Halloween cookies are my favorite kind of treat. There are so many spooky and seriously unique ways to decorate them, and they always manage to steal the show on any dessert table. If you’re planning a party or just love baking for the season, you’ll definitely want to bookmark a few of the Halloween cookie recipes below!
1. Easy Spider Cookies That’ll Crawl Right Into Your Party Plans
Spiders on a cookie? Weirdly adorable! This clever twist on the classic peanut butter blossom cookie is both creepy and crowd-pleasing. To make it look more convincing, add Whoppers malted milk balls for the spider body, pipe on chocolate ganache legs, and finish with candy eyeballs. Pro tip: use a fine-tip squeeze bottle for the legs so they don’t turn into chocolate blobs!
2. Gingerbread Zombies That’ll Steal the Spotlight (and Your Heart)
Our favorite Gingerbread Man just got a haunted makeover! This unique take on classic holiday cookies brings in all the spooky vibes, and all you need is chocolate dough, some royal icing, and a touch of imagination. Double the stitch marks with a piping bag for extra flair. Don’t you just love when Halloween cookie recipes get a little twisted?
3. These Frankenstein Cookies Are Freakishly Fun to Decorate
These Frankenstein cookies are a monster hit. They start with a simple sugar cookie base and get transformed with royal icing in bold green and purple. I love how the design pops without needing complicated tools. Use a small offset spatula to get those crisp hairlines if you’re feeling fancy. It’s Halloween baking made easy and eye-catching!
Related: 21 Fun Halloween Recipes That’ll Totally Steal the Show
4. Easy Halloween Ghost Cookies with Royal Icing
These sweet little ghosts are almost too cute to eat. Start with a buttery sandwich cookie base (you can use a fluted biscuit cutter for that scalloped edge), then pipe the ghost shapes directly in the center using thick royal icing. Use a fine tip to add tiny arms and dot on the eyes and blush once the white icing sets. I like how forgiving they are, even a lopsided ghost still looks cute!
5. These Melty Marshmallow Spider Web Cookies Are a Must-Try
This might be one of the coolest Halloween cookie recipes out there! The base is a chewy double chocolate cookie, which gives you that rich, brownie-like texture everyone loves. To make the spider webs, simply melt marshmallows in the microwave, stretch between your fingers, and drape over the cookies like webs. Don’t worry if it gets messy because it’s supposed to!
6. Skellington Cookies That Look Like They Came from Halloween Town
If you love The Nightmare Before Christmas, you’ve got to try these Jack Skellington cookies! Just bake round sugar cookies, poke in two thumbprints for the eyes, and a smaller one for the nose, then fill with dark berry jam. It’s better to add the stitched mouth after baking using melted chocolate and a pastry bag. The best part is how much they look like little edible Jack faces without needing any special tools!
7. Bright & Stitched Halloween Cookies That’ll Wow Burton Fans
Here’s another Halloween cookie recipe inspired by one of Tim Burton’s iconic characters: Sally and her patchwork dress. Start by dividing your sugar cookie dough and tinting it with neon gel food coloring in teal, pink, yellow, and purple. After baking, use a piping bag with a small round tip to add chocolate stitches along the color borders. The slightly mismatched, hand-stitched look really works here, which makes each cookie feel fun and unique.
8. Kid-Friendly Nutter Butter Ghosts You Can Make in Minutes
These Nutter Butter ghosts are the ultimate no-fuss Halloween treat. Just dip each cookie into melted white candy melts and press on candy eyes and a mini chocolate chip for the mouth before the coating sets. I recommend using a silicone baking mat so the ghosts set with a smooth bottom and don’t stick. It’s one of my favorite Halloween cookie recipes to make with kids!
9. These Pull-Apart Zombie Cookies are Pure Genius
These zombie cookies are ridiculously fun to make. You bake two parts (like a zombie head and a brain) then connect them with marshmallow fluff so they pull apart with a creepy ooze. You can use a cookie detail tool to sketch on cracks, scars, and missing teeth before outlining them with black icing. This one takes a little extra time but definitely lands in the epic Halloween cookie recipes category!
10. Poison Apple Halloween Cookies That Are Wickedly Good
Snow White wouldn’t dare take a bite, but the Evil Queen would definitely approve. For these poison apple cookies, start with an apple-shaped cookie cutter and a layer of red royal icing as the base. Once that sets, add neon green icing to create the signature poison drip. They look striking packaged in clear favor bags and make the perfect spooky party treat!
11. Freak Out Your Guests with These Realistic Finger Cookies
Put a finger up if you’re into witchy Halloween cookies! These witch fingers are seriously spooky and totally realistic, down to the almond “nails” and wrinkly knuckles. You will need sugar cookie dough, whole almonds, and red or black gel food coloring to nail the look. An extra tip: chill your shaped dough fingers before baking to help them keep their shape!
Related: 17+ Spooky Halloween Cocktails That’ll Haunt Your Guests
12. Mystic Tarot Cookies for Your Spooky Aesthetic
Speaking of witches, how stunning are these mystical tarot card cookies? The base is a simple rectangle sugar cookie, and the pretty details are made using embossed fondant pressed with a custom mold. Make sure to have edible pearl dust on hand to highlight certain elements for that enchanted glow. My favorite part is how upscale they look, even if they’re surprisingly easy to decorate!
13. Easy Halloween Pinwheel Cookies You Can Prep Ahead
These Halloween pinwheel cookies are always a hit at parties. The bold swirls in orange, green, purple, and black make them eye-catching, and they’re just as fun to make as they are to eat. Divide your dough, tint each portion with gel food coloring, and roll the layers together before slicing. A bench scraper helps you get clean, even cuts and keeps the spirals nice and defined. Stack them up on a platter, and they’ll disappear fast!
