Quick Info
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes (mostly baking cookies & melting chocolate)
- Chill Time: 30 minutes (while chocolate sets)
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Yield: About 30–36 pieces (party platter for 10–12)
- Course: Dessert / Halloween Treats
- Cuisine: American with a spooky twist
- Skill Level: Easy–Moderate
- Special Equipment: Parchment paper, 2 baking sheets, microwave-safe bowls, small piping bag or zip-top bag, toothpicks, silicone mini-mold (brain or dome) or a mini muffin pan
Introduction
When my kids were little, they begged for “gross-but-yummy” desserts. So we started a tradition: a platter of Scary Halloween Treats That Look Like Body Parts that are just creepy enough to make everyone gasp—and then giggle. Every year we line the counter with “severed” fingers, glossy eyeballs, and wiggly mini brains. The adults snap photos, the kids squeal, and somehow the platter still disappears before the doorbell rings.
This post gives you three make-ahead, party-perfect sweets using easy shortcuts: Severed Finger Cookies, Eyeball Truffles, and Mini Brain Cheesecake Jellies. Each recipe stands alone, but together they make the ultimate spooky dessert board.
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- Severed Finger Cookies (Almond Sugar Cookies with “Blood”)
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 24–30 whole blanched almonds (for nails)
- ⅓ cup seedless raspberry or strawberry jam (for “blood”)
- Red gel food coloring (optional for deeper color)
- Eyeball Truffles (Oreo Cake-Pop Style)
- 24 chocolate sandwich cookies
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened (or dairy-free cream cheese)
- 10 oz white chocolate or vanilla candy melts
- Colored candy melts or gel food coloring (blue/green/brown for irises)
- Mini chocolate chips or black candy pearls (pupils)
- Mini Brain Cheesecake Jellies (No-Bake, Wiggly & Cute)
- 1 (3 oz) box raspberry or strawberry gelatin
- ½ cup boiling water + ½ cup cold water
- ¾ cup vanilla Greek yogurt (or dairy-free yogurt)
- 8 oz cream cheese, very soft
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- Red food color, to tint if needed
- To Serve
- Cocoa powder for light dusting (optional)
- Extra raspberry jam for drizzling “splatter”
- A black or slate platter (for maximum drama)
Optional / Variations
- Nut-Free Fingers: Swap almonds for pumpkin seeds or tiny triangles of red fruit leather for “nails.”
- Gluten-Free: Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend for cookies and certified GF sandwich cookies for truffles.
- Flavor Twists: Add ½ tsp almond extract to cookie dough; stir orange zest into the truffle mixture; splash vanilla into the gelatin-yogurt mix.
- Color Play: Paint green “moldy knuckles” on cookies with a drop of green gel mixed with water; marbling a drop of blue into the brain mix adds a veiny look.
- Shortcut Cookie Base: Use refrigerated sugar-cookie dough; knead in 2–3 tbsp flour so it holds sculpted shapes.
Instructions
Step 1: Make the Severed Finger Cookies
Mix the dough. In a bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy, 1–2 minutes. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add flour, baking powder, and salt; mix just until a soft dough forms. Chill 10 minutes for easier shaping.
Shape the fingers. Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two sheets with parchment. Pinch off walnut-sized pieces of dough and roll into 3–3½-inch logs. Taper one end to a fingertip. Press a blanched almond into the tip (nail). Use a small knife to make two sets of shallow “knuckle” lines in the middle and near the base. Place on sheets with a bit of space.
Bake. Bake 10–12 minutes, just until the edges look set and barely golden. Cool 5 minutes on the sheet.
Add the “blood.” Warm jam in the microwave 10–15 seconds; tint with a drop of red gel if you like. Lift each almond, spoon a dab of warm jam underneath, then reseat the almond so “blood” oozes. Dab a little jam at the base of each finger for a freshly “severed” look. Let set.
Step 2: Roll the Eyeball Truffles
Crush & mix. Finely crush sandwich cookies (food processor or zip bag + rolling pin). Stir in cream cheese until the mixture holds together like dough.
