I love when Halloween rolls around because it’s the start of a constant state of seasonal bliss, from food to decorations to celebrations based on the closest holiday. The few weeks between Halloween and Thanksgiving fly by in a flurry of school and seasonal-related activities, and the time until Christmas even quicker thanks to the distractions of finals. The week between then and New Year’s is a blur. And it all kicks off with the spooky fun of Halloween, a time of costumes, chills and most importantly, treats. While the Life section discussed their favorite Halloween candