Spooky Halloween Desserts: Fun Ghost-Themed Treats for Halloween

The dessert form of a ghost is among the most forgiving shapes to try. Don't need to be symmetrical. Does not require a steady hand. Whether you're a master baker or a budding little one with a piping bag for the first time, the rounded blob with the slightly wavy bottom edge is a ghost.

Part of the reason easy, spooky Halloween desserts so frequently feature ghost shapes is that they're super easy to work with. Ghosts can be marshmallows dipped in white chocolate, sheet cakes with piped outlines, or more. These easy, scary Halloween desserts can be a little fun and cuddle-worthy for the kids or more spooky for an adult Halloween party!

Spooky Ghost-Themed Halloween Desserts

Ghost Cupcakes

A simple white frosting piped into a rounded, teardrop shape over a cupcake instantly reads as a ghost, particularly once finished with two small candy or chocolate eyes pressed in while the frosting is still soft. You can also scale the white frosting technique up to a larger ghost shape on top of a sheet cake or pipe a bunch of smaller ghost shapes across the surface for a more playful, multi-ghost look. The white frosting is dusted lightly with edible glitter or shimmer for a subtle, ethereal finish.

Ingredients:

• 150 gm unsalted butter
• 150 gm light brown sugar
• 125 gm self-raising flour
• 25 gm Cadbury cocoa powder
• 3 eggs

Italian Meringue Topping:

• 185 gm granulated sugar
• 85 ml water
• 100 gm egg whites
• Melted dark chocolate for decorating

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a 12-cup muffin tin with large cupcake cases.
2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and light brown sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add the eggs, self-raising flour, and cocoa powder to the butter-sugar mixture. Beat until well combined.
4. Divide the batter evenly among the cupcake cases.
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean and the cakes spring back when touched.
6. Cool the cupcakes completely on a wire rack.
7. For the Italian meringue, combine the sugar and water in a heavy-based saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
8. Brush down any sugar crystals on the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water to prevent crystallization.
9. Monitor the syrup with a sugar thermometer until it reaches 120°C (firm ball stage). As the syrup nears this temperature, whisk the egg whites using an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.
10. Slowly pour the hot sugar syrup into the egg whites in a thin stream, whisking continuously.
11. Continue whisking on high speed for five to seven minutes until the meringue is smooth and cools. Transfer it to a large piping bag fitted with a round nozzle.
12. Pipe ghost shapes onto the cooled cupcakes by creating a wider base and tapering upwards.
13. Use melted dark chocolate to pipe small eyes and mouths onto each ghost.
14. Let the chocolate cool to hold shape before serving.

2. Ghosts in the Graveyard Dessert Shooters

For an easy ghost cookie, take a simple round or teardrop-shaped sugar cookie, dip it in white chocolate or royal icing, and finish off with two small candy eyes. This is a cookie even beginner bakers can manage. If you want a no-bake alternative, marshmallows dipped in melted white chocolate and topped with candy eyes make an almost no-effort ghost treat that's ready in minutes, with no oven time at all.

Ingredients:

• 170 gm semisweet chocolate chips
• 480 ml heavy cream, divided
• 225 gm cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 24 Oreo cookies, pulverized
• 113 gm caster sugar

Whipped Cream Ghosts:

• 240 ml heavy cream
• 75 gm caster sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Optional toppings:

• 12 oval sandwich cookies
• 1 tube of black frosting for writing
• ghosts-in-the-graveyard-dessert-shooters

Instructions:

1. Add chocolate chips and 120 ml heavy cream to a small thick-bottom saucepan and heat over medium-low, stirring until smooth. The chocolate chips will melt into a smooth mixture.
2. Transfer the melted chocolate mixture to a heatproof bowl and set aside to cool completely.
3. Whip the remaining 360 ml heavy cream using an electric mixer on high, until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
4. Using the electric mixer again, mix the cooled chocolate mixture into the cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add sugar while mixing, scraping down the bowl as needed.
5. Stir in vanilla extract and 1 1/2 cups of Oreo crumbs, reserving the rest to sprinkle as topping for the shooters.
6. Fold in whipped cream and on low speed, stir the mixture until fully combined.
7. Arrange 24 disposable shot glasses or glass ones on your kitchen counter.
8. Transfer the mixture to a large piping bag, snip off one end, and pipe the filling into the shot glasses, filling each about 3/4 full.
9. Sprinkle the reserved Oreos on the shooters, covering the tops with the crumbs.
10. Use black frosting to write "RIP" on the upper half of the oval sandwich cookies. Press them down, the frosting side up into the shooters. The RIP should be visible like a tombstone peeking.
11. For the ghosts, whip heavy cream with powdered sugar and 1/2 tsp vanilla, using the electric mixer on medium-low speed, in a bowl, until stiff peaks form.
12. Transfer this whipped cream into a large piping bag fitted with a round tip and pipe ghost-like swirls on the tops of the remaining dessert shooters.
13. Use black frosting to add eyes and mouths to the ghosts.
14. Serve immediately or refrigerate until it’s time to serve.

Easy Ways to Create Ghost Decorations

The easiest way to create a ghost silhouette that people recognize is to pipe a simple shape in frosting or melted chocolate with a slightly wavy bottom edge. Mini marshmallows dipped partway in white chocolate make a nearly instant three-dimensional ghost with minimal effort. Melted white chocolate makes a simple ghost covering once set and drizzled over a dome-shaped treat such as a cake pop or truffle. Candy eyes are still the fastest way to finish any of these designs, giving the ghost character an instantly recognizable shape.

Tips for Making Kid-Friendly Spooky Desserts

For younger children, cute is often more successful than truly scary. They prefer soft, rounded shapes and friendly expressions and generally shy away from anything too eerie or dark. You can also get the kids in on the action with simple assembly rather than intricate piping—think dipping and adding eyes instead. Portion out ingredients into small bowls ahead of time, like candy eyes and melted chocolate, to make decorating easier. This is helpful when you have more than one kid who wants to help at the same time.