Wickedly Good Halloween Desserts That Your Ghosts and Goblins Will Want to Devour

Whether you're having a party or just want to have something to offer your kids at the end of a long night, the festive Halloween desserts in this gallery are creepy and clever. What's more, many of them, like the Halloween Cookies that you see here, are surprisingly easy to make. These cookies are made from a simple chocolate dough that gets cut into the shapes of bats and cats—it's the type of dessert you can make during a lull in trick-or-treaters arriving at your front door.

Candy lovers will find plenty of inspiration in the slides ahead. Some of these desserts call for candy as decoration, such as cute cake pops adorned with mini chocolate-coated candies, while others use it in the dessert itself (think: ice cream pie where the ice cream is spiked with chopped up candy bars, or mini cupcakes that include a peanut butter cup baked into the batter). If you need an excuse to stock up on extra candy, these recipes give you just that. You'll also find some inspired-by-candy desserts, like crisped rice cereal treats that resemble giant pieces of candy corn.

Looking for something a bit more refined? Consider preparing a beautiful Halloween cake; our Devil's Inferno Cake cranks up the heat on classic devil's food cake with a rich and melty ganache topping and a four-alarm-fire crown. Another good option is our No-Bake Spiderweb Cheesecake, made with a chocolate cookie crust, rich and delicious cream cheese, and chocolate. And speaking of spiders, they're in abundance here: In addition to the cheesecake, you'll find chocolate cupcakes topped with a sugar glaze and piped chocolate web, and Spider Cookies that are a spooky spin on the classic black-and-white cookie.

There are traditional Halloween treats, too, from caramel corn (this one fancied up with white chocolate and cashews) to candy apples tinted black for a dark twist. And if you're really just looking for a quick way to spook up a familiar dessert, Scaredy Cat Brownies and Werewolf Paws are just the thing: they're just creatively decorated brownies and madeleine cakes.

Crisp Candy-Corn Treats

In a fun twist, these crisped rice cereal treats—which resemble classic candy corn—get a zippy lift from citrus zest.

Devil's Inferno Cake

The underworld becomes edible in this incredible devil's food cake, which includes a rich and melty ganache topping and wickedly wonderful candy flames.

Cake Pops

Store-bought pound cake is the secret to these easy pops. A round cookie cutter turns out perfect circles, and then you dip them in chocolate and decorate with an assortment of seasonal sprinkles and candy.

White-Chocolate Caramel Corn with Cashews

This make-ahead caramel corn feels a little more special and party worthy, thanks chopped cashews and drizzled white chocolate.

Spider Web Cupcakes

These chocolate cupcakes topped with a sugar glaze and piped chocolate web are excellent on their own—and if you arrange them in concentric circles, they form a stunning Halloween centerpiece.

"I Scream" Graveyard Pie

A graham cracker crust forms the bottom of this festive ice cream pie, whose layers consist of vanilla and chocolate ice cream laced with some classic Halloween candy bars. Ground up chocolate wafers form the top layer, and then you add cookie tombstones for a creepy finish.

Black Candy Apples

A teaspoon of black food coloring added to homemade caramel sauces gives these carnival sweets a dark twist for Halloween.

Scaredy Cat Brownies

These chewy and fudgy brownies, made with a combination of bittersweet chocolate chips and cocoa powder, include a topping of chocolate peppermint and candy eyes.

Werewolf Paws

Whether you use store-bought madeleines and frosting or make one or both yourself, these furry treats (complete with toasted almond sliver "claws") are a fun and tasty addition to any Halloween table.

Mini Triple Treat Cupcakes

Peanut butter cupcake batter and peanut butter candies come together to form one ridiculously good cupcake. Once they're baked, a candy corn (or any small, decorative Halloween candy) completes these mini bites.

No-Bake Spiderweb Cheesecake

A gumdrop spider with limber licorice-string legs spins a ganache spider web over the top of this delicious and creamy no-bake cheesecake.