Form. Roll into 1-inch balls and chill 10 minutes for firmness.
Coat. Melt white chocolate/candy melts in 20–30 second bursts, stirring until smooth. Dip each ball with a fork, tap off excess, and set on parchment. Immediately add a small colored circle for the iris: either pipe a ring of colored melt, place a candy wafer, or paint a circle later with gel coloring. Press a mini chocolate chip (point down) in the center for the pupil.
Veins. For extra creep factor, thin a dot of red gel with a drop of water and use a toothpick to draw tiny squiggle “veins” from the iris outward. Chill 10–15 minutes to set.
Step 3: Whip the Mini Brain Cheesecake Jellies
Make the pink layer. Dissolve gelatin in ½ cup boiling water. Stir in ½ cup cold water, then whisk in ½ cup yogurt until opaque and pink. Add a drop of red color if you prefer a deeper shade. Pour a spoonful into each cavity of a silicone mini brain mold (or use a mini muffin pan lined with paper cups). Chill 5–10 minutes to lightly set.
Blend the “cheesecake.” Beat cream cheese with remaining ¼ cup yogurt, powdered sugar, and lemon juice until smooth. Dollop a teaspoon into each cavity on top of the first layer; gently swirl a toothpick to create brainy folds. Spoon another thin layer of the pink gelatin mix over the top to seal.
Chill. Refrigerate until fully set, about 20 minutes (or speed-set in the freezer for 10). Pop out of the mold carefully. If using a mini muffin pan, lift out by the paper liner, peel, and plate.
Step 4: Style the Body-Part Platter
Spread your Severed Finger Cookies along one edge of a dark platter so the “blood” faces inward. Cluster Eyeball Truffles in the center—let them stare in different directions! Arrange the Mini Brains around the eyes. Flick a little warm jam over the platter for a theatrical “splatter.” A whisper of cocoa powder on the brains creates shadowy grooves that photograph beautifully.
Tips & Variations
- Make-Ahead Magic:
- Cookies keep 3–4 days airtight at room temp (add jam the day you serve).
- Truffles refrigerate 3 days or freeze up to 1 month; thaw in the fridge.
- Mini brains hold 2–3 days covered in the fridge.
- Kid Helpers: Let kids score cookie knuckles, press almonds, and paint truffle “irises.” Mine compete over who can make the goofiest eye.
- Firmer “Fingers”: If the dough softens, chill shaped fingers 10 minutes before baking to prevent spreading.
- Dairy-Free Plan: Use dairy-free cream cheese and white chips for truffles and swap Greek yogurt/cream cheese in the brains with coconut yogurt + vegan cream cheese.
- Color Control: A drop goes a long way. Build color gradually on the veins and brains to avoid neon overload.
- Clean Coating: For smooth truffles, keep melts warm by resting the bowl over a mug of hot water as you dip.
- Party Portioning: For school parties, individually wrap 1 truffle + 1 mini brain in treat bags, then platter the cookies.
- Extra Gross (but tasty): Drip warmed cherry jam from a tiny squeeze bottle down the sides of the brains right before serving.
Nutrition
(Approximate per party serving—1 finger cookie, 1 eyeball truffle, and 1 mini brain. Values vary by brand.)
- Calories: 420
- Protein: 6 g
- Carbs: 52 g
- Fat: 21 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Sodium: 200 mg
- Sugar: 35 g
Final Thoughts
A platter of Scary Halloween Treats That Look Like Body Parts is equal parts eerie and irresistible. The almond “nails” and jammy “blood” sell the illusion, the eyeballs follow guests around the room, and those jiggly brains—well, they wiggle their way into everyone’s heart. This trio has become our October signature; every year we tweak the colors and the laughter gets louder.
Save this for Halloween body-part treats, severed finger cookies, eyeball truffles, brain dessert cups, spooky Halloween dessert platter, and make-ahead Halloween party ideas. From my happily haunted kitchen to yours—have a frightfully delicious night!Réflexion en cours
