46 Halloween Cookie Recipes That Might Just Be Better Than Candy

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Yes, it’s 100% true that Halloween is all about the candy, BUT your sweet intake for the holiday does not have to end there. We’re here to advocate for Halloween cookies, too. These 46 scary-easy recipes are not only a fun seasonal activity to enjoy making (and eating!) with kids, but they’re also a clever way to use up any leftover Halloween candy, or and the perfect way to add even more fall flavor into your life. So if you’re looking to maximize all your treats, bake some of these spooky good cookie ideas this year!

If you’re looking for tricks with your Halloween treats, you’ll really spook your friends when you present them with a batch of Dracula dentures, glowing black widow Oreo pops, and candy corn cobs. Some of these, like our mummy pops, our witch finger cookies, or our ube crinkle cookies (and really all of our scary-looking Halloween recipes), might almost be too scary-cute to eat. Almost.

Looking for more treats than tricks? Our apple crisp cookie cups, our pumpkin cheesecake cookies, our buckeye cookies, and more are full of the best that fall has to offer. They’re proof you can eat your fruits and veggies AND cookies too! Win win.

Want more Halloween dessert ideas? Check out our favorite Halloween cakes and Halloween cupcakes too. And a little Halloween punch never hurt anyone. Need some Halloween party decoration ideas? We’ve got tons of pumpkin carving ideas to trick out your front yard (or just your apartment living room), as well as some next-level trunk or treat ideas too.

Ghost Cookies

The best way to never be afraid of ghosts? Turn them into cute little sugar cookies. These spooky ghosts will be a hit at every Halloween party and are far easier to make than they look!

Get the Ghost Cookies recipe.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adding pumpkin puree and pumpkin spice to chocolate chip cookie dough results in a heavenly pillow-like cookie with major autumn vibes. Yum!

Get the Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe.

Ube Crinkle Cookies

With its striking color and a unique nutty vanilla flavor profile, ube has taken over the world. Upgrade your average crinkle cookie this Halloween with ube extract and ube halaya, a popular Filipino pudding made with ube and condensed milk. Your guests won’t know what hit ’em!

Get the Ube Crinkle Cookies recipe.

Witch Finger Cookies

Ghouls, goblins, and witches to the front, please! These witch finger cookies are exactly what they sound like: a shortbread cookie shaped into a severed finger and adorned with an almond nail and a bit of blood-red jam.

Get the Witch Finger Cookies recipe.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Pumpkin snickerdoodles are everything we dreamed they could be: slightly chewy, tangy, and full of cinnamon and pumpkin. Go ahead and make a double batch. These rival our other favorite, pumpkin chocolate chip, which is really saying something.

Get the Pumpkin Snickerdoodles recipe.

Mini Pillsbury Cookie Cheesecakes

These are admittedly cheesecakes, but since they are made from Pillsbury’s adorable Halloween cookies, we’re counting them here! Combining the rich creaminess of cheesecake with the sweet buttery taste of Pillsbury sugar cookies, this not-so-scary recipe is perfect for parties, gatherings, or as a special dessert for the family.

Get the Mini Pillsbury Cookie Cheesecakes recipe.

Glazed Maple Leaf Cookies

In this maple-inspired recipe, I spiced up our cut-out sugar cookie with cinnamon, maple syrup, and walnuts to make an aromatic and nutty-flavored cookie dough that will make you feel like you’re taking a brisk fall hike among maple trees. Let’s make “maple syrup fall” happen!

Get the Glazed Maple Leaf Cookies recipe.

Hocus Pocus S’mores Pops

You’ll love these even more than Bette Midler loved her booooook! Make our Hocus Pocus Jell-O shots and our Binx cookies to complete your spread.

Get the Hocus Pocus S’mores Pops recipe.

Apple Cider Cookies

Apple cider donuts are our absolute favorite thing about fall. While making donuts is quite fun, they’re time consuming, and not to mention the mess of frying with oil or needing a donut pan to bake them. These cookies are the perfect substitution.

Get the Apple Cider Cookies recipe.

Jack Skellington Oreo Pops

Not to be corny, but these Oreo pops are… scary good. Feel free to decorate these however you like, but we’re partial to these Jack Skellingtons and these glowing black widow Oreo pops!

Get the Jack Skellington Oreo Pops recipe.

Pumpkin S’mores Cookies

Tender pumpkin cookies are one of our favorite fall desserts. The aromatics in pumpkin spice remind us of cinnamon graham crackers, and graham crackers make us think of s’mores. And OH MY GOURD: If you combine a tender pumpkin cookie and all of the classic s’mores ingredients, the result is perfection.

Get the Pumpkin S’mores Cookies recipe.

Nutella Stuffed Cookies

These Nutella-stuffed cookies are a bit of culinary magic: A tender, intensely chocolatey cookie exterior gives way to melty, gooey Nutella inside. And as if that weren’t enough, a sprinkling of flaky sea salt gives the cookies the perfect salty-sweet finish.

