15 Haunted Gingerbread Recipes for a Spooky Halloween

Gingerbread isn't just for Christmas. These haunted gingerbread treats bring warm spice to Halloween — haunted houses, ghost cookies, tombstone cupcakes, and more.

Below you’ll find 15 reader-favorite recipes, each with a photo, ingredients, and step-by-step instructions. Save your favorites and enjoy!

1. Haunted Gingerbread Cutout Cookies

Spicy-sweet cutouts decorated as ghosts, bats, and haunted houses.

Ingredients

• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1/2 cup brown sugar

Instructions

1. Whisk flour, soda, and spices.
2. Cream butter and sugar; beat in molasses.
3. Combine; chill dough 1 hour.
4. Roll, cut shapes, and bake at 350°F for 10 minutes.
5. Decorate with royal icing.

2. Gingerbread Haunted House

A spooky gingerbread mansion with candy gravestones.

Ingredients

• 4 cups flour
• 1 tbsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup molasses
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 4 cups royal icing

Instructions

1. Make dough; chill 2 hours.
2. Cut wall, roof, and chimney panels; bake at 350°F for 12 minutes.
3. Assemble with royal icing; let set 4 hours.
4. Decorate with candy corn and chocolate tombstones.
5. Add pretzel fence and gummy bats.

3. Gingerbread Ghost Pops

Ghost-shaped cookie pops dipped in white chocolate.

Ingredients

• 1 batch gingerbread dough
• 24 lollipop sticks
• 1 cup white chocolate
• 1 cup dark chocolate
• 48 candy eyes
• 2 tbsp sprinkles
• 1 tsp coconut oil

Instructions

1. Cut ghost shapes from dough; insert sticks.
2. Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes.
3. Dip in melted white chocolate.
4. Add candy eyes before it sets.
5. Drizzle with dark chocolate.

4. Gingerbread Tombstone Cupcakes

Spiced chocolate cupcakes with cookie-crumb dirt and tombstones.

Ingredients

• 1 box chocolate cake mix
• 1 tbsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 12 oz cream cheese frosting
• 12 tombstone cookies
• 1 cup cookie crumbs
• 12 gummy worms

Instructions

1. Mix cake batter with ginger and cinnamon.
2. Bake 18 cupcakes at 350°F for 18 minutes.
3. Frost with cream cheese frosting.
4. Top with cookie crumbs.
5. Stick in tombstone cookies and gummy worms.

5. Gingerbread Mummy Truffles

No-bake gingerbread truffles wrapped in white-chocolate bandages.

Ingredients

• 2 cups gingerbread crumbs
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 12 oz dark chocolate
• 24 candy eyes
• 2 tbsp orange sprinkles
• 1 tsp coconut oil
• 1 pinch sea salt

Instructions

1. Mix crumbs with cream cheese; chill 30 minutes.
2. Roll into 24 balls.
3. Dip in melted dark chocolate.
4. Drizzle white chocolate bandages.
5. Add candy eyes.

6. Spiced Gingerbread Loaf

A moist, deeply spiced loaf perfect with afternoon tea.

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tbsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs

Instructions

1. Whisk dry ingredients.
2. Cream butter and sugar; add eggs and molasses.
3. Combine; pour into a loaf pan.
4. Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes.
5. Cool; dust with powdered sugar.

7. Gingerbread Witch Hats

Cookie bases topped with chocolate-dipped cone hats.

Ingredients

• 1 batch gingerbread dough
• 12 sugar cones
• 1 cup dark chocolate
• 1 cup orange frosting
• 12 candy corn
• 2 tbsp black sprinkles
• 1 tsp coconut oil

Instructions

1. Cut 12 round cookies; bake at 350°F for 10 minutes.
2. Dip cones in melted chocolate; coat with sprinkles.
3. Pipe orange frosting on cookie bases.
4. Set cones on top.
5. Top each with a candy corn.

8. Gingerbread Spiderweb Cake

Spiced layer cake with a white-chocolate spiderweb.

