60 Halloween Cookies to Bake This Spooky Season
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Hustling to find a Halloween costume, plan a party for the kids and dream up all the spooky treats you want to bake by the 31st? Same here. But not to worry—we’re here to help, girls and ghouls. Read on for 60 Halloween cookies to tackle this fall that are equal parts festive and delicious. There’s a sweet for everyone in your coven, whether you’re looking for something spooky-chic (see the spiced palmiers and pumpkin chocolate chip cookies) or covered in googly eyes (we're looking at you, Halloween sugar cookies and flying bat Halloween cookie pops). Pair it with the perfect spooky movie, and you're golden.
60 Halloween Snacks That’ll Get Any Grown-Up in the Spirit
1. Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies
Photo: Nico Schinco/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 30 minutes
Why We Love It: make ahead, crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
Serves: 24
And you thought Oreos were good. These soft-baked beauties are bursting with cheesecake.
2. Maple-Pecan Icebox Cookies
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 3 hours and 10 minutes
Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, make ahead, crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients
Serves: 24
Don’t want to be stressed come the night of the party? Make the eight-ingredient dough ahead of time and bake it just in time for your guests’ arrival.
3. Milk Chocolate-Stuffed Jack-O’-Lantern Cookies
Half Baked Harvest
Time Commitment: 45 minutes
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, special occasion-worthy
Serves: 30
Could these spiced brown sugar cookies be any cuter? We think not. The cinnamon sugar coating really takes these over the top, for some next-level Halloween cookies.
4. Halloween Sugar Cookies
A Pretty Life in the Suburbs
Time Commitment: 35 minutes
Why We Love It: kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients
Serves: 36
Turn on a scary movie, bundle up on the couch and get ready to eat way too many monster eyes.
5. Monster Cookies
A Pretty Life in the Suburbs
Time Commitment: 40 minutes
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, kid-friendly, make ahead
Serves: 48
Alexa, add five-pound bag of candy corn to my shopping cart. This autumnal take on the classic monster cookie is loaded with Reese's Pieces too, but you could substitute any candy you'd like.
6. Giant Brown-Sugar Snickerdoodle Cookies
Photo: Nico Schinco/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 25 minutes
Why We Love It: <30 minutes, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
Serves: 10
Because you can only have so many cinnamon-sugar cider doughnuts. (Just kidding, we’ll never get sick of them or snickerdoodles.)
7. Caramel-Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 30 minutes
Why We Love It: kid-friendly, make ahead, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
Serves: 24
Nothing says Halloween like candy-packed cookie dough, right? Bring on the caramel.
8. Spiced Palmiers
Photo: Christine Han/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 4 hours and 30 minutes
Why We Love It: special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser, make ahead, <10 ingredients
Serves: 24
A French treat with an autumnal spin that's perfect for a fancy dinner party, thanks to cinnamon, cardamom and cloves.
9. Sweet Potato Sugar Cookies with Marshmallow Topping
Photo: Christine Han/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 30 minutes
Why We Love It: special occasion-worthy, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
Serves: 15
Sweet potato casserole always felt like dessert to us anyway.
10. Oatmeal Cookie Cream Pies
Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 15 minutes
Why We Love It: kid-friendly, make ahead, beginner-friendly
Serves: 12
Your kids will forget all about their trick-or-treat candy when they find these goodies in their lunchboxes.
11. Pecan Brittle Bark Cookies
Rebecca Firth
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 50 minutes
Why We Love It: special occasion-worthy, make ahead, crowd-pleaser
Serves: 30
Melted chocolate anchors the homemade, crackly brittle to the dough so it doesn’t totally liquefy in the oven. Science, y’all.
12. Itty-Bitty Sandwich Cookies
Photo: Mark Weinberg/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 5 minutes
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
Serves: 36
Way better than storing that extra candy in the freezer (and way cuter, too). Trust.
13. Caramel-Stuffed Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies
Photo: Liz Andrew/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 3 hours
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy
Serves: 24
A gloomy, blustery fall day is no match for warm spices, molasses, dark brown sugar and soft caramel.
14. Brown Sugar Cookies with Dulce de Leche
Photo: Nico Schinco/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 25 minutes (plus chilling)
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy, <10 ingredients
Serves: 24
We usually whip these stunners up for Christmas, but all it takes for a fall remix is using a pumpkin-shaped or leaf-shaped cookie cutter. Voila! You've got yourself a Halloween cookie.
15. 3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
Yumna Jawad/Feel Good Foodie
Time Commitment: 20 minutes
Why We Love It: <30 minutes, <10 ingredients, gluten free, one bowl
Serves: 18
For when you realize you forgot to pick up dessert at the supermarket and your guests are arriving in ten, this is the ultimate lazy person's Halloween cookie.
