Halloween Oreos are whole Oreo cookies dipped in colored candy melts and decorated as mummies, jack-o-lantern pumpkins and one-eyed monsters. One package of Oreos makes about 24 cookies with 1 cup orange, 1 cup white, ½ cup black or chocolate and ¼ cup purple candy melts. There is no baking, and the whole batch takes about 50 minutes.
Most of the work is in the melting. Warm, fluid coating goes on thin and sets glossy. Coating that is too thick gives lumpy, heavy tops that crack.
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Try the Recipe Converter →What 24 Halloween Oreos Take
- Cookies: 1 package of Oreos; Double Stuf is the easiest to dip
- Coating: candy melts in orange (1 cup), white (1 cup), black or chocolate (½ cup) and purple (¼ cup)
- Decorations: candy eyes in a few sizes, black decorating gel or melted black chocolate
- Tools: forks, toothpicks or small piping bags, wax or parchment paper
- Time: 20 minutes to set up and melt, 30 minutes to dip, decorate and let them firm
- Keeps: up to 5 days in an airtight container at cool room temperature
Setting Up the Dipping Station
Line a baking sheet with wax or parchment paper and put the candy eyes, gel and piping bags within reach before you melt anything. The coating starts to firm as soon as it cools, and the eyes have to go on in the first minute.
Double Stuf Oreos work best because the thicker cookie sits steady on a fork and has more edge to coat. Regular Oreos work too, but the coating goes on thinner at the sides. Use cookies at room temperature, not straight from a cold pantry or the fridge.
Melting Candy Melts So They Stay Thin
Melt each color in its own microwave-safe bowl in 30 second bursts, stirring well between each one. Half power is gentler if your microwave runs hot. Stir with a fork; it leaves fewer streaks than a spoon. Stop heating while a few small lumps remain and stir until they disappear.
The right consistency falls off the fork in a steady ribbon, about like warm honey. If it is thick or clumpy, stir in 1 teaspoon vegetable shortening or coconut oil per cup of melts. If it firms up while you dip, rewarm it for 10 seconds.
Short on colors? Tint white melts with oil-based candy coloring. Regular gel color is mostly water and can make the melts thick and grainy, so if gel is all you have, add it a drop at a time.
Mummy Oreos With Bandage Drizzle
Drop an Oreo into the white coating, flip it with a fork and lift it out. Tap the fork 3 or 4 times on the rim of the bowl, then wipe the underside of the fork across the rim. That stops a puddle, or foot, from forming around the cookie on the paper. Slide it off the fork with a toothpick.
Press two small candy eyes near the top straight away. Once the coating is partly set, drizzle more white over the cookie in thin lines from a piping bag or the tip of a spoon, leaving a gap around the eyes so they peek out from the bandages.
Jack-o-Lantern Faces That Do Not Smudge
Dip the cookies in orange coating the same way and leave them alone for 10 to 15 minutes. Drawing on soft coating is what causes smudged, sinking faces. Once the orange is firm, draw triangle eyes, a triangle nose and a zigzag mouth with black gel or melted black chocolate.
I prefer melted chocolate in a piping bag with a tiny hole, because it sets firm. Gel stays soft and can bleed in a warm room. A toothpick dipped in chocolate works well for the small corners.
One-Eyed Purple Monster Oreos
Leave these Oreos plain or dip them in purple or chocolate coating. On a plain cookie, a dab of melted candy holds the eye; on a dipped one, press it into the center while the coating is soft. One large eye is the whole face. Finish with a few diagonal lines of purple drizzle.
Keep it light. Too much drizzle or too many eyes weigh the top down, and a heavy top is the one most likely to crack.
Candy Melts or Real Chocolate for Halloween Oreos?
I have tried both side by side. The melts set faster, come in Halloween colors, hold those colors and stay firm at room temperature. Real chocolate tastes richer but sets slowly and can turn dull or streaky unless it is tempered.
For a class party, a bake sale or a big tray, candy melts are the easier choice. For a richer cookie, follow my chocolate covered Oreos recipe and add the faces with white or colored drizzle.
Cracked Coating, Sliding Eyes and Other Fixes
- Coating cracked: the cookies were cold, the tray stayed in the fridge too long, or the coat was thick. Use room temperature cookies and chill no more than 10 to 15 minutes.
- Eyes slide off: they went on after the coating set. Glue them with a dot of melted candy.
- Lumpy, thick coat: the melts were overheated or met water. Loosen with shortening or coconut oil, or start a fresh bowl.
- Puddle around the base: too much coating left on the fork. Tap longer and wipe the fork on the rim.