14. Blood-Spattered Halloween Cookies That Look Like a Crime Scene
Ready for some bloody cookies that’ll make your dessert table look delightfully creepy? These might even make your guests do a double take. Start with plain sugar cookies, then flood the tops with white royal icing and let them dry completely. For the splatter effect, mix red food coloring with corn syrup and flick it on using a food-safe brush. It gets messy, so use parchment paper to shield your work area.
15. Fuzzy Bat Cookies Made with Sprinkles and Icing
A unique twist on classic Halloween cookie recipes, these hairy bat cookies are as cute as they are chocolatey. Use a bat-shaped cookie cutter and a small piping tip to outline the wings with chocolate royal icing for that crisp definition. The fuzzy texture comes from a generous layer of chocolate sprinkles pressed into the bat’s body. So simple, so fun, and they always fly off the plate!
16. Monster Cookies That Are Colorful, Crinkly, and Kid-Approved
Soft and gooey, you’ll never guess how easy these monster cookies are to make. Prepare a cake mix cookie dough in bright colors, roll each scoop in powdered sugar for that signature crackle, then press in candy eyeballs while they’re still warm. For extra texture, add white chocolate chips or crushed pretzels to the mix. You can do a big batch in different colors and mix up the number of eyeballs on each one for a playful look.
17. The Cutest Little Witch Hat Cookies to Bake This Year
These witch hat cookies are guaranteed to cast a spell on your dessert table. Start with a batch of soft peanut butter cookies, then press a Hershey’s Kiss into the center of each one right after baking to create the hat shape. To finish the look, pipe a colorful icing band around the base using a small round tip. Switch between purple, orange, and green to match the rest of your Halloween spread!
18. These Haunted Cookies Are Watching You
Ever feel like someone’s watching you? These eerie eyeball cookies will definitely keep guests on their toes. Start with your favorite chocolate chip cookie dough, then press a candy eye into the center (or make your own using marshmallows and food coloring!). As the dough spreads in the oven, it creates this creepy “eyelid” effect around the eyeball that’s both scary and kind of genius.
19. Easy Halloween Cookies for Pumpkin Season
Pumpkin spice lovers, rejoice! This cozy cookie recipe puts the spotlight on fall flavor and classic Halloween shapes. The dough is made with pumpkin purée, vegan butter, vanilla extract, and plenty of pumpkin pie spice. Shape them using jack-o’-lantern or ghost cookie cutters, then dust with cinnamon sugar before baking. I hate to say it, but they might be even better than pumpkin pie!
Related: 17+ Matching Mom and Baby DIY Halloween Costumes That Are Too Cute to Handle
20. These Toothy Cookie Sandwiches Are a Party Must
Your family and friends will love sinking their teeth into these vampire cookies (pun fully intended). Start by baking a batch of soft chocolate chip cookies and letting them cool completely. Spread red frosting around the edge, then line mini marshmallows along the bottom for teeth. Add two sliced almonds for fangs and top with another cookie to finish the look. They’re the kind of treat that gets people talking and snapping pics!
21. Candy Corn Cookies That Taste Like Halloween
Whether for trick-or-treaters or just for a cozy Halloween movie night, these candy corn cookies bring all the festive vibes. You can add candy corn and white chocolate chips to classic sugar cookie dough. The more you add, the more gooey and festive they look. The sweetness from the candy corn melts right into the cookie for a chewy, buttery bite that tastes like October.
22. The Easiest Halloween Frosted Cookies That Still Look Impressive
Need a quick but festive Halloween cookie idea? Whip up a batch of soft chocolate chip cookies and pipe on purple and orange buttercream frosting. You can either grab store-bought dough or make your favorite homemade recipe. I love this because it gives you so much freedom to play with colors, piping styles, and sprinkles. Add fondant candies or Halloween confetti sprinkles and they instantly look party-ready!
23. Jack O’ Lantern Cookies with a Chocolatey Twist
Jack O’Lanterns just got a delicious upgrade. These cinnamon-sugar pumpkin cookies are sandwiched with melted milk chocolate for the ultimate Halloween treat. Use a pumpkin face cookie cutter for that classic carved look. The dough is spiced with cozy fall flavors like cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. They’re nostalgic and absolutely irresistible fresh from the oven!
24. Green Halloween Cookies Inspired by Beetlejuice
How about a Halloween cookie that screams iconic? These Beetlejuice cookies totally nail the theme with bright green sugar and striped chocolate kisses. You’ll be glad you added these to your dessert table because they’re eye-catching and super simple to make. Just roll sugar cookie dough in green sanding sugar before baking, then press a Hershey’s Hug into each one while still warm. They are my favorite no-fuss cookies that still feel super creative!
25. Chocolate Black Cat Cookies for the Purr-fect Halloween Treat
Black cats are believed to bring bad luck, but these black cat cookies are simply too good to resist. They’re chocolate flavored and shaped using a cat head cookie cutter. For the garnish, use pink and yellow fondant or colored icing to create the eyes, nose, and ears. I’ll definitely be adding these to my Halloween cookie rotation. They’re such a fun activity for kids to decorate too!
Final Thoughts
Baking is one of my favorite ways to get into the seasonal spirit. For Halloween, it’s all about getting creative, having fun, and making something that feels just a little bit magical. These Halloween cookie recipes are perfect for parties, gifting, or just treating yourself to something sweet and spooky. They’re guaranteed to bring a little extra charm to your Halloween celebration!
