happen.

Sangria isn’t just for sipping during summer heat. Here, we put a fall-themed spin on the popular boozy drink with sparkling apple-cranberry cider. If you have boxed wine (such as Bota Box Pinot Grigio), this is a great way to use it up, since you’ll need a little over a standard 750 ml bottle for the recipe.

Traditional hummus gets a spook-tacular makeover with white beans and pumpkin puree, while cumin and paprika add flavor depth. This sweet and smoky dip serves as a nutritious snack alongside homemade pita chips, and easily doubles as a spread on sandwiches.

Halloween snacks are meant to be munched by the handful, which is why we love this crunchy, spicy, savory-sweet snack mix. Whole-grain air-popped popcorn is an excellent “filler,” adding volume to the mix without upping more sodium- and calorie-heavy ingredients. We love the pungent kick and crunch of wasabi peas; you can leave them out or substitute unsalted roasted or smoked almonds.

This spicy, comforting cider will become your go-to recipe for any fall get together. A short simmer with aromatics, ginger, and lemon show that fresh ingredients make all the difference.

Hang onto that pulp when you’re carving your Jack-o-Lantern. Pumpkin seeds serve as a nutritious and tasty snack. Shelling pumpkin seeds require a bit of time, so look for pepitas at the grocery store if you’re in a rush.

Tangy orange meets death-by-chocolate in this perfectly balanced marshmallow duo. Enjoy them as is or dunk into a mug of steamy hot chocolate. Store at room temperature in an airtight container layered between sheets of parchment paper.

The nostalgic ice cream float gets a boozy makeover in this adults-only Halloween libation. Make a little extra espresso—and offer it to guests as an alternative drink. For beer, we recommend Samuel Smith’s Oatmeal Stout.

Almond brittle makes for an elegant, and whimsical topper to this cheesecake, which is perfect for a special spooky gathering. For a touch of color, substitute the sliced almonds for coarsely chopped pistachios or pepitas.

From lattes to ravioli, pumpkin carries endless uses, not to mention remarkable health benefits. Here, we incorporate this versatile fall ingredient into a moist layer cake that’s simple in execution but stunning in presentation.

Whether you’re creating Halloween skeletons, Christmas trees, or Valentine hearts, you’ll want to save this simple dough and royal icing recipe for cookie decorating around the year.

A dacquoise is a classic French dessert made with alternating layers of baked meringue and a cream-based filling. Our version incorporates a nutty pecan meringue and a brown sugar mousse for a seriously impressive sweet finale. For a Halloween spin, drizzle the chocolate in concentric circles over top and drag a toothpick through them to create a webbed look.

These creepy crawly arachnids are perfect for a Halloween cupcake decorating party—bake the cupcakes and make the icing in advance and let guests “spin” their own webs.

For a simple twist that closely resembles a linzer cookie, swap the chocolate filling for blackberry jam and top with powdered sugar.