Get the Nutella Stuffed Cookies recipe.

Almond Joy Cookies

What if your favorite coconut-almond-chocolate candy bar morphed into a crunchy, melt-in-your-mouth cookie? We’ve done it! Joy is in the name for a reason.

Get the Almond Joy Cookies recipe.

Hocus Pocus Binx Cookies

Hocus Pocus is a must-watch every year, and these adorable Binx cookies are in honor of the classic movie character. Black cocoa powder turns these chewy chocolate cookies a dark rich color, perfect for our favorite talking cat.

Get the Hocus Pocus Binx Cookies recipe.

Chocolate Turtle Cookies

It’s really hard to beat the combo of chocolate and caramel, so naturally I stuffed a chocolate cookie with a soft caramel to replicate one of my favorite candies: chocolate turtles. With pecans in the dough, you get the classic combo of a turtle candy. You’ll never want to return to a basic chocolate cookie again.

Get the Chocolate Turtle Cookies recipe.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies

Get your pumpkin and cheesecake fix in one with these pumpkin-spiced cookies stuffed with a little surprise: cream cheese filling! The warming pumpkin spice cookies complement the creamy, tangy flavors of cheesecake, creating the most decadent cookie you’ll have all season long.

Get the Pumpkin Cheesecake Cookies recipe.

Monster Cookies

The origin of the name “monster” cookies isn’t clear, but it may refer to the fact that they’re like Frankenstein’s monster—they’re a combination of many parts of other cookies (ours features oats, M&M’s, peanuts, and pretzels) and are endlessly riffable.

Get the Monster Cookies recipe.

Twix Cookies

These easy Twix cookies are the simplest way to make a copycat of our favorite candy bar. Crunchy shortbread is topped with caramel and milk chocolate and mimics a Twix perfectly. If you like salty sweet, a little flaky sea salt on the chocolate before it sets is divine too.

Get the Twix Cookies recipe.

Day Of The Dead Cookies

October 31 also marks the start of Day of the Dead—celebrate with these colorful skull cookies. Our classic sugar cookie holds its shape perfectly, and we love of our royal icing for all of our decorating needs. Use your favorite colors and decorate each skull to your own desire!

Get the Day Of The Dead Cookies recipe.

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

These fall treats combine the best of oatmeal cookies with pumpkin’s delicious seasonality. Soft and chewy with a maple glaze that adds an autumnal flair, these pumpkin oatmeal cookies are just the thing to fill up your cookie jar this October.

Get the Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies recipe.

Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Biscotti

Since pumpkin puree adds extra moisture to the cookies, these won’t get quite as dry as traditional biscotti, but are still plenty sturdy. Serve these with a pumpkin spice latte for a double-dose of fall this year.

Get the Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chip Biscotti recipe.

Pumpkin Cookies

We bake a lot of cookies, so when one surprises us with how good it is, it’s exciting. These cookies are soft and chewy with just a subtle warm spice to them. They aren’t cake-y like a lot of pumpkin desserts tend to be thanks to a simple way of getting rid of the excess moisture from the pumpkin.

Get the Pumpkin Cookies recipe.

Halloween Monster Cookies

What would you do if dozens of beady little eyeballs were staring you down, all at once? If said eyeballs were candy eyes in a big stack of little monster Halloween cookies, you would freak out in a very different way — because the sugar neon cookies are so dang cute!

Get the Halloween Monster Cookies recipe.

Potato Chip Cookies

Love chocolate chip cookies? Prepare to meet your new obsession. Sweet and salty, crunchy on the outside and chewy in the center, these potato chip cookies take everything we love about the classic chocolate chip cookie and crank up the volume—big time.

Get the Potato Chip Cookies recipe.

Dracula Dentures

We used store-bought ingredients to make things a little easier for you, but feel free to swap for homemade if you like—all you need is some chocolate chip cookies, vanilla frosting, red food coloring, mini marshmallows, and almonds. They’re a fun anytime snack this holiday season.

Get the Vampire Cookies recipe.

M&M Cookie Bars

These have all the comfort of a chocolate chip cookie, with the added crunch of M&M’s and the heft of a bar shape, making for a delicious treat that’s impossible to put down. Try them with seasonal M&M’s to switch them up for Halloween too.

Get the M&M Cookie Bars recipe.

Apple Crisp Cookie Cups

These cookie cups are the ultimate fall treat when you need a shareable version of the classic apple crisp. With an oatmeal cookie base, a spiced apple filling, and a caramel drizzle topping, these mini treats will please everyone at your fall gathering.

Get the Apple Crisp Cookie Cups recipe.

Churro Cookies

We are obsessed with churros and love making them at home, but sometimes we don’t have the time to fry up a fresh batch. These cookies are the perfect solution. Caramel gets sandwiched between puff pastry and then tossed in cinnamon sugar for a simple and fast yet completely decadent treat.

