The Best Halloween Treats and Recipes in One Roundup

Growing up, Halloween wasn’t just about the candy. To us, it was about making your own homemade costumes from what you could find around the house, wearing your costume to school for a full day of celebration, and the occasional Raisin Creme Pie plunked into the bottom of your goodie bag on Halloween night.

While Halloween celebrations may have grown bigger, that just means more reasons to whip up tasty treats and celebrate. So The Harris Sisters are stirring up a little magic in the kitchen.

This year, we’ve pulled together some of our favorite Halloween-inspired recipes from past posts that our readers loved most. Think of it as our own little recipe spell book that's full of comforting flavors, nostalgic bites, and a touch of whimsy that’ll take you back to the good old days while keeping things fun for today’s celebrations.

Whether you’re planning a party spread, packing up treats for the kiddos, or just looking to indulge in a cozy night at home, this roundup is full of inspiration. Click through the links, revisit some of our tried-and-true favorites, and maybe discover a new tradition to add to your Halloween lineup.

Spooky Sweets 

Let's start out with the real star of Halloween - the sugary sweets! Sure to impress, these cakes, cookies, and bars will fly off your party table like a witch into the night.

Halloween Butter Cookies with Sprinkles

Halloween M&M Cookie Bars - These chewy cookie bars are the best and they're so festive with Halloween colored M&Ms.

Halloween Butter Cookies with Sprinkles - This vintage butter cookie recipe can be made for any holiday but when you add Halloween cookie cutters and sprinkles, they come out awfully cute for spooky season.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Cake - This decadent dessert is a real showstopper and you can decorate it with Reese's Pieces or Halloween M&Ms for a Halloween party.

Oreo Dirt Cake - Make this recipe into a graveyard by preparing it in a larger baking dish with decorated cookies, gummy worms, and pumpkin candy!

Pumpkin Bread - One of our most visited recipes, this pumpkin bread does not disappoint and has all the flavors of the fall season.

Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip Cookies - This recipe is perfect for all you folks out there who love pumpkin spice flavor this time of year.

Pumpkin Crunch Cake - Another favorite for pumpkin lovers!

Earthquake Cake - The perfect black and white cake for a disaster-themed party.

Haunting Hors D'oeuvres

Add a pop of pumpkin orange magic to your party table with these appetizers and dips. They're the  perfect color for the Halloween season!

Pimento Cheese Pinwheels

Buffalo Chicken Dip - A fan favorite, this spicy chicken dip comes together in no time flat. Serve with your favorite tortilla chips. (And don't forget that sometimes you can find ghost shaped tortilla chips near Halloween!)

Pineapple Marmalade Brie - The pineapple marmalade gives this appetizer its orange hue for Halloween parties. If you're feeling really fancy, cut the puff pastry dough in strips and wrap the brie like a mummy before you bake it. Add some olives or small pieces of red peppers from your canape tray for eyes if you're feeling fancy!

Classic Cheese Ball - This vintage recipe is straight from our Aunt Gladys' kitchen, so you know it's a winner. We usually make it at Christmas, but the orange color is perfect for Halloween parties too.

Queso Dip - This queso is a healthier version, using real cheese and evaporated milk. It's just as easy to make as the Velveeta kind so give this one a try.

Baked Pimento Cheese Pinwheels - These cute little pimento cheese pinwheel sandwiches won't last long on your party table. Made with homemade pimento cheese and baked to perfection, they're sure to please!

Pineapple Habanero Pepper Jelly - Serve this orange pepper jelly as an appetizer with cream cheese on crackers or alongside your appetizer cheese tray as a complement to Havarti, gouda, fontina, or goat cheese.

Bewitching Beverages

What's brewing in your cauldron? Whip up some of these magic potions for your Halloween party. 

Halloween Witch's Brew

Crockpot Witch's Brew - This recipe makes an entire cauldron (crockpot) of spiced apple cider, so it's perfect to serve up at your next Halloween party.

Non-Alcoholic Party Punch - This vintage punch recipe is a fan-favorite and is perfect for Halloween parties if you make it purple or orange!

Happy Hallo-WINE! - Which Halloween candy pairs better with a Moscato? Which pairs better with a Cabernet? We've tasted 5 wines with 11 types of candy for you and provided our thoughts on the pairings so that you have all the details!

As we wrap up this little collection of recipes, it’s hard not to notice how much Halloween has grown since the good old days. What used to be an evening of trick-or-treating and a few homemade goodies has turned into full-blown celebrations, complete with over-the-top decorations, themed parties, and enough candy to fill a cauldron. 