Ingredients

• 1 box spice cake mix
• 1 tbsp ground ginger
• 12 oz chocolate frosting
• 1/2 cup white chocolate
• 1 cup crushed gingerbread
• 8 candy spiders
• 1 tsp coconut oil

Instructions

1. Bake cake layers with added ginger at 350°F for 25 minutes.
2. Frost with chocolate frosting.
3. Pipe white chocolate in a web pattern.
4. Press gingerbread crumbs around the base.
5. Top with candy spiders.

9. Gingerbread Pumpkin Bars

Chewy bars where gingerbread spice meets pumpkin.

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups flour
• 1 tbsp ground ginger
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp pumpkin spice

Instructions

1. Mix crust of flour, butter, and ginger; press into a pan.
2. Whisk pumpkin, sugar, eggs, and spice.
3. Pour over crust.
4. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes.
5. Cool; cut into bars.

10. Gingerbread Bat Cookies

Bat-shaped cookies with chocolate wings and googly eyes.

Ingredients

• 1 batch gingerbread dough
• 1 cup dark chocolate
• 48 candy eyes
• 2 tbsp purple sprinkles
• 1 tsp coconut oil
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp milk

Instructions

1. Cut bat shapes; bake at 350°F for 10 minutes.
2. Dip wings in melted chocolate.
3. Add candy eyes.
4. Drizzle with powdered-sugar glaze.
5. Sprinkle with purple sprinkles.

11. Haunted Gingerbread Cheesecake Bars

Creamy cheesecake bars on a gingerbread crust with caramel ghosts.

Ingredients

• 2 cups gingerbread crumbs
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 16 oz cream cheese
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup caramel sauce

Instructions

1. Press crumb-butter mixture into a pan.
2. Beat cream cheese, sugar, eggs, and vanilla; pour over.
3. Bake at 325°F for 35 minutes.
4. Chill 4 hours.
5. Pipe caramel ghosts on top.

12. Gingerbread Coffin Sandwich Cookies

Coffin-shaped sandwich cookies filled with dark ganache.

Ingredients

• 1 batch gingerbread dough
• 1 cup chocolate ganache
• 12 tombstone shapes
• 1/2 cup gray icing
• 2 tbsp black sprinkles
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 pinch sea salt

Instructions

1. Cut coffin shapes; bake at 350°F for 10 minutes.
2. Pipe gray icing RIP on half.
3. Sandwich with ganache.
4. Add black sprinkles.
5. Chill 20 minutes to set.

13. Gingerbread Scones

Buttery, crumbly scones with deep molasses warmth.

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tbsp ground ginger
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup cold butter
• 3/4 cup cream
• 1/3 cup molasses
• 1 tbsp coarse sugar

Instructions

1. Whisk flour, ginger, and baking powder.
2. Cut in cold butter.
3. Stir in cream and molasses.
4. Pat into a round; cut wedges.
5. Bake at 400°F for 15 minutes.

14. Gingerbread Latte Cake

Coffee-kissed gingerbread cake with caramel drizzle.

Ingredients

• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 1 tbsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 12 oz cream cheese frosting
• 1/2 cup caramel sauce
• 1 tsp espresso powder
• 1 cup gingerbread crumbs

Instructions

1. Mix cake batter with ginger, cinnamon, and espresso.
2. Bake at 350°F for 28 minutes.
3. Frost with cream cheese frosting.
4. Drizzle with caramel.
5. Top with gingerbread crumbs.

15. Gingerbread Whoopie Pies

Soft gingerbread rounds sandwiching fluffy vanilla cream.

Ingredients

• 1 batch gingerbread dough
• 1 cup marshmallow fluff
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 tbsp orange sprinkles
• 1 pinch cinnamon

Instructions

1. Scoop 24 dough rounds; bake at 350°F for 10 minutes.
2. Beat butter, sugar, vanilla, and fluff.
3. Sandwich filling between cooled cookies.
4. Roll edges in sprinkles.
5. Chill 30 minutes.