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These Halloween desserts are for the sweet table at your party: homemade candy that beats anything in the trick or treat bag, rich chocolate bakes, and the pumpkin and caramel apple flavours that only really make sense in October.
In short, here are 20 easy Halloween desserts and treats from eightyrecipes and our sister blogs Kitchenette, A Beautiful Bite and No Dash of Gluten. The quickest takes 5 minutes, more than half never go near the oven, and each one comes with a simple way to make it spooky.
You will not need fondant or piping skills for any of them. Crushed cookies, candy eyes and a little orange and black go a very long way.
Quick Breakdown
Halloween Candy You Can Make at Home
Homemade candy is the most fun Halloween dessert to give away, and most of these need nothing more than a saucepan or a microwave.
1. Homemade Twix Bars
Buttery shortbread, gooey homemade caramel and a glossy coat of bittersweet chocolate, cut into homemade candy bars. Wrap them in orange and black paper for the best treat anyone gets all night.
Get the Homemade Twix Bars recipe →
2. Butterfinger Balls
No bake peanut butter candy packed with crushed Butterfinger and graham crackers, then dipped in chocolate. Add two candy eyes to each one while the chocolate is still soft and they turn into little monsters.
Get the Butterfinger Balls recipe →
3. Cool Whip Candy
Melted milk chocolate folded into Cool Whip, chilled and coated in dark chocolate. Drizzle orange candy melts over the top for an easy Halloween finish.
Get the Cool Whip Candy recipe →
4. Turtle Fudge
Chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk set into rich fudge, then topped with toasted pecans, soft caramel and flaky salt. Caramel is a Halloween classic, and this fudge travels well to parties.
5. Easy Penuche Fudge
Penuche is a brown sugar fudge that tastes like caramel, made here with butter, evaporated milk, powdered sugar and pecans or walnuts. It is a lovely old fashioned candy to pack into Halloween treat bags.
Get the Easy Penuche Fudge recipe →
6. No-Bake Peanut Butter Haystacks
Crispy chow mein noodles coated in melted butterscotch chips and peanut butter, dropped into little clusters. Press two candy eyes into each one and they become the classic Halloween spiders.
Get the No-Bake Peanut Butter Haystacks recipe →
7. Homemade Gummies
Real fruit juice gummies set with gelatin and sweetened with honey or maple syrup. Use orange juice and pumpkin or worm shaped moulds for a healthier Halloween candy children love.
Get the Homemade Gummies recipe →
8. Healthy Marshmallows
Fluffy homemade marshmallows sweetened with honey instead of corn syrup. Cut them with a ghost shaped cutter and dot on chocolate eyes for the cutest Halloween treat on the table.
Get the Healthy Marshmallows recipe →
Spooky Chocolate Halloween Desserts
Dark chocolate desserts are natural Halloween desserts, because they already look the part before you add a single decoration.
9. Sheet Pan Brownies
Fudgy brownies baked shallow in a half sheet pan with a shiny crackly top. Pipe white icing in circles and drag a toothpick through it for a spiderweb that feeds a whole party.
Get the Sheet Pan Brownies recipe →
10. Chocolate Dump Cake
Chocolate cake mix, pudding mix, milk, oil and chocolate chips baked into a gooey one dish dessert. Cover the top with crushed chocolate cookies and stick in cookie tombstones for a graveyard cake.
Get the Chocolate Dump Cake recipe →
11. Guinness Chocolate Cake
A rich, very dark chocolate layer cake made with Guinness and espresso powder, frosted with Irish cream frosting. It is the showstopper for an adult Halloween party.
Get the Guinness Chocolate Cake recipe →
12. Whoopie Pies
Soft chocolate cookie cakes sandwiched with a fluffy marshmallow filling. Tint the filling orange with a drop of food colouring and they become jack o’lantern whoopie pies.
13. Chocolate Avocado Mousse
A rich chocolate mousse blended from ripe avocados, cocoa and maple syrup. Spoon it into clear cups, top with crushed chocolate cookies and add a gummy worm to make dirt cups.
Get the Chocolate Avocado Mousse recipe →
14. Healthy Cookie Dough Bark
A no bake almond flour cookie dough layer with mini chocolate chips under smooth chocolate and flaky sea salt. Swap the salt for orange sprinkles and it is ready for a Halloween platter.
Get the Healthy Cookie Dough Bark recipe →
15. Macchiato Muddy Buddies
Chocolate and espresso coated cereal tossed in powdered sugar. Pack it into small bags for a Halloween party snack; it contains espresso powder, so it is one for the adults.
Get the Macchiato Muddy Buddies recipe →
16. Cookie Butter Popcorn Bars
Buttered popcorn and crushed Biscoff cookies bound with cookie butter and marshmallow, then dunked in chocolate ganache. Popcorn bars are a great movie night treat for a Halloween film marathon.
Get the Cookie Butter Popcorn Bars recipe →
Pumpkin and Caramel Apple Halloween Desserts
Pumpkin and caramel apple are the flavours of October, and these four bring them to the dessert table.
17. Pumpkin Dump Cake
A spiced pumpkin custard layered under dry cake mix and melted butter, baked into a soft base with a crisp top. It is the easiest pumpkin dessert you can make for a crowd.
Get the Pumpkin Dump Cake recipe →
18. Bourbon Pecan Pumpkin Cheesecake
A creamy pumpkin cheesecake on a pecan and graham cracker crust with a splash of bourbon. Make it the day before the party, since it needs a full night in the fridge to set.
Get the Bourbon Pecan Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe →
19. Pumpkin Pecan Cobbler
A spiced pumpkin cake batter that bakes over its own brown sugar caramel sauce, finished with pecans. Serve it warm with vanilla ice cream after the trick or treaters come home.
