Halloween Treats – No Tricks!

I often write about my favorite Halloween foods, but today I wanted to focus on special Halloween treats. You know, the goodies that you remember as a child all the way through your adulthood. For me, that would be an apple cinnamon doughnut my neighbors made when I was just a child. Today, I don’t have the time to make homemade doughnuts, and I know that most people don’t. So I’ve started making special cupcakes that the children in my family just love.

Here are some of my favorite Halloween cupcakes. They’re simply the best treat, with no tricks or fuss!

1. Chocolate Peanut Butter cupcakes are completely decadent. Not for the faint of heart, let me tell you. Make whatever kind of chocolate cupcake base you like, be it from a box or grandma’s cake recipe turned into mini cakes. Once the cakes have cooled, make your peanut butter mousse. I like to use a recipe that incorporates all the good stuff, like cream cheese, powdered sugar, peanut butter, heavy whipping cream and whole milk. Pipe the mousse on the top of your cupcakes. Then melt some chocolate chips and drizzle over the top of the cupcake. It’s delicious and like I said, not for the faint of heart.
2. Pumpkin cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese frosting with a salted caramel drizzle are my next favorite treat to serve guests these days. I make a simple pumpkin muffin recipe, preferably one that is gluten free, so I can make up for all of the extra sugar in the frosting without feeling too guilty about all of the carbs. Then I make a basic cream cheese frosting, but instead of vanilla I use cinnamon. Then I use a great store bought caramel ice cream sauce, drizzle it, and add some finishing salts on top.
3. Toffee crunch cupcakes may look complicated, but they’re not. Again, I make a simple chocolate cupcake, but this time instead of a cream cheese frosting I use a rich buttercream and add just  bit of Mexican vanilla. The Mexican vanilla has a rich flavor that I think adds some kick to the otherwise bland frosting. After I refrigerate the frosting for 20 minutes, I then make a chocolate glaze that I dip the cupcakes into and roll in crushed Heath candy bars. Once the glaze dries, I pipe the buttercream frosting on top. Magnificent!