You can love Halloween even if you don’t love things that go bump in the night. While all your friends are out scaring themselves half to death at haunted houses, stay home, whip up some fun treats, and have a not-so-scary Halloween party when they get back. 

1. Festive Chocolate-Dipped Pretzels

cake
Liz Risko

Chocolate-dipped pretzels are the absolute easiest thing to make, and have a super high effort-to-impressiveness ratio (which, tbh, is basically the key to winning at life). Melt some chocolate in the microwave, dip your pretzels in and decorate. Up the ante by drizzling a second color, or — gasp! — adding a layer of caramel underneath.

2. Hybrid Twix & Kit Kat Candy Bar

chocolate, butter, peanut butter, peanut, caramel, cake
Arden Sarner

You never dreamed it was possible, right? Oh, but it is. This recipe is more "medium" than "easy," but only because you need to melt things, let them harden, and then melt more things and put them on top. But when the things are caramel and chocolate, you can probably struggle through.

3. Candy Corn Cupcakes

pumpkin, vegetable, squash
Vitoria Freitas

Ok, so, here's how science works. You take one candy that's not so great (in this case, candy corn) and one cupcake that's not exactly a crowd favorite (no shade to white cake, but put out some chocolate cupcakes next to them and see which ones are left at the end of the night). Mix them together and you get a Halloween treat that's significantly greater than the sum of its parts.

4. Pumpkin Spice Rice Krispies Treats

pumpkin, vegetable
Madison Keefer

Like you, I'm totally over the Pumpkin Spice Latte phenomenon. But I am totally not over pumpkin as a flavor, especially when it works so well in this super-simple recipe. Rice Krispies Treats? Good. Pumpkin spice? Good. Just pair them with a good cup of coffee and you've successfully made an un-basic pumpkin breakfast.

5. S'mores Dip

bread, sweet, cookie, chocolate
Carlie Littman

Maybe S'mores Dip is more fall than strictly Halloween, but watch how fast this disappears and see if anyone complains. You don't even need a recipe really. Just melt stuff, put other stuff on top and serve. 

6. Candy Corn Halloween Bark

cake, chocolate
Olivia Chadwick

Wait, more candy corn? It's not the most delicious Halloween candy, but it is the most iconic one. Plus, when you combine it with chocolate, more chocolate and pretzels, magical things happen. And if you're super anti-corn, swap out Halloween M&Ms or something else you prefer.

7. Homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

peanut butter, butter, peanut, chocolate
Reed Erickson

Yes, you could just go buy a bag of Reese's and call it a day. But if you want to be a dorm legend, DIY these homemade peanut butter cups. Get as creative as you want by changing chocolate flavors, swapping out nut butters or adding in pretzels to the filling.

8. Halloween Trail Mix

Kate Avdellas

I'mma let you finish, Snickers, but this Halloween Trail Mix is one of the best snacks of all time. Sweet, salty, crunchy, immensely satisfying and, best of all, simple to make.

9. Pumpkin Cheesecake-Stuffed French Toast

cream, ice, ice cream, caramel, whipped cream, waffle
Jaime Wilson

Is it breakfast? Is it dessert? Yes. But the only question to ask yourself is, is it delicious? Which, obviously, it's that too.

10. Caramel Apples

caramel, cake, chocolate, caramel apple, candy
Spoon University

True story: I once made "trick" caramel apples by putting onions inside, instead of apples.

Worked. Like. A. Charm.

Just make sure you have some real ones on hand for when the joke is over. 

11. Brain Shots

yogurt, milk, ice
Evan Caligor

Ok, this one is a little gross. But if you really want to go for it on Halloween, make these shots, which look like brains, but taste like peaches and cream.

12. Chocolate Chip Dracula Cookies

cookie, candy, sweet, chocolate, cake, bread, pastry
Lucy Todhunter

So cute. So weird. So simple to make.

13. Boozy Candy Apple Milkshakes

Arden Sarner

If you don't make at least one boos/booze joke when you serve this, did you even Halloween

And for your final PSA: Even if you don't feel like cooking anything for your not-so-scary Halloween party, you can always pair your candy with wine. Drink responsibly though, or, the day after might actually be pretty scary.