Baking can be stressful, even in normal times. During a holiday season, you can feel even more pressure to turn out something impressive or cute (or impressively cute). The upside for Halloween is that there are so many good baking tools and shortcuts available, whether you’re making themed cupcakes for your child’s classroom or doing the most to serve a seriously spooky dessert at a costume party. Check out just a few of best below.
HuffPost may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page. Prices and availability subject to change.
1
A set of 8 Halloween cookie cutters with supplies
These eight themed cookie stamps are spring-loaded to cut cleanly and leave detailed impressions in doughs like gingerbread, sugar cookie and shortbread. The set also comes with 10 icing bags and four decorating tips.
2
A dramatic black cake stand
Pile your creations on a cake stand that fits the moment. This one is 6 by 12 inches and is made of black-coated stainless steel.
3
A set of gel food coloring
This food coloring comes in gel form, so it won't water down your frosting or batter.
Advertisement
4
Haunted skull cake and cakelet pans
These nonstick cast aluminum cake and cakelet pans from Nordic Ware will help you turn out one incredible 3-D skull or six smaller skull cakes at a time, respectively. (Don't bake, but love dessert? Use the cakelet pan to shape frightfully good Rice Krispies treats.)
5
Or a pan that makes even SMALLER skulls
If even cakelets seem too big, get this Nordic Ware pan that makes skulls in bite sizes.
6
Weirdo Good Black Velvet cacao powder
This organic, sustainably sourced Dutch-processed cocoa powder isn't black, but it produces black results. Reviewers say it tastes great, too!
Advertisement
7
A two-pack of baking spray with flour
Save yourself! Reach every little corner of your cake pan or baking mold with this nonstick spray. It contains flour to help your baked goods release even easier.
8
A creepy sprinkles lab
This test tube-style four-pack is perfect for decorating cookies, cupcakes and cakes. It includes edible skulls and bones, orange sanding sugar, sprinkles and ghosts and large green nonpareils.
9
A black ceramic mixing bowl for your KitchenAid
Infuse your bakes and frostings with the soul of Halloween! This beautiful black ceramic bowl fits 5-quart KitchenAid mixers. It's chip-resistant; microwave, freezer and dishwasher safe; and will totally get you in the mood for spooky dessert-making.
Advertisement
10
Speaking of cupcakes...
There's no need to ever pay more for a fancy gold cupcake pan. Wilton's Perfect Results Premium nonstick pan performs as well or better than pans that are exponentially more expensive.
11
Laser-cut cupcake wrappers
If your baking skills tap out at "basic cupcakes," join the club -- and dress them up for the holiday with these clever paper wrappers. (And check out our easy Halloween cupcake ideas!)
12
Some Halloween-themed baking cups
Once again, Target's Hyde & EEK! Boutique has thought of everything, including this adorable pack of 150 Halloween-themed cupcake cups that are oven-safe to 400 degrees.
Advertisement
13
A fall harvest loaf pan
If you prefer pumpkins to hocus pocus, grab this gourd-geous loaf pan by Nordic Ware.
14
A set of cookie stamps
Start new holiday baking traditions with these 3-inch wood and cast aluminum cookie stamps that will last for generations.
15
A pack of bloodshot candy eyeballs
Make adorable monsters out of cupcakes, cookies, full-size cakes and more.
Advertisement
16
Or a whole tackle box of regular edible eyeballs
If the "bloody" version is a little too scary, whatever size you need will be at hand with this storage box of plain eyeballs in various sizes. You can even plop them in cookies straight from the oven.
17
18
...with a spellbindingly sparkly maple syrup
If you make Halloween-shaped waffles, only the most magical real Vermont maple syrup will do. The sparkle is provided by flavorless, edible pearlescent food-grade mica.
Advertisement
19
An edible fake blood glaze
So gory! So good! (You can also check out this ruby red cake drip from Cake Craft at Amazon.)
20
A pack of 75 cupcake decorations
They'll also work in brownies, Rice Krispies treats, layer cakes and more. Note: Assembly is required, but glue dots are included.
21
The cutest potholder and oven mitt you ever did scream
Get in the spirit(s) as you putter about the kitchen with this adorable ghost mitt and jack-o-lantern potholder.
Advertisement
22
Some great round layer cake pans
These cake pans from Fat Daddio's heat up quickly and come in a wide variety of sizes, shapes and sets for just about every need.
23
Pre-cut parchment paper rounds
Avoid the dreaded, desert-killing problem of having your cake stick the pan. Although it's not entirely laborious to cut your own rounds from parchment paper, these save time when there's a lot on your plate. Choose from five sizes to fit your pans.
24
A heavy-duty spatula
Hear us out: The skeleton spatula in the middle there is a spooky version of Williams Sonoma's beloved medium spatula, which is big and strong enough to be really, really good for working with thick batters and heavy buttercream frosting. It also comes in Day of the Dead style and some Peanuts Halloween themes that are too cute for words.
Advertisement