But no matter how elaborate the holiday has become, the heart of it is still the same: gathering with the people you love, making memories, and sharing a few sweet treats along the way. We hope these recipes bring a touch of nostalgia to your kitchen while adding a little extra sparkle to your celebrations this year.

Three’s a Charm: Creative Trio Halloween Costumes for You and the Girls

Ready to turn heads this Halloween? Whether you’re dressing up with your best friends, teaming up with your sisters, or planning the ultimate group costume, The Harris Sisters have rounded up our best trio Halloween ideas just for you. With these picture-perfect outfits, we've got an era for everybody. And these creative costumes will have you and your girls stealing the spotlight all spooky season long.

Circus / Life of a Showgirl 

The Harris Sisters were in our showgirl era way back in 2020 and with so many circus characters to choose from, it's an easy one for a group of three. You can find extra details about our costumes here: Circus Themed Family Photoshoot.

Disney Villains

Why should princesses get all the love? There are just as many Disney Villains to choose from, and in keeping with the spooky them of the season, they're the perfect choice for a group of three. For more details on our Maleficent, Ursula, and Cruella DeVil costumes, take a peek here Disney Villains Group Halloween Costume.

Flower Garden

It does not get more simple than this when it comes to costumes: a giant flower fascinator and a green outfit. BOOM! You and your sisters are a flower garden. These flower fascinators were hand-crafted and hand-painted by the super-talented Harris Sister Misty, but you can find similar flower hats and flower fascinators online.

River Sirens / Woodland Fairies

When we wore these costumes, we were inspired by the River Sirens from the movie Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? But you can use the same ethereal look to create a trio of Woodland Fairies (just add wings!) More information on the costumes here River Sirens Photoshoot.

Barbies

What's better than one great Barbie costume? Three! There are so many iconic Barbie looks that this is a fun choice for a group of friends. Since the Barbie movie was released in 2023, there are a variety of Barbie costumes to choose from. We're shown here as vintage Barbie Learns to Cook, Original Barbie, and Great Shape Barbie.

Sanderson Sisters

Nothing says Halloween more than the cult classic 1990s Halloween movie Hocus Pocus. When dressing up as everyone's favorite sisters, your hardest decision will be who is Winifred, who is Mary, and who is Sarah. Once you get that sorted, the Sanderson Sisters costumes are easy to recognize this time of year and will be perfect for a group of three friends,

Classic 1980s

You and your homegirls can like totally recreate these 1980s costumes. Just make sure to get all of your slang ready to get into character in time for Halloween (for sure, excellent, bodacious, radical). Take a peek here for all the details Takin' It Back to the Old School.

Clue Characters

Three or six friends can use this idea for the perfect group Halloween costume. Pick your favorite characters from this classic board game and go wild! Here we're dressed as Miss Scarlett, Mrs. Peacock, and Mrs. White, but check out photos of us as Colonel Mustard, Mr. Green, and Professor Plum and all the costume details here Clue Halloween Group Halloween Costume.

Pirates

Arrgh, mateys! Pirate costumes are a popular choice for group costumes, but I'll let you in on a secret: they're also usually pretty easy to throw together last-minute. Why? Staples in the costumes include many pieces you may already own: ruffled blouse, long jacket or coat (think velvet, brocade, or leather), multiple scarves and belts, hoop earrings, dark pants or skirt, and tall boots. Pro tip: Dollar stores often sell pirate eye patches near Halloween, and tri-corn hats are often sold at party stores. Raid your kids toys for "weaponry." Layer, layer, layer! 

Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz / Wicked

When deciding on your group Halloween costume, don't be afraid to think outside of the box. In 2021, rather than dressing as three separate characters from The Wizard of Oz, we chose to all do a different take on the Dorothy costume. Pop over to this post for more details on the individual costumes Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz: Group Halloween Costume.

Storybook Characters

If you're a little more traditional, then we've got the perfect trio costume for you and the girls. These storybook characters are easy to recognize, just Over the Rainbow and Through the Looking Glass, to Grandmother's House We Go! and you'll find Dorothy (again), Alice, and Red Riding Hood. 

Flappers / Roaring 20's

You and your sisters will be the bee's knees in this iconic look and it's so easy to recreate. Just pair your flapper dress with accessories like pearl necklaces, headbands, and gloves. Make sure to put on your best dancing shoes because you'll be doing the Charleston all night!

