Halloween Treats & Desserts

The classic combination of peanut butter and milk chocolate in this no-bake dessert evokes a favorite candy, but its delicate texture will make your guests feel like sophisticated trick-or-treaters.

You don't need to be a candymaker to master this easy brittle recipe! Melt together butter, light brown sugar, and honey, cook until they reach a boil, then stir in pumpkin seeds and cool until set. The brittle can be enjoyed by itself or broken over ice cream.

Maple and oatmeal are a satisfying pair, especially when enriched with brown sugar and shredded coconut.

Innocents are snared easily by a ganache spiderweb. Spun by a gumdrop spider with limber licorice-string legs, the web is draped over a dangerously addictive and creamy no-bake cheesecake. Candy Spiders make a creepy garnish.

This salty-sweet treat is one that both kids and adults alike will love. Plain popcorn and coarsely chopped salted pretzels are mixed together with a rich caramel and marshmallow sauce. It's an ooey-gooey, absoultely irresistible bite.

The secret behind this classic, light-as-air cake is one dozen egg whites. Place the finished cake in a bed of white cotton candy for an angelic presentation. Serve slices of the confection with fluffy dollops of whipped cream and glasses of Champagne for a dessert that's truly heavenly.

Topped with chocolate ganache and studded with cherries, this classic cake recipe is irresistible to all creatures, vampire or otherwise.

Buttercream frosting and a steady hand with the piping bag are all you need to turn chocolate cupcakes into the greatest minds.

Make these eerie, but totally edible almond cookies that resemble ladies' fingers. The final touch is red fingernails, which are dyed raw almonds. Let them beckon to you from beyond the grave, summoning you right over to the serving plate.

Alexis Stewart's caramel-almond popcorn is an easy snack to make and, as she can attest, "people love it." Homemade caramel sauce is infused with almond and vanilla extracts, which is then poured over popcorn and toasted almonds.

Bosc pears are excellent for poaching in this wine-poached pear recipe. They're crisp and firm even when quite ripe, and make for a delicious dessert.

Who doesn't buy extra Halloween candy? This year, use some in these festive icebox bars and throw a party.

Making homemade caramel couldn't be easier with this recipe. Simmer a can of condensed milk until it's reduced by half and turned to a golden brown hue. The result is a rich, caramelized cream similar to dulce de leche. Use this recipe to make our Pumpkin-Gingerbread Ice Cream Sandwiches.

Only four ingredients are used to make the rich filling for our Haunted Black Forest Layer Cake—frozen black cherries, sugar, kirsch, and cornstarch. It comes together in just 10 minutes and can be made up to two days in advance.

Who can resist velvety chocolate—bittersweet, milk, or white—topped with nuts, candy, or dried fruit? Try our other bark variations, or experiment with your own favorite flavors.

Chocolate complements the sweetness of pumpkin in this sophisticated alternative to pumpkin pie. A rich layer of melted chocolate is poured on top of the baked chocolate crust for a bonus creamy layer. Top with a light-as-air pumpkin filling and bake until set. 

Spook Halloween party guests with these light, airy confections made of meringue. All you need to make these bloody bites are egg whites and sugar, which are whipped into stiff peaks and piped into the shape of bones.

Homemade pumpkin ice cream plus homemade gingerbread cookies equals delicious Halloween party snacks. The pairing works wonderfully thanks to pumpkin's natural affinity for spices, such as ginger.

Caramel corn, a perennial Halloween favorite, gets an upgrade with the addition of chopped cashews and drizzled white chocolate. It can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week so you can enjoy it for the days leading up to October 31.

Canned pumpkin puree gives these Chocolate-Glazed Pumpkin Cookies a tender, almost cakelike texture.

I scream, you scream, we all scream for this chocolate and pumpkin dessert. Inspired by a classic Boston Cream Pie recipe, the spiced custard filling gets an autumnal twist with ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

This haunted house's towering cookie facade, candy details, and golden caramel windows are guaranteed to become the stuff of legend—that is, should anyone who ventures near live to tell the tale. A winding nougat staircase leads up the chocolate buttercream grounds to the entrance, where a construction-paper caretaker hovers just inside, waiting for the next unsuspecting visitor.

Cut a slice of this rich and fudgy chocolate cake...if you dare. Crunchy malt balls in the ganache center will leave you wondering if the "cockroaches" are real (we'll never tell).

Something tasty this way comes: a ganache-covered cheesecake. Stenciled with a green design, a coiled serpent augurs a dessert hour full of surprises. Beneath this coating lurks a chocolate cheesecake and chocolate crust. Maybe good witches do exist after all.