11 Haunted Halloween Desserts | SimplyMealful

Halloween desserts should be spooky, sweet, and seriously fun to make. These eleven haunted treats — from graveyard dirt cups to ghost meringues — are easy enough for little helpers and impressive enough for any party table. Bake up some frightful delight.

1. Graveyard Dirt Cups

Chocolate pudding 'dirt' with cookie tombstones and gummy worms — the ultimate kid party dessert.

Ingredients

• 2 boxes (3.4 oz each) chocolate pudding mix
• 4 cups cold milk
• 8 oz whipped topping, thawed
• 20 chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed
• 12 Milano cookies for tombstones
• Black icing for writing
• Gummy worms
• 12 clear cups

Instructions

1. Whisk the pudding mix and milk 2 minutes; fold in the whipped topping.
2. Write RIP on the Milano cookies with black icing.
3. Layer crushed cookies and pudding in each cup, ending with cookie 'dirt'.
4. Stick a tombstone cookie in each cup.
5. Add gummy worms crawling out of the dirt.
6. Chill 1 hour before serving.

2. Mummy Brownies

Fudgy brownies wrapped in white-chocolate bandages with candy eyes.

Ingredients

• 1 box fudge brownie mix
• Eggs and oil per box
• 1 cup white chocolate chips
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 24 candy eyeballs

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350°F and line a 9×13 pan.
2. Prepare and bake the brownies per the box; cool completely.
3. Cut into 12 rectangles.
4. Melt the white chocolate with the coconut oil.
5. Drizzle back and forth over each brownie like bandages.
6. Press two candy eyes onto each before the chocolate sets.

3. Witch Hat Cookies

Chocolate kiss hats on fudge-striped cookie bases — adorable and easy.

Ingredients

• 24 fudge-striped cookies
• 24 chocolate kisses, unwrapped
• 1/2 cup orange frosting
• Orange sprinkles
• 1 tube black gel icing for buckles

Instructions

1. Place the cookies striped-side down on a tray.
2. Pipe a ring of orange frosting in the center of each.
3. Press a chocolate kiss into the frosting.
4. Add a dot of frosting and sprinkles as the hat band.
5. Let set 20 minutes.
6. Arrange on a platter — no baking required.

4. Bloody Red Velvet Cupcakes

Deep red cupcakes with 'bleeding' raspberry centers and cream cheese frosting.

Ingredients

• 1 box red velvet cake mix
• Eggs, oil, and water per box
• 1/2 cup raspberry jam
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Red gel food coloring

Instructions

1. Bake the cupcakes per the box; cool completely.
2. Cut a small cone from the center of each; fill with raspberry jam.
3. Beat the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla until fluffy.
4. Frost each cupcake.
5. Drizzle extra jam over the frosting like dripping blood.
6. Chill 30 minutes to set.

5. Ghost Meringues

Crisp, sweet meringue ghosts with chocolate faces — light as air.

Ingredients

• 4 egg whites
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
• Parchment paper

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 225°F and line a baking sheet.
2. Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar to soft peaks.
3. Gradually add the sugar; beat to stiff, glossy peaks.
4. Fold in the vanilla.
5. Pipe ghost shapes onto the sheet.
6. Bake 1 1/2 hours; press mini chocolate chips on as eyes while warm.

6. Pumpkin Patch Cupcakes

Orange-frosted cupcakes with candy pumpkins in cookie-crumb 'dirt'.

Ingredients

• 1 box spice cake mix
• Eggs, oil, and water per box
• 1 can (16 oz) vanilla frosting
• Orange gel food coloring
• 1 cup chocolate cookie crumbs
• 12 candy pumpkins
• Green icing for vines

Instructions

1. Bake the cupcakes per the box; cool completely.
2. Tint the frosting orange and frost each cupcake.
3. Sprinkle cookie crumbs around the edges as dirt.
4. Place a candy pumpkin in the center of each.
5. Pipe green icing vines.
6. Serve on a platter like a pumpkin patch.

7. Spiderweb Cheesecake

Creamy cheesecake with a chocolate spiderweb and a candy spider on top.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 24 oz cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup chocolate sauce
• 1 candy spider

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 325°F.
2. Press the crumbs and butter into a 9-inch springform pan.
3. Beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth; add eggs and vanilla.
4. Pour over the crust.
5. Pipe concentric chocolate circles on top; drag a toothpick outward to make a web.
6. Bake 50 minutes; chill 4 hours. Top with the candy spider.

8. Candy Corn Fudge

Layers of white, orange, and yellow fudge — just like the iconic candy.

Ingredients

• 3 cups white chocolate chips, divided
• 1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk, divided
• Yellow and orange gel food coloring
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Parchment-lined 8×8 pan

Instructions

1. Line the pan with parchment.
2. Melt 1 cup chips with 1/3 can condensed milk; add yellow coloring; spread in pan. Chill 20 minutes.
3. Repeat with orange coloring for the middle layer; chill.
4. Melt the last cup of chips with remaining milk and vanilla for the white layer.
5. Spread on top; chill 2 hours.
6. Cut into triangles to mimic candy corn.

9. Monster Bark

Chocolate bark loaded with candy eyeballs, pretzels, and Halloween candy.

Ingredients

• 12 oz dark chocolate, chopped
• 8 oz white chocolate, chopped
• 1 cup pretzel pieces
• 1 cup Halloween candy (M&Ms, candy corn)
• Candy eyeballs
• Orange and black sprinkles
• Parchment paper

Instructions

1. Melt the dark chocolate; spread on parchment.
2. Dollop the white chocolate on top and swirl with a knife.
3. Scatter pretzels and candy over the top.
4. Press in candy eyeballs.
5. Sprinkle generously.
6. Chill 30 minutes; break into pieces.

10. Eyeball Cake Pops

Moist cake balls dipped in white chocolate with bloodshot candy eyes.

Ingredients

• 1 box vanilla cake mix, baked
• 1/2 cup vanilla frosting
• 12 oz white candy melts
• 24 candy eyeballs
• Red gel icing
• Lollipop sticks
• Styrofoam block

Instructions

1. Crumble the cake and mix with frosting until it holds together.
2. Roll into 24 balls; chill 1 hour.
3. Dip the end of each stick in melted candy; insert into the balls.
4. Dip each pop in candy melts; tap off excess.
5. Press a candy eyeball onto each while wet.
6. Draw red veins with gel icing; stand in foam to set.

11. Haunted House Gingerbread

A spooky gingerbread house with black icing, candy ghosts, and graveyard candy.

Ingredients

• 1 gingerbread house kit or homemade panels
• Royal icing
• Black gel icing
• Candy pumpkins and ghosts
• Chocolate rocks
• Candy corn
• Gummy bats

Instructions

1. Assemble the house with royal icing; let set 1 hour.
2. Pipe black icing windows, doors, and cracks.
3. Attach candy ghosts and bats to the walls.
4. Build a cookie-crumb graveyard with candy pumpkins.
5. Add chocolate rocks as a pathway.
6. Let set completely before displaying.