16. Flying Bat Halloween Cookie Pops
Fork and Beans
Time Commitment: 20 minutes
Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, kid-friendly, special occasion-worthy, <30 minutes
Serves: 5
Psst: The googly eyes are vegan, since they're made from nothing but powdered sugar, corn syrup and cornstarch.
17. Brownie Brittle Peanut Butter Cookie Ghost Cups
Food Faith Fitness
Time Commitment: 20 minutes
Why We Love It: <30 minutes, beginner-friendly, kid-friendly
Serves: 12
The only spirits we want to be haunted by are the ones made of cream cheese frosting.
18. Paleo Witch Finger Cookies
Food Faith Fitness
Time Commitment: 1 hour
Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, gluten free, Paleo-friendly, special occasion-worthy
Serves: 16
Coconut flour cookies stuffed with homemade jelly? And they’re vegan? That’s some strange magic.
19. Monster Mash Cookies
Half Baked Harvest
Time Commitment: 20 minutes
Why We Love It: <30 minutes, kid-friendly, special occasion-worthy
Serves: 60
Bake the easy sugar cookies, then let the kids at the party decorate with everything from Oreos to candy eyes to sanding sugar.
20. Mummy Cookie Bites
The Recipe Critic
Time Commitment: 2 hours and 15 minutes
Why We Love It: kid-friendly, special occasion-worthy, <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, no bake
Serves: 24
You only need three ingredients and a refrigerator to pull these ghoulish poppables off. Halloween cookies have never been this cute.
21. Halloween M&M’s Chocolate Chip Cookies
Averie Cooks
Time Commitment: 4 hours and 30 minutes
Why We Love It: kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
Serves: 16
Eleven-minute brown butter cookies with a touch of autumn—what's not to like? Mix things up by using peanut M&M's, white chocolate chips or butterscotch chips.
22. Monster Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Half Baked Harvest
Time Commitment: 30 minutes
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, kid-friendly, make ahead, one bowl
Serves: 18
Think Reese’s Pieces, chocolate chips and leftover trick-or-treat candy. Even better, you’ll only need to dirty one bowl to make them.
23. Pumpkin Butter Rugelach Cookies
Half Baked Harvest
Time Commitment: 50 minutes
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, special occasion-worthy
Serves: 48
Spiced, classy and totally chic, this is the Morticia Addams of Halloween cookies. They're just the coffee pairing for your grown-up Halloween party.
24. Frosted Chai Spice Snickerdoodles
Sally’s Baking Recipes
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 45 minutes
Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy
Serves: 20 to 24
Presenting a chai tea latte in the form of a Halloween cookie. We'd layer the vanilla bean frosting on thick if we were you.
25. Double-Stuffed Pumpkin Pie Oreos
Half Baked Harvest
Time Commitment: 3 hours (includes resting time)
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
Serves: 18
Your childhood favorite, but homemade with a fall twist. Be sure to have a glass of milk at the ready for dunking.
26. Candy Corn and White Chocolate Soft-Batch Cookies
Averie Cooks
Time Commitment: 3 hours and 20 minutes
Why We Love It: kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, make ahead
Serves: 20
These Halloween cookies will keep for up to four months in the freezer, meaning you can celebrate spooky season through Valentine’s Day.
27. Peanut Butter Snickers Cookies
Well Plated by Erin
Time Commitment: 35 minutes
Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser, make ahead
Serves: 24
A solid way to use up all the leftover candy the trick-or-treaters didn’t devour if we’ve ever seen one.
28. Chocolate-Drizzled Buttery Pecan and Caramelized Condensed Milk Cookies
Half Baked Harvest
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 10 minutes
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, <10 ingredients, special occasion-worthy
Serves: 20
Make sure you brag to your party guests that you whipped these up yourself—they look like they’re from a fancy bakery.
29. Candy Bar Blondies
Sally’s Baking Recipes
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 15 minutes
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
Serves: 12 to 16
Ah blondies, the chewy, crispy-edged cookie bars that never disappoint. These will work with just about any sweet add-ins that you have on hand.
30. Peanut Butter-Stuffed Chocolate Jack-O’-Lantern Cookies
Half Baked Harvest
Time Commitment: 45 minutes
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy
Serves: 12
Dark cocoa turns these chocolate sugar cookies black as night. Use both a pumpkin cookie cutter and pumpkin stamp to take them over the top.
31. Brown Butter Milky Way Oatmeal Cookies
Sally’s Baking Recipes
Time Commitment: 3 hours
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
Serves: 32 to 36
Browning butter before adding it to the dough will give the cookies an irresistibly caramel-like, nutty flavor.