Get the Pumpkin Pecan Cobbler recipe →
20. Caramel Apple Pie Bars
Part shortbread, part apple pie: a buttery crust, cinnamon apples, pecan streusel and caramel sauce. All the flavour of a caramel apple without the sticky stick.
Get the Caramel Apple Pie Bars recipe →
Halloween Desserts at a Glance
Here are all 20 Halloween desserts side by side, from the quickest to the ones you should start the day before. Times come from each recipe card.
| Recipe | Total time | Makes | Method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chocolate avocado mousse | 5 min | 4 servings | Blender |
| Macchiato muddy buddies | About 20 min | 6 servings | Microwave |
| Easy penuche fudge | 20 min, then chill | 10 servings | Stovetop |
| Chocolate dump cake | 45 min | 10 servings | Oven |
| No-bake peanut butter haystacks | About 45 min | 10 servings | No bake |
| Sheet pan brownies | 48 min | 24 bars | Oven |
| Pumpkin pecan cobbler | About 50 min | 8 servings | Oven |
| Guinness chocolate cake | 1 h | 10 slices | Oven |
| Pumpkin dump cake | 1 h 5 min | 12 servings | Oven |
| Whoopie pies | About 1 h 10 min | 24 to 30 pies | Oven |
| Caramel apple pie bars | 1 h 15 min | 12 bars | Oven |
| Healthy cookie dough bark | 1 h 15 min | 12 pieces | No bake |
| Cookie butter popcorn bars | 1 h 30 min | 12 bars | Stovetop |
| Butterfinger balls | 1 h 50 min | 20 balls | No bake |
| Cool whip candy | 2 h | 36 pieces | No bake |
| Homemade gummies | 2 h 10 min | 40 gummies | Stovetop |
| Turtle fudge | 2 h 15 min | 25 squares | Stovetop |
| Homemade Twix bars | 3 h 15 min | 16 bars | Oven |
| Healthy marshmallows | 4 h 20 min | 20 squares | Stovetop |
| Bourbon pecan pumpkin cheesecake | Over 10 h, with an overnight chill | 12 slices | Oven |
Long totals are mostly chilling or setting time, so the hands on work for the candy is usually 15 to 30 minutes.
Easy Ways to Make Halloween Desserts Spooky
Every one of these Halloween desserts can be dressed up in a few minutes with things you can buy at any supermarket:
- Candy eyes. Press them into haystacks, Butterfinger balls and brownies while the chocolate is still soft.
- Crushed chocolate cookies. They turn the dump cake and the avocado mousse into graveyards and dirt cups.
- White icing webs. Pipe circles on brownies or fudge and drag a toothpick from the centre outwards.
- Orange and black. Orange candy melts, sprinkles or a little food colouring in the whoopie pie filling are all you need.
- Shaped cutters and moulds. Ghost cutters for marshmallows and pumpkin moulds for gummies make the healthier treats feel special.
Making Halloween Desserts Ahead and Storing Them
Most of these Halloween desserts are better made ahead. The candy, fudge, gummies and marshmallows can all be finished a day or two before the party, and the pumpkin cheesecake has to be, since it needs a full night to set. The Twix bars, turtle fudge and cool whip candy also freeze well, so you can make them the weekend before.
Anything made with cream cheese, cream, eggs or custard belongs in the fridge. Illinois Extension notes that cream and custard based desserts should not sit out for more than two hours, so put the cheesecake and the whoopie pies out in batches. And if you are handing out homemade treats, the FDA’s Halloween food safety tips for parents point out that many families only let children eat sealed, store bought candy, so homemade treats are best kept for your own party.
Frequently Asked Questions
Choosing Halloween Desserts
What are the easiest Halloween desserts to make?
The easiest Halloween desserts here are the chocolate avocado mousse, which takes 5 minutes, the chocolate dump cake with 5 ingredients, and the 4-ingredient no-bake peanut butter haystacks. None of them needs a mixer or any special skill.
Which Halloween desserts are no bake?
No-bake Halloween desserts on this list include the Butterfinger balls, cool whip candy, peanut butter haystacks, healthy cookie dough bark and chocolate avocado mousse. The fudges, gummies and marshmallows only need a saucepan.
What are good Halloween desserts for kids?
Kids love the homemade gummies, healthy marshmallows, haystack spiders, the sheet pan brownies with spiderweb icing and the dirt cups made from chocolate avocado mousse. Keep the Guinness cake and the macchiato muddy buddies for adults.
Which Halloween dessert is best for a big party?
The sheet pan brownies are the best Halloween dessert for a big party, with 24 bars from one pan in 48 minutes. The cool whip candy makes 36 pieces and the whoopie pies make 24 to 30.
Making Ahead and Storing
Can you make Halloween desserts ahead of time?
Yes. The Halloween candy, fudge, gummies and marshmallows can all be made a day or two ahead, and the bourbon pecan pumpkin cheesecake must be made the day before because it needs an overnight chill.
Which Halloween desserts freeze well?
The homemade Twix bars and turtle fudge freeze for up to 2 months, and the cool whip candy keeps in the freezer for up to 3 months. Layer them with parchment in an airtight container.
How long can Halloween desserts sit out at a party?
Halloween desserts made with cream cheese, cream, eggs or custard should not sit out for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F. Candy, fudge, brownies and marshmallows are fine at room temperature.
Are there healthier Halloween dessert options?
Yes. The chocolate avocado mousse is dairy free and vegan, the homemade gummies use real fruit juice, and the healthy marshmallows are sweetened with honey instead of corn syrup.