Regency / Brigerton / Victorian Era

Make sure to read all our tips on Shopping Your Local Theater Company Sales. You might be surprised what you could score for your group Regency Halloween costumes. Or check online for Brigerton costumes and Victorian costumes. And don't forget to accessorize with items like tiaras, fascinators, lace gloves, brooches, and pearls.

Mechanics

For mechanic group costume look, we snagged three matching speed suits and added customized name patches to make them seem "official." To complete the costumes, we added red accessories we already owned.

Who says three’s a crowd? This Halloween, three is officially a vibe! Squad goals take on a whole new meaning when Halloween rolls around. If you and your friends (or sisters!) are looking for the best group costumes to rock this spooky season, we hope this list will do the trick. 

Get ready to make your trio the star of the night and pin these ideas for later.

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Old-Fashioned Apple Spice Cake with Caramel Frosting

What is it about fall that makes us crave those cozy, old-fashioned flavors that feel like a hug from the inside out? Apples fresh from the orchard, a hint of cool breeze in the air, and the golden glow of early fall afternoons. This Apple Spice Cake with Caramel Frosting is exactly the kind of recipe our Grandma would’ve pulled out for company or just to make an ordinary Sunday feel special. Moist, tender layers of spiced cake meet a rich, buttery caramel frosting that tastes like it came straight out of a heirloom cookbook. It’s the perfect dessert for welcoming fall, sharing with family, or bringing to a gathering where you want to impress. One bite, and you’ll see why this old-fashioned treat deserves a place on your table.

We've provided both icing and frosting options below. Really looking to go the old-fashioned route? Make the icing for this cake instead of the frosting and you can't go wrong.

Apple Spice Cake with Caramel Frosting

Cake Ingredients

3 cups all purpose flour, sifted and then measured

1 cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1½ tsp cinnamon

¾ tsp ground nutmeg

½ tsp salt

1 cup dark brown sugar

10 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup buttermilk, room temperature

3 cups diced apples

½ cup unsweetened applesauce 

1 tsp vanilla

3 eggs, room temperature

Caramel Icing Ingredients

½ cup butter

1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

¼ cup milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Caramel Frosting Ingredients

Caramel Icing

1¼ cups powdered sugar, sifted

1. Preheat oven to 350 °F. Grease and flour two 9 inch round pans or one 9×13-inch pan.
2. Sift the flour and then measure out 3 cups into a large mixing bowl.
3. Add the white sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt to the sifted flour and whisk together to combine.
4. In the bowl of an electric mixer combine brown sugar, butter, applesauce, and buttermilk. Beat for 2 minutes.
5. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat 2 more minutes.
6. With the electric mixer on low, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Continue mixing until the batter is smooth.
7. Fold the diced apples into the batter.
8. Pour the cake batter into the prepared pans. Bake 25 to 30 minutes for round pans or 30 to 40 minutes in a 9×13 pan or until cake tests done with a toothpick.
9. Allow round pans to cool at least 15 minutes. Run a knife around the perimeter of the pans and turn onto a cooling rack. Cool completely.

Caramel Icing

1. In a medium-sized saucepan, melt the butter. Add brown sugar and bring to a boil. Boil for exactly 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the milk and return to a boil. As soon as it has reached the boiling state, remove it from the heat. Add the powdered sugar and vanilla. Spread icing on cooled cake.

Caramel Frosting

1. Prepare the Caramel Icing as instructed above and allow it to cool. Add the icing to the bowl of an electric mixer and add 1¼ cups powdered sugar or enough to get a spreading consistency. Add additional milk if frosting becomes too thick. Frost the cooled cake or store covered in the refrigerator until needed.

Notes:

Refrigerate frosted or glazed cake for up to five days.

As September settles in and the days grow cozier, this Apple Spice Cake with Caramel Frosting is just the kind of dessert that brings everyone to the table. It’s a little taste of nostalgia, a little touch of comfort, and a whole lot of fall flavor. Whether you bake it for a family gathering, a Sunday supper, or simply to enjoy with a cup of coffee on a crisp afternoon, this cake is sure to become one of those recipes you’ll reach for year after year. We hope you'll enjoy a slice of it with someone you love.

Recipes Straight from Grandma Elizabeth's Cookbook

If you're looking for other Harris Sisters-approved recipes, give these Southern favorites a try:

• Grandma Elizabeth's Applesauce Cake
• Grandma Elizabeth's Oatmeal Cake
• Grandma Elizabeth's Magic Fruit Cake