- Sticky or sweaty after chilling: condensation from a long chill. Let them dry at room temperature before packing.
Packing Halloween Oreos for School and Party Trays
Leave the decorated cookies on the tray for at least 30 minutes at room temperature until fully hard, or chill them for 10 to 15 minutes to speed things up. Then store them in a single layer in an airtight container, with wax paper between layers if you have to stack. They keep for up to 5 days in a cool spot, so you can make them the weekend before a party.
For lunchboxes, wrap each cookie or use a snug container so they do not slide around. On a dessert table they look best next to darker treats. Try them with Halloween brownies or Halloween dirt cups, or let them sit beside Halloween cake pops on a board.
Want Oreo balls instead of whole cookies? My Oreo truffle balls are crushed Oreos and cream cheese dipped the same way. For later in the fall, the Thanksgiving Oreo turkeys use the same cookies and candy eyes.
Quick Answers Before You Dip
Do Halloween Oreos need to be refrigerated?
No. The coating stays firm at room temperature, and the fridge can make the coating sweat or crack.
Can I use almond bark or white chocolate chips?
Almond bark works like candy melts. White chocolate chips are thicker and set softer, so thin them with a little shortening.
How many candy melts do I need for 24 Oreos?
About 2¾ cups in total: 1 cup orange, 1 cup white, ½ cup black or chocolate and ¼ cup purple.
Halloween Oreos
These Halloween Oreos are whole Oreo cookies dipped in orange, white, black and purple candy melts and decorated as mummies, jack-o-lantern pumpkins and one-eyed monsters with candy eyes. One package makes about 24 no-bake cookies in around 50 minutes, with a thin, smooth shell that sets firm and glossy. The key is melting the candy melts in 30 second bursts until they fall off a fork in a thin ribbon, then tapping off the excess so the coating stays thin and does not crack. Make these Halloween Oreo cookies for class parties, trick or treat bags, lunchboxes or a Halloween dessert board. Swap in real chocolate for chocolate covered Oreos, and store them airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Ingredients
- 1 package of Oreos (Double Stuf works best for candy coating)
- 1 cup orange candy melts
- 1 cup white candy melts
- ½ cup chocolate or black candy melts
- ¼ cup purple candy melts (for monster drizzle)
- Candy eyes (various sizes)
- Black decorating gel or melted black chocolate (for pumpkin faces)
- Toothpicks or piping bags (for detailing)
- Wax or parchment paper
Instructions
- PREP YOUR WORKSPACE: Line a baking sheet with wax or parchment paper and arrange all decorations—candy eyes, decorating gel, piping bags—so they are ready to use. Candy melts begin to harden quickly once cooled, so keeping everything within easy reach is important.
- MELT YOUR CANDY COATING: In separate microwave-safe bowls, melt the orange, white, black or chocolate, and purple candy melts according to package instructions. Heat in 30-second intervals, stirring between each session, until smooth and fully melted.
- MAKE THE MUMMIES: Dip Oreos into the melted white candy coating, using a fork to lift each cookie out and gently tapping it to remove excess. Place coated cookies on the prepared parchment paper. While the coating is still wet, press two small candy eyes near the top of each cookie. Once partially set, drizzle more white coating over the surface in thin lines using a piping bag or fork to create a mummy bandage look.
- CREATE THE PUMPKINS: Dip Oreos into the melted orange candy coating and place them on the parchment paper. Let them set for 10 to 15 minutes. Once firm, use black decorating gel or melted black candy to draw jack-o'-lantern faces. A toothpick or fine piping tip helps with precise details.
- ASSEMBLE THE ONE-EYED MONSTERS: Use plain Oreos or ones dipped in purple or chocolate coating. While the coating is still soft, press one large candy eye into the center of each cookie. Drizzle melted purple candy diagonally across the surface to add texture and a spooky monster effect.
- LET EVERYTHING SET: Allow all decorated cookies to rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, or until fully hardened. To speed up the process, place the tray in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes.
Notes
Tint white candy melts with oil-based candy coloring if you cannot find a color; regular water-based gel can thicken the melts, so add it a drop at a time. If the melts are thick, stir in 1 teaspoon vegetable shortening or coconut oil per cup. Use room temperature cookies and tap off the excess coating so no puddle forms around the base. Press candy eyes in while the coating is still wet. Keep decorations light to avoid weighing down the cookie tops. If you chill them to set, keep it to 10 to 15 minutes to avoid condensation and cracks. Store finished cookies in a single layer in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Nutrition Information
Yield
24Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 75Total Fat 1gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 1mgSodium 10mgCarbohydrates 16gFiber 0gSugar 11gProtein 0g
