1. Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Line a 7 inches (18cm) springform tin with baking parchment, then wrap it in aluminum foil so you can place it in a water bath later on. Let the ingredients for the filling come to room temperature.

2. Place the chocolate (or caramel) cookies in a freezer bag and use a rolling pin to crush them – you want fine crumbs. Melt the butter, add to the bag and mix well. Transfer to the springform tin and press down to create a firm and smooth layer.

3. Add the cream cheese, mascarpone, sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract to a bowl and mix until well combined. Transfer to the prepared springform tin and smooth out the top. Now place the wrapped baking tin in a larger baking tin or casserole dish and fill that one with hot water. You want the springform tin with the cheesecake sitting in water, about halfway up the sides of the tin. Place in the center of the oven and bake for about 60-70 minutes. The filling should be firm around the edges, but still jiggle a bit in the center when you move the tin. Remove from the oven and let sit in the water for about 10 minutes more, then take out and let cool down completely on a wire rack. Place the cooled cheesecake in the fridge for at least 6 hours (or overnight).

4. When the cheesecake is cooled, remove it from the tin and cut into 8 pieces with a hot knife (just let some hot water run over the knife and dry). Insert a popsicle stick into each piece of the cake. If the cheesecake is soft, it is better to place it in the freezer for 1-2 hours before decorating to make sure you can handle the cake easily.

5. Carefully melt the chocolate or candy melts in the microwave. Add some coconut oil if the chocolate seems too thick. Coat the cold cheesecake pieces with the chocolate – feel free to let the chocolate go over the edges. Let the chocolate dry. Exception: for the graveyard decoration, you have to continue while the chocolate is still runny.

Graveyard decoration:
Crumble the cookies and sprinkle them on top of the still-runny chocolate. Also, press the “tombstone” cookie into the cheesecake immediately. Let the chocolate set and then continue decorating.

Bloody brain decoration:
Color some buttercream pink and fill it into a piping bag with a small round piping tip. Pipe small twists/coils onto the cheesecakes with pink chocolate. Let the buttercream cool thoroughly, then brush the brains with some cherry sauce.

Pumpkin decoration:
Color some buttercream with orange food color and fill it into a piping bag with a star tip. Pipe small pumpkins on top of cheesecakes (with dark chocolate) and decorate some more with sugar sprinkles to your liking.

Spiderweb decoration:
Let the cheesecake (with dark chocolate) cool thoroughly before decorating – the chocolate should be really cold. Heat up a marshmallow in a small bowl in the microwave for a few seconds until it puffs up. Take out, wait a moment and then mash it between your fingers, pull it apart, and stretch the resulting “strings” directly over the cheesecake. Let cool. For the spiders, stick chocolate-coated hazelnuts and raisins onto the spiderweb with some melted chocolate, then use brown/black buttercream or melted chocolate to finish the spiders with spider legs, a cross on top, and some eyes ;)

Refrigerate all cheesecakes until ready to serve.