Looking for fun and easy Halloween dessert ideas? These spooky-cute cupcakes, cookies, and cakes are perfect for parties, bake sales, and fall festivals. Get creative with buttercream, royal icing, and candy toppings for a frightfully fun celebration!
If you’re looking for adorable Halloween desserts that are as fun to make as they are to eat, you’ve come to the right place! These spooky-cute creations are perfect for classroom parties, neighborhood gatherings, or your next fall festival.
You’ll find all of my favorite base recipes and frostings linked throughout this post—from sugar cookies to dreamy buttercream—so you can easily mix and match your favorite Halloween looks.
🧟 Frankenstein Cake
This friendly green-faced cake is always a hit! Frost your favorite cake in bright green buttercream, add black “hair,” candy eyes, and a stitched smile for a look that’s more adorable than frightening. Perfect for Halloween parties or monster-themed birthdays.
Helpful Recipes:
👾 Monster Cupcakes
Use vibrant buttercream in orange, green, and purple to pipe “fur” on your cupcakes. Top with candy eyes and a mini Oreo for the mouth. These goofy monsters are a kid favorite — and they’re easy to make with Marshmallow Fluff Buttercream or your favorite buttercream base.
Helpful Recipes:
🕷 Oreo Spider Cupcakes
Pipe a swirl of White Chocolate Buttercream and top with a whole Oreo. Add candy eyes and use black icing to pipe eight little legs. These “spiders” are perfectly cute for bake sales or fall events!
Helpful Recipes:
Pumpkin Patch Cupcakes
These pumpkin cupcakes are the ultimate fall party treat! Start with your favorite spice or pumpkin cake base (try my Doctored Cake Mix for an easy shortcut), then top them with smooth swirls of frosting tinted orange.
Helpful Recipes:
I've made these with tootsie rolls as the stem, which makes them extra-cute and unique, as well!
Other Suggestions for Pumpkin Cupcakes
Use green buttercream vines and tiny pretzel sticks or candy stems to transform each cupcake into a miniature pumpkin patch! For a festive touch, dust lightly with cinnamon or edible glitter. These cupcakes are perfect for Halloween parties, fall festivals, or Thanksgiving dessert tables—a sweet, seasonal favorite that tastes as good as it looks.
Eyeball Cupcakes
Want a treat that’s a little spooky but still sweet? Try these Eyeball Cupcakes! Pipe puffs of my yummy buttercream on each cupcake, then add a colored candy melt, M&M, or gumdrop for the iris. Use red gel icing or a fine piping tip to draw little “veins” for that creepy-cute finishing touch. For extra flair, tint a batch of frosting lime green or blood red to serve as your base swirl. These are guaranteed to grab attention on any Halloween dessert table!
Helpful Recipes:
Mummy Cupcakes
These Mummy Cupcakes are frightfully fun and surprisingly easy to make! Start with your favorite chocolate or vanilla cupcake base (I recommend my Ultimate Chocolate Cake baked in cupcake form, then use your choice of frostings to pipe “bandages” across the top. Tuck in two candy eyes before the frosting sets, and you’ve got adorable little mummies peeking out from their wraps! These are perfect for Halloween parties, bake sales, or spooky movie nights with the family.
Helpful Recipes:
Colorful Halloween Cupcakes
Halloween doesn’t have to be all black and orange—bring your dessert table to life with bright, playful cupcake colors! I love using bold shades like pumpkin orange, lime green, electric purple, and midnight black to make every treat pop.
For the best results, start with a smooth base of Dreamy Buttercream or White Chocolate Buttercream, then tint each batch with gel food coloring for rich, vibrant hues. Mix and match colors across your cupcake tray—orange swirls topped with candy eyes, purple frosting dusted with sparkles, and green buttercream piped into monster “fur.” These colorful cupcakes are a fun, eye-catching way to celebrate Halloween in style!
Jack-O’-Lantern Cookies
Start with my Cut-Out Sugar Cookie Recipe and decorate with orange royal icing. Add black piped features and a green vine to bring these happy pumpkins to life. No two faces will look alike — that’s part of the fun!
Helpful Recipes:
Spiderweb Cookies
These simple yet striking cookies start with your favorite royal icing base. Flood each cookie in orange, yellow, or white, then pipe a black spiral and drag a toothpick through to create spiderwebs. For step-by-step guidance, check out my Cookie Decorating with Royal Icing tutorial.
Candy Corn Cookies
Turn the classic Halloween candy into a cute cookie design! Add silly faces, glasses, or sprinkles for extra fun. These bright treats make a perfect addition to Fall Festival tables or Halloween gift baskets.
Ghost Cookies
These sweet little ghosts are perfect for school parties. Use my Easy Royal Icing Recipe and a steady hand to create adorable details. Add faces, blush, or outlines for extra character.
Mummy Cookies
Don’t miss my full tutorial on Halloween Mummy Cookies! Made with candy eyes and white “bandages” of icing, they’re easy enough for kids to help with — and they pair beautifully with your other spooky treats.
Helpful Recipes:
Fun Halloween Baking for Kids
Looking for projects little hands can handle? Try 5 Easy Halloween Treats to Make with Kids. These ideas are hands-on, colorful, and guaranteed to make sweet memories.
Leftover Candy? Use It Up!
Once Halloween’s over, don’t toss all that leftover candy! Try my post on How to Bake with Leftover Halloween Candy. From cookies to brownies, it’s full of fun ways to repurpose those treats into new desserts.
Pro Tips for Perfect Halloween Sweets
- Use gel food coloring for bold, festive colors.
- Allow royal icing layers to dry fully before adding details.
- Keep buttercreams soft and spreadable by avoiding over-mixing.
- Package cookies in clear bags tied with orange or black ribbon for easy gifting.
Trunk or Treat Fun!
One of my favorite parts of the Halloween season is participating in Trunk or Treat events! These community gatherings are a safe, family-friendly way to celebrate—with creative car decorations, costumes, and of course, sweet treats. Last year, I went all out with a Cookie Monster theme, complete with blue cookies and plenty of googly eyes!
This year, I switched things up with a colorful Fiesta theme, full of bright decorations and festive flair.
Whether you’re passing out candy, cookies, or cupcakes, Trunk or Treat is the perfect place to showcase your creativity—and share a little sweetness with your community.
Final Thoughts
Whether you’re baking for a Halloween party, a school event, or a fall festival, these treats are sure to delight. They’re fun, colorful, and easy enough for all ages.
If you’re just getting started, try one of these base recipes:
🧡 Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
🎂 Doctored Cake Mix: The Ultimate Guide
🍥 Dreamy Buttercream Frosting
🍫 White Chocolate Buttercream
☁️ Marshmallow Fluff Frosting
🍪 Easy Royal Icing Recipe
When you’ve mastered those, check out even more spooky inspiration:
👻 Halloween Mummy Cookies
🎃 5 Easy Halloween Treats to Make with Kids
🍬 How to Bake with Leftover Halloween Candy
🍁 Fall Festival Recipes
So grab your piping bags, food coloring, and candy eyes—it’s time to bake up a batch of spooky-sweet Halloween fun!
Looking for more Fall Treats?
Here are some fan favorites!
Before you go, why not pin some photos to your Pinterest boards?
About the Baker
Hi, I’m Janice, the baker behind Out of the Box Baking! I’m a lifelong cake decorator and cookie enthusiast who loves transforming simple ingredients into showstopping desserts. Whether you’re whipping up cookies with the kids or crafting spooky Halloween cupcakes, I’m here to make baking fun, simple, and full of heart.