Cold as A Witch’s Hat Cones

These silly little confections are gone almost as soon as you make them, but they’re a very entertaining dessert for the whole family because they make everyone smile. They also make a fun party snack and activity, with every child—and adult, of course—decorating their own funny, witchy face before flipping it over and devouring it. There are no quantities: you can make as many or as few witch cones as you like depending on how many eager little hands are waiting!

Pistachio ice cream

Candy corn

Chocolate chips

Red licorice whips

Pointy sugar cones

1. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper and make rounded scoops of ice cream on it. Put in the freezer to firm up.

2. Allow each child (or adult) to decorate a scoop of ice cream with licorice strings on top for hair, candy corn for a nose, chocolate chips for eyes, and red licorice for a mouth. Press a sugar cone on top for a hat and grin. Flip over and eat immediately!

Candy Corn Pizza

When I was a kid, I swore that one day I'd never make my own kids eat supper before going out to trick or treat, and that they wouldn't have to wear coats over their costumes. Well, guess what happens at our house? Supper, without fail, and coats--well, depends on the weather. But mostly yes. Halloween supper isn't quite such a hassle if you've got something fun, however, like this pizza. Once you cut it into triangles, it looks like big pieces of candy corn.

1 prebaked pizza crust

1 cup pizza sauce

2 cups grated orange cheese (such as cheddar)

1 cup grated mozzarella

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place the pizza crust on a baking sheet or stone. Spread the sauce evenly over the crust.

2. Sprinkle mozzarella in the center of the pizza. Sprinkle the orange cheese in an even ring surrounding it.

3. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the crust is brown and the cheese is melted. Cut into slices. Serve hot.

Pumpkins in the Field

Butterscotch-flavored “haystacks” make a whimsical base for candy pumpkins. You can set a pumpkin in the middle of each haystack, as if it’s sitting in a nest, or you can put the haystack just behind the pumpkin, as if it’s nestled up against the foot of a haystack.

Makes about 2 dozen

1 6-ounce bag butterscotch morsels

2 cups chow mein noodles

1 cup roasted, salted peanuts

1 6-ounce bag candy pumpkins

1. Line a baking sheet with waxed paper. Melt the butterscotch morsels on top of a double boiler or in the microwave, for 60 seconds, whisking well with a fork after heating. If you need more melting time, do it in 10-second bursts, stirring after each. Be careful not to overheat.

2. Stir the peanuts and chow mein noodles into the melted butterscotch. Dollop out by heaping tablespoons on the waxed paper and place a pumpkin on top of each haystack or press it against the side.

Screaming Red Punch with a Hand

Kids love the icy hand floating in the punch. Freeze a couple in case you break the fingers pulling off the glove. The trick is to use scissors and slit alongside each finger. You can not pull the glove off the ice hand as if you were pulling it off a real hand. If you find it too difficult, you can always put the hand in the punch with the glove still on.

Makes 24 servings

New rubber surgical or food service glove

2 quarts apple juice

2 quarts cranberry juice

2 liters ginger ale

1. Rinse the glove inside and out several times with cold water to make sure it doesn’t have any powder. Fill with water and tie the wrist tightly with a twist tie. Freeze solid.

2. Mix the juices and ginger ale ingredients in a large punch bowl. Peel the glove carefully off the hand and float it in the punch.

Cup O'Worms

This creepy dessert couldn’t be simpler: instant chocolate pudding, cookie crumbs, gummy worms. But kids love it the way they never love that genoise sponge with Italian meringue and candied violets that took you two days to make! Go figure.

Makes 8 servings

2 3.5-ounce boxes instant chocolate pudding mix

4 cups milk

1 dozen Oreos

Gummy worms

Cocoa

1. Make the chocolate pudding according to the package directions. Place the cookies in a zipper-lock bag and crush by beating and rolling them with a rolling pin. Put the worms on a plate and spoon a little cocoa powder over them, tossing to coat.

2. Put a couple tablespoons of pudding in the bottom of each of 8 clear plastic cups or glass custard cups. Drop a gummy worm into each cup. Top with remaining pudding, then top each with the crumbs. Drape the cocoa-coated worms on top of the crumbs, dangling over the edges. Chill until ready to serve.

Spider’s Web Pumpkin Cheesecake

Brown sugar adds mellow flavor to a rich pumpkin cheesecake, made even fancier with a chocolate glaze finished with sour cream that is easily pulled (with a toothpick!) into a fabulously creepy spider web topping.

Makes 12 servings

16 graham crackers

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

2 tablespoons sugar

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

2 eggs

For topping:

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup cream

1/2 cup sour cream

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Crush the graham crackers by putting them in a plastic bag and beating and rolling them with a rolling pin. Combine with the butter and sugar in a 10-inch springform pan and press with the bottom of a glass to form a compact crust.

2. Blend the cream cheese, sugar, pumpkin, and spice until creamy and smooth. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth. Pour over the prepared crust and bake for 45 minutes, until set. Allow to cool on a rack for at least an hour. Chill the cheesecake overnight in the refrigerator.

3. Melt the chocolate with the heavy cream in a double boiler or in the microwave in 10-second bursts, stirring after each. Pour the chocolate glaze over the cooled cheesecake, spreading just to the edges with a knife, but not going over the sides.

4. Spoon the sour cream into a small plastic bag and use a toothpick to poke a hole in one corner. Drizzle a spiral of white across the top of the chocolate glaze.

5. Using a toothpick or the tip of a knife, gently pull through the sour cream and chocolate in alternating lines about 1 12 inches apart, wiping the toothpick in between each: one from the center all the way out, then wipe the knife or toothpick, and then pull one from the outer ring all the way to the center, and so on, all the way around the circle. Chill the spiderweb-topped cheesecake thoroughly to help set the glaze.

Swamp Creature Toes

Salty, sweet and nutty, these funny big-toe-like snacks are made extra ghoulish by tossing the almonds with green food coloring to give the end result an eerie glow. Even if you skip the green color, you’ll still have funky toes.

Makes about 3 dozen toes

Blue and yellow liquid food coloring, or green paste coloring

1 cup whole salted almonds

1 12-ounce bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 6-ounce bag pretzel 8-inch rods (about a dozen)

1. Line two baking sheets with waxed paper or parchment paper. Blend about 5 drops each of the blue and yellow food coloring in a small bowl metal, ceramic or glass bowl (plastic can stain) or dollop in about 1/4 teaspoon of green paste coloring. Add the almonds and stir well with a spoon until all the nuts are coated, then lay them out on a plate to dry.

2. Put the chocolate chips in a double boiler or microwave and heat, stirring frequently, until just melted. Be careful not to overheat or the chocolate may seize up into a stiff mass. If using the microwave, heat on high in 10-second bursts, stirring after each time.

3. Break the pretzel rods into 3 pieces each. Dip a broken piece into the melted chocolate about three-quarters of the way, leaving a broken end visible (if it’s an end piece of the pretzel, dip the finished end and leave the broken end showing).

4. Lay the dipped pretzel on a baking sheet and lay a green almond at the top of the dipped end. If the almond won’t stick, dip the bottom in a bit more chocolate. Place the baking sheets in the fridge or freezer to firm up the chocolate. Serve slightly chilled.