Get the Churro Cookies recipe.

Jack-O’-Lantern Sandwich Cookies

Pumpkin sugar cookies get sandwiched together with a cream cheese frosting for a perfect fall dessert. Carving a Jack-O’-Lantern into them for an adorable Halloween treat everyone will love is so much better than carving a real pumpkin.

Get the Jack-O’-Lantern Sandwich Cookies recipe.

Mummy Pops

Did you know you can turn a classic Nutter Butter into one very spooky treat? Now you do! If you love these, you’ll have to try our flip-flop cookies in the summer.

Get the Mummy Pops recipe.

Buckeye Cookies

These buckeye-inspired cookies are truly EXPLODING with peanut butter. What could be better?

Get the Buckeye Cookies recipe.

Oreo Spider Webs

Give your Oreos a spooky spin this Halloween with this super-easy (and super-genius) spider web design. All you need is your favorite chocolate, some white chocolate, and a pack of Oreos!

Get the Oreo Spider Webs recipe.

Reese’s Chip Cookies

These cookies have three different types of chips: semisweet, peanut butter, and Reese’s Minis. Do yourself a favor and don’t skip any of them!

Get the Reese’s Chip Cookies recipe.

Glowing Black Widow Oreo Pops

Mixing melted chocolate with a little tonic water gives these an eerie green glow under a black light. Want even more blacklight action? Try our glowing mini cupcakes or our cotton candy shots too.

Get the Glowing Black Widow Oreo Pops recipe.

Sweet Potato Cookies

Forget sweet potato casserole. Forget pumpkin spice lattes. These sweet potato cookies are our new fall staple. Once you taste their maple glaze, you’ll understand why.

Get the Sweet Potato Cookies recipe.

Pumpkin Mummy Cookies

These adorable “cookies” are basically mini pumpkin pies. Making homemade pie dough is highly encouraged—it’s so buttery and flaky. But you can also substitute store-bought refrigerated pie crust. If you don’t have sanding sugar, feel free to use granulated sugar for the cinnamon topping!

Get the Pumpkin Mummy Cookies recipe.

Leaf Cookies

We didn’t really need any other sweet reasons to help us celebrate fall, but we’re always open to another. These precious cookies take store-bought sugar cookie dough and turn it into something magical.

Get the Leaf Cookies recipe.

Paprika Pecan Shortbread

Crumbly, nutty, sweet and spiced, buttery rich, and feathery light as it melts in your mouth: this shortbread is a lovely little mash-up of snowball cookies and classic shortbread. If you’re hesitant about putting paprika into your desserts, there’s no better time than now to experiment.

Get the Paprika Pecan Shortbread recipe.

Apple Cookies

What’s better than a dessert that tastes exactly like fall? These cookies are begging to be served with pumpkin spice lattes in front of a blazing fire with red and orange leaves waving outside in the crisp air. (Or double down on the apple vibes with a mug of steaming homemade apple cider.)

Get the Apple Cookies recipe.

Pumpkin Spice Butter Pecan Sandies

If you like crunchy cookies, these pecan sandies are a lovely candidate for your consideration the next time you turn on your oven. If you’re a fan of all things pecan, it’s time to give paprika-spiked pecan shortbreads and butter pecan cookies a try too!

Get the Pumpkin Spice Butter Pecan Sandies recipe.

Pecan Pie Chocolate Chip Cookies

Combining pecan pie and chocolate chip cookies might just be our smartest move yet. These perfectly soft cookies are loaded with plenty of chocolate chips, pecans, and caramel. Far easier to make than pie and after one bite, everyone will be sold.

Get the Pecan Pie Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Thumbprints

These adorable little treats combine two of our favorite desserts into one glorious bite: pumpkin sugar cookies + cheesecake. Missing chocolate? Our pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are fluffy, and pumpkin-y, and absolutely perfect. (They also make perfect ice cream sandwiches.)

Get the Pumpkin Cheesecake Thumbprints recipe.

Butter Pecan Cookies

These buttery, brown sugar cookies have a delicious salty-sweet pecan batter, but that’s not even the best part—that would have to be the maple buttercream. It’s just butter, powdered sugar, maple syrup, and heavy cream, but OMG.

Get the Butter Pecan Cookies recipe.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie

This giant pumpkin and chocolate chip skillet cookie is PACKED with chocolate chips. A whole bag may sound like a lot, but trust us, it’s what makes it so good.

Get the Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie recipe.

Cookie Lovers Oreos

Word to the wise: Don’t let the Cookie Monster get your cookies! Luckily, these are delicious, adorable, and way too easy to eat. Everyone’s favorite puppet doesn’t stand a chance.

Get the Cookie Monster Oreos recipe.

Apple Pie Cookies

What’s easier than apple pie? Cute little apple pie cookies! These have everything you love about traditional apple pie—like flaky crust, spiced apples, and even a little caramel—yet take half the time to make.

Get the Apple Pie Cookies recipe.

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