Halloween candy not your thing?
Not a fan of caramel apples?
No problem, but you can’t let Halloween come and go without a sweet treat!
That’s where Shore bakeries come in.
Bakers are turning the flavors, fun and whimsy of the holiday into treats of all kinds, from witchy layer cakes and ghost-topped cupcakes to fancier desserts like candy corn panna cotta.
Here are five Halloween sweets that are more treat than trick.
Ghost Linzer cookies at Cozy Corner Bakery, Atlantic Highlands
This ghoulish take on the traditional Linzer cookie would put anyone in the Halloween spirit.
Owner Nicolina Falco describes the cookie as “shortbread meets sugar cookie,” and the ghosts are filled with housemade raspberry jam and coated in powdered sugar ($28 per dozen).
In addition to offering the cookies and plenty of other baked goods on Halloween, Falco will welcome trick-or-treaters, too.
Go: 1 West Ave., Atlantic Highlands; 732-996-2965, cozycornerbakery.com.
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‘Candy corn’ panna cotta and more at The Baker’s Grove, Shrewsbury
Halloween flavors get an upgrade at Matthew Rosenzweig’s bakery, which offers creative and beautiful treats year-round.
Macarons are a favorite here, and the Halloween offering is orange almond meringue cookies filled with pumpkin spice Swiss meringue buttercream and topped with a jack o’ lantern face ($4 each). There’s also “candy corn” panna cotta with yellow, orange and white layers of buttered popcorn, salted caramel and vanilla bean custards. Caramel corn, a chocolate spiderweb and a dollop of chocolate Chantilly cream top it off ($9.75 each).
“Candy corn is a staple in the world of Halloween candy. It’s got fun, autumnal colors, but who really enjoys eating it? It’s all sugar,” Rosenzweig said. “The idea of the panna cotta was to take the nostalgia of this classic candy and riff off the colors to elevate the flavor, so in my version, the yellow becomes buttered popcorn, the orange is salted caramel and the white is vanilla bean.
“The visual takes you right to the holiday, but the flavor is much more exciting now,” he said.
Go: 524 Broad St., Shrewsbury; 732-243-3249, thebakersgrove.com.
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Spooky cakes at JG Desserts, Toms River, and Bruno’s Bakery, Freehold
Both JG Desserts and Bruno’s Bakery specialize in custom-made cakes, and their creations take a spooky turn this time of year.
For a treat that’s playfully gruesome, JG Desserts in Toms River makes a cake that look like a brain, thanks to swirls of buttercream. Candy eyeballs, ghosts made of frosting, and chocolate skulls decorate their cakes as well (cakes cost $29.99), and the bakery also makes smashable chocolate pumpkins filled with candy, bags of white chocolate “bones,” Halloween-themed cupcakes, and Graveyard doughnuts, which are filled with chocolate pudding and topped with chocolate frosting and Oreos ($3 to $10).
At Bruno’s Bakery in Freehold Township, try a witch hat-topped cake made with layers of Funfetti and chocolate sponge cakes, vanilla French cream and chocolate fudge; a spiderweb cake of chocolate sponge with Oreo filling; an orange and white-striped cake made with vanilla and chocolate sponge cakes with vanilla French cream and chocolate fudge; and a black, ghost-covered cake made of chocolate sponge cake and chocolate fudge (all cakes cost $35).
Go: JG Desserts is at 1806 Hooper Ave. in Toms River; 732-255-0995, instagram.com/jg_desserts. Bruno’s Bakery is at 356 W. Main St in Freehold Township; 732-301-5126, brunosnyc.com.
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Cute and creepy cupcakes at Anna Bananas Bakery, Stafford
Jessica Errico loves to bake with a theme at her bakery, from Harry Potter cookies and cupcakes to Disney World-themed treats.
From Tuesday, Oct. 29 to Sunday, Nov. 3, she’ll offer Halloween cupcakes — like a vanilla cupcake topped with frosting ghosts holding candy corns, “Worms in Dirt” chocolate cupcakes with chocolate pudding and fudge frosting and “Dracula’s” red velvet cupcakes topped with cream cheese frosting and “bloody” bite marks ($4.99 each).
Go: 657 E. Bay Ave., Manahawkin section of Stafford; 609-488-2323, annabananasbakerynj.com.
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Cake pops at Papa Ganache, Matawan
Plant-based eaters, don’t be spooked — there are treats for you, too.
Vegan bakery Papa Ganache has lots of options for Halloween, including chocolate and vanilla mummy and Frankenstein cake pops ($4 each for vegan, $4.50 each for vegan and gluten free) and purple, green and orange seven-layer cookies with strawberry jam ($4 each, vegan and gluten free).
There are also cakes covered in ghosts and spider webs, jack o’ lantern cookies, and ghost cookies.
Go: 106 Main St., Matawan; 732-217-1750, papaganache.com.
Sarah Griesemer joined the USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey in 2003 and has been writing all things food since 2014. Send restaurant tips to sgriesemer@gannettnj.com, follow on Instagram at Jersey Shore Eats and subscribe to our Jersey Shore Eats newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Where to get spooky Halloween desserts at Shore bakeries
