Happy Halloween! To make the holiday extra special for your kids, why not make some treats together? The easiest and most iconic Halloween shape is a ghost. It’s simple to make goodies and fashion them into the shape of an otherworldly ghost. Even better, many of these Halloween desserts don’t even require baking. Use prepackaged cookies as the base of frightfully easy ghost cookies. Top chocolate cookies with meringue “ghosts” to make sweet specters. Another easy option? Marshmallow ghosts. They’re just miniature marshmallows and melted white candy coating. For more of a confection challenge, create ghost cupcakes, ghost cake pops or a ghosts-in-the-graveyard cake.
Spiced Ghost Pancakes
Here’s a fun, clever way to make your breakfast a little freaky – whipped cream ghosts atop a pile of pancakes. Make these spiced ghost pancakes from Taste and Tell for your morning meal on Halloween. Add dollops of whipped cream to appear as ghosts, especially once you add two miniature chocolate chip eyes.
Cheesy Crescent Ghosts
Turn ready-made dough into spooky shapes using this cool idea for cheesy crescent ghosts from Pillsbury. Unravel crescent dough and let your kids make them into ghost shapes. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and use olives and red pepper strips for eyes.
Spooky Shepherd’s Pie
Mashed potatoes make for a creepy apparition with this spooky shepherd’s pie from Taste of Home. First, use this recipe, or your own, to make chili. Then, whip boiled potatoes into a creamy consistency. Pipe the potatoes into ghost shapes on each serving.
Dippin’ Ghosts
Use kitchen shears to cut ghost shapes out of bread dough. That’s the idea behind these dippin’ ghosts from Rhodes. The best part about these ghosts is choosing sauces for dunking – like marinara, ranch dressing or even honey butter.
Ghost Cake
Creepy eyes stare right back at you from this not-too-spooky but oh-so-fun ghost cake from Family Circle. Frost a couple layers of chocolate cake with white icing. With your kids, create eyeballs all around using Oreo cookies (icing side out) and then either mini Oreo cookies or M&Ms as the pupils – or both!
Sweet Specters
Ghosts are emerging from chocolate wafer cookies in this recipe for sweet specters from Hallmark. Whisk egg whites with sugar and cream of tartar to make meringue. Put the meringue into a pastry bag with a round tip. Dollop the meringue onto the chocolate wafer cookies and bake until just browned. Carefully add chocolate jimmies for eyes.
Marshmallow Ghosts
Create these marshmallow ghosts from Taste of Home with three ingredients: miniature marshmallows, melted white candy coating and candy eyes. Melt the chocolate coating and then mix with the marshmallows. Drop spoonfuls onto waxed paper to set. Add chocolate-covered candies like M&Ms as eyes or a touch of melted chocolate.
Ghost Cupcakes
Have you ever worked with fondant? You can make your own or purchase pre-made fondant to craft ghosts atop cupcakes. Roll out the fondant and then cut out a circle shape form the ghost around a lollipop. Affix miniature chocolate chips for eyes. The final step? Put the ghost on top of cooked chocolate cupcakes. That’s it to make these ghost cupcakes form Ambrosia Baking.
Frightfully Easy Ghost Cookies
Here’s the idea behind these frightfully easy ghost cookies from Pillsbury: Melt bright-white chocolate coating in the microwave. Next, dip peanut butter-filled sandwich cookies fully into the candy coating and then put each one onto waxed paper. Use miniature chocolate chips to add eyes – just put them on before the coating sets!
Ghost Cake Pops
How cute are these ghost cake pops from Bakerella? Start with cake balls and then form them into ghosts using cookie cutters. Good & Plenty candies become the arms. Dip the cookies into melted white chocolate coating. Add on the little ghostly faces with melted chocolate.
Ghosts in the Graveyard
This spooky ghosts-in-the-graveyard cake from Kraft is fun to put together. Mix pudding and whipped topping before placing it in a casserole dish. Cover with crushed Oreo cookies. Use extra whipped topping to make ghosts. Form tombstones with graham crackers. To complete the look, add in pumpkin candies.
This post was originally published in 2015 and has been updated for 2016.