32. Peanut Butter Blossom Spiders
Half Baked Harvest
Time Commitment: 30 minutes
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, beginner-friendly, kid-friendly
Serves: 40
The PB cookie classic gets a creepy makeover. Trade traditional Hershey’s Kisses for peanut butter cups, then craft tiny spiders with black licorice and candy eyes.
33. Frosted Pumpkin Cookies
Spend with Pennies
Time Commitment: 1 hour
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, kid-friendly
Serves: 30
Pumpkin purée and pie spice make these no-frills treats super festive. Hook your guests up with some Halloween sprinkles and let them take care of the decorating.
34. Mexican Chocolate Earthquake Cookies
Spoon Fork Bacon
Time Commitment: 4 hours and 5 minutes
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, special occasion-worthy
Serves: 36
Sorry kids, you’ll have to sit this one out. These spicy cayenne- and chipotle-spiked gems are for the grown-ups.
35. Chai, Chocolate Chip and Coconut Cookies
Spoon Fork Bacon
Time Commitment: 55 minutes
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, make ahead, beginner-friendly
Serves: 30
The homemade chai spice including ground ginger, nutmeg and allspice is straight-up soul warming.
36. Witches Broomsticks
Half Baked Harvest
Time Commitment: 2 hours
Why We Love It: make ahead, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
Serves: 20
The easiest way to turn your Halloween party into a real brouhaha? Serve these cookie-pretzel hybrids.
37. Vegan Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
Minimalist Baker
Time Commitment: 1 hour
Why We Love It: vegan, dairy free, beginner-friendly
Serves: 22
Because no one should have to miss out on dessert. The secret? Vegan butter and almond milk.
38. Double Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
How Sweet Eats
Time Commitment: 45 minutes
Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, kid-friendly
Serves: 10 to 12
We hope you aren’t afraid of the dark. These are beyond bold and decadent, thanks to dark cocoa powder and a trifecta of chocolate chips, peanut butter chips and peanut butter cups.
39. Pumpkin Chocolate Twix Cookies
Life Made Sweeter
Time Commitment: 25 minutes
Why We Love It: <30 minutes, Paleo-friendly, gluten free
Serves: 12
Never choose between a pumpkin dessert and chocolate ever again. Bonus? These are made without butter or oil and use whole-wheat flour.
40. Chocolate-Covered Peanut Butter Ritz Sandwiches
Spoon Fork Bacon
Time Commitment: 45 minutes
Why We Love It: kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, <10 ingredients
Serves: 8
So easy even your little monsters could make them without you. We’re talking four ingredients and not a second of cook time if you use your trusty microwave instead of a double-boiler.
41. Candy Bar Cookies
Bitz n Giggles
Time Commitment: 30 minutes
Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, beginner-friendly, kid-friendly
Serves: 15
Use any confection, from Snickers to Rolos, in these simple cake mix cookies. We’re sure the kids won’t mind donating some from their stash, particularly when you tell them about the end result.
42. Caramel Apple Cider Cookies
Gimme Some Oven
Time Commitment: 25 minutes
Why We Love It: <30 minutes, beginner-friendly, kid-friendly
Serves: 48
All the tart sweetness of the quintessential autumn drink, plus a kiss of gooey caramel. They’ll taste even better dunked in hot homemade apple cider.
43. Bloody Spooky Macarons
A Cookie Named Desire
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 35 minutes
Why We Love It: special occasion-worthy, gluten free, crowd-pleaser, make ahead
Serves: 28
These almond cookies stuffed with cherry jam-spiked frosting are nothing short of divine. Splattering them with diluted food coloring gives them a devilish appearance.
44. Salted Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookie Snickers Bars
Half Baked Harvest
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 45 minutes
Why We Love It: kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
Serves: 18
Sweet-and-salty lovers, meet your new favorite candy bar. They're easier to make than you think, thanks to store-bought caramels.
45. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Grandbaby Cakes
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 20 minutes
Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, make ahead, crowd-pleaser
Serves: 24
Not that the O.G. needs any help being delicious, but a few spoonfuls of pumpkin puree and a slew of autumn spices take the classic to a whole new level. Did we mention the butterscotch chips?
46. Butterfinger Brown Butter Cookies
Grandbaby Cakes
Time Commitment: 55 minutes
Why We Love It: kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, make ahead, crowd-pleaser
Serves: 30
Sorry, what'd you say? We were totally distracted by these sweet, crunchy, salty cookies. Don't forget to garnish them with a flourish of flaky salt.
47. Decorated Halloween Sugar Cookies
A Pretty Life in the Suburbs
Time Commitment: 1 hour
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, special occasion-worthy
Serves: 40
Bust out the piping bag and flex your skills ahead of the kids' Halloween party. (We're betting they'd be happy to help decorate them, too.)
48. Chewy Molasses Cookies
A Cookie Named Desire
Time Commitment: 30 minutes
Why We Love It: make ahead, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
Serves: 22
This grown-up dessert screams fall and is just right for an intimate spooky soirée. Rolling the dough balls in sugar before baking them gives the exterior of the cookies extra crunch.
49. Dark Chocolate Orange Slice-and-Bake Cookies
Sally's Baking Recipes
Time Commitment: 45 minutes
Why We Love It: make ahead, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
Serves: 24
These icebox cookies are not only prime for Halloween, thanks to their color scheme, but would also be a hit at this year's holiday cookie swap.
50. Pumpkin S'mores Cookies
A Classic Twist
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 5 minutes
Why We Love It: kid-friendly, special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser
Serves: 15
When fall pumpkin picking and summer bonfires collide, these ooey-gooey handhelds are the result. Don't be shy with the mini marshmallows.
51. Halloween Cookies
Owlbbaking
Time Commitment: 30 minutes
Why We Love It: kid-friendly, beginner-friendly, crowd-pleaser
Serves: 24
They're only as epic as their toppings, so go wild with Halloween M&Ms, peanut butter cups and orange and black sprinkles. (Bonus points for including candy corn and mellowcreme pumpkins.)
52. Creamy Pumpkin Eton Mess
Photo: Matt Dutile/Styling: Erin McDowell
Time Commitment: 1 hour and 20 minutes
Why We Love It: crowd-pleaser, special occasion-worthy
Serves: 6
Store-bought meringue cookies can easily star in this pumpkin pie-inspired masterpiece, but feel free to go the extra mile by making them yourself.
53. Snickerdoodle Peanut Butter Cookie Cake
A Classic Twist
Time Commitment: 40 minutes
Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, special occasion-worthy, kid-friendly, crowd-pleaser
Serves: 1 9-inch cookie cake
The only thing better than a bunch of small cookies is one giant one. Yes, we're talking a Halloween cookie cake. And since the recipe calls for boxed snickerdoodle cookie mix, the dough will come together in a flash.
54. S’mores Cookies
Photo/Styling: Katherine Gillen
Time Commitment: 45 minutes
Why We Love It: <10 ingredients, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
Serves: 12
Campfire, shmampfire. We’re getting our autumn s’mores fix without an open flame, thanks to these gooey cookies.
55. Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting
Photo/Styling: Katherine Gillen
Time Commitment: 30 minutes
Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, kid-friendly, special occasion-worthy, make ahead
Serves: 12
Pumpkin cookies with cream cheese frosting? Call us basic, but we’re certain it’s a match made in autumnal heaven.
56. Ina Garten’s Cinnamon-Spiced Shortbread
Quentin Baker/Go-To Dinners
Time Commitment: 1 hour, 2 minutes
Why We Love It: make ahead, crowd-pleaser
Serves: 16 to 20
They're sweet, spicy, and they totally feel like fall.
57. Apple Oatmeal Cookies
Well Plated By Erin
Time Commitment: 55 minutes
Why We Love It: beginner-friendly, kid-friendly
Serves: 12 to 14
Craving a light alternative to Halloween treats? Look no further.
58. Pumpkin Pie Biscotti
Gimme Some Oven
Time Commitment: 35 minutes
Why We Love It: special occasion-worthy, make ahead
Serves: 12 to 16
Invite your friends over for spooky season coffee — these are sure to be a hit.
59. Sunbutter Cookies
Photo: Patrick Sporleder/Styling: Kerri Axelrod
Time Commitment: 30 minutes
Why We Love It: ready in <30 minutes, <10 ingredients
Serves: 8
Easy and secretly healthy... what could be better?
60. Cinnamon Spiced Sugar Cookies With Browned Butter Frosting
Half Baked Harvest
Time Commitment: 35 minutes
Why We Love It: special occasion-worthy
Serves: 60
This elegant cookie is bound to impress the gals and ghouls at your next Halloween party.
51 Halloween Dinner Ideas for Adults
For even more great recipes, check out our first cookbook, Only the Good Stuff.
Taryn Pire is PureWow’s associate food editor. A former bartender and barista, she’s been writing about all things delicious since 2016, developing recipes, reviewing restaurants and investigating food trends at Food52, New Jersey Family Magazine and Taste Talks. When she isn’t testing TikTok’s latest viral recipe, she’s having popcorn for dinner and posting about it on Instagram @cookingwithpire.
