It doesn't matter whether you could show the contestants on "The Great British Baking Show" a thing or two, or if you prefer to stick to boxed cake mixes. (No one has to know!) Whatever kind of Halloween desserts you're whipping up this spooky season, elevate your sweet treats with little decorations to bring them to the next level of frightfully fun.
A few affordable additions of Halloween-themed sprinkles, ooey, gooey fake blood glaze, or other adorable decorations is all you need. They'll add charm to your simple cakes, cupcakes or cookies—boxed or homemade—and will impress everyone who digs in for a bite.
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What To Consider When Purchasing Dessert Decorations
Kid-Friendliness: If you'll be joined in the kitchen by little ones, consider how kid-friendly these decorations are. Edible glitter is a gamble when little kids are around, and you may want to get your vacuum ready. Sprinkles are generally a hit with kiddos, and are an easy, fun and satisfying practice for their level of motor skills too. Others might be too spooky for them, depending on their age.
If They're Edible: This may sound obvious, but if the decorations for your Halloween desserts are edible, make sure they taste good, or, at the very least, taste like nothing at all. You wouldn't want to ruin your delicious base with an unpleasant tasting decoration. Most sprinkles and edible glitter are flavorless, but give any candies or a glaze a taste first before adding them to your entire batch.
If They're Reusable: Most baking products are one-and-done. That includes anything edible, of course, as well as baking cups and most paper cupcake toppers. Depending on the material though, some toppers may be reusable, and in that case you can consider spending a couple more dollars on them. That is, as long as you're willing to wash them, store them and remember to use them again next year. Take that into consideration as you're determining how many dollars to spend on Halloween dessert decorations.
Read on for our 12 favorite decorations that will dress up your Halloween desserts. Just be sure to save a cupcake for us.
1. Pumpkin Orange Tinker Dust Edible Glitter, 0.18 oz. Jar
A little glitter never hurt anyone. To add a dose of serious sparkle to your Halloween treats, nab this pumpkin-colored tinker dust. This version is dairy-free, gluten-free and vegan, and yes, it's FDA-approved too. Most likely the 5-gram (0.18-ounce) container is plenty big enough to glitter-fy your baked goods this Halloween season, but depending on how busy your oven is, you can upgrade to 25-gram (0.88-ounce) or 50-gram (1.76-ounce) containers too. Dust cakes, cupcakes or brownies with this edible glitter, roll cake pops in it or dip sticky candies in it. The more glitter, the better.
2. Edible Fake Blood Glaze, 4-oz. Bottle
To add a hint of cheeky gore to your Halloween desserts, stock up on this fake blood blaze. Its vibrant red hue adds the illusion of blood (fake, of course!) to Halloween-themed cakes and cupcakes, especially when drizzled down the sides or splattered in a random design. If truffles or candies are on your "to make" list, you could also use this glaze as a delicious filling. Best of all, it's ready to use straight from the bottle, no heating or mixing required, and the screw top keeps it fresh for continued use. Since this glaze remains soft, and it doesn't dry hard, that makes it especially perfect for moist cakes or cupcakes.
3. Halloween Cake Sprinkles, 6-oz. Jar
When in doubt, decorate your Halloween desserts in sprinkles. They're an easy way to add color, texture and serious fun to treats of all kinds. This sprinklefetti medley includes purple, orange, green and black sprinkles, as well as candy eyes and spider shapes. They'll stay good throughout the entire Halloween season too, since they come in reusable pouches for easy storage. No need to worry about aggravating any allergies either; this mix is gluten-free, nut-free, egg-free and dairy-free.
4. Royal Decorating Halloween Gory Mixed, 12-Count
These adorable mini knives, axes and meat cleavers are equally scary and sweet. Add these atop cupcakes after drizzling them with the blood glaze from above for a frightful and fun pairing. Be aware for the allergy sufferers in your life that these gory treats contain milk, and may be cross-contaminated with wheat, egg and soy.
5. Halloween Cupcake Set for 24 Cupcakes
Tasked with making cupcakes for your kiddo's class Halloween party? Or do you want to surprise your colleagues with a sweet treat on October 31st? No matter your reason for whipping up a spooky dessert, this Halloween cupcake set from Sur La Table includes everything you need to make two dozen uniformly designed cupcakes. Each set includes 24 cupcake liners, 24 cupcake wraps and 24 picks, which include four different styles: an owl, a tombstone, a skeleton and a raven.
6. Missing Body Parts Candies, 4.5-oz. Bag
Never has a severed finger look so cute. Nab a couple bags of these missing body parts chewy candies for an inexpensive way to elevate your Halloween desserts. You could munch on these little mouth-watering treats solo, or use them to decorate cakes or cupcakes.
7. Halloween Cupcake Toppers, 24-Count
If you're not the most steady-handed, nix the idea of free-styling frosting decorations and opt for cupcake toppers instead. They'll add a DIY feel without the artistic pressure. This set includes 24 toppers that can decorate cupcakes, cheese, muffins, fruit, or any other treat—sweet or savory—that you'll be serving this spooky season. Mix and match your treats with the gnome, ghost, spider, cauldron and jack-'o-lantern toppers, which are all equally adorable. Each is made out of high-quality paper card stock with a food-grade toothpick.
8. Zombie Hand Decorating Kit, 12-Count
It's a fact: Desserts of all kinds taste better with sprinkles. They also taste better when topped with edible zombie hands. This set includes 12 candy zombie hands as well as chocolate sprinkles—everything you need to make a dozen seriously spooky cupcakes. They ride the line between spooky and silly, so you won't scare off any kiddos, but they're cheeky enough for a grown-up Halloween party too.
9. Halloween 6-Cell Sprinkles Mix, 6.56-oz. Jar
If you have little ones who want to get involved in the baking process, add this sprinkles mix to your cart. They'll love choosing between one of the six sprinkle designs, and so will you! Mix and match these Halloween-colored sprinkles, orange and black sanding sugar, and ghost confetti to add a dose of fun to any dessert, from cupcakes to cookies and more.
10. Festive Halloween Baking Cups, 150-Count
You could make Halloween cupcakes or muffins without festive baking cups, but why would you? Not when these are for sale. (And on sale too!) This set of 150 baking cups includes six designs, like pumpkins, ghosts and spiderwebs, as well as solid colors. You could also use them to hold candies, snacks, or little treats of any variety for kids' lunches or on a tray during movie night when the whole family is cuddled up on the couch watching "The Nightmare Before Christmas."
11. Ghost with Candy Corn Icing Decorations, 12-Count
How adorable are these little icing ghosts? (So adorable.) These little cuties are each holding a candy corn, and would be an oh-so-charming touch to cookies, cupcakes, brownies or a cake— you name it. Note that these contain milk, and are made on equipment that also processes wheat and soy.
12. Halloween Cupcake Toppers, 72-Count
Don't let your Halloween-themed cupcakes go without a topper of some kind. There's simply no need when there are so many charming and inexpensive options to choose from, including this pack of 72 toppers from Amazon. The set includes several designs, including a skeleton, pumpkin, witch, bat and ghost. To really jazz up your cupcakes, pair these toppers with the baking cups, edible glitter and maybe even a severed body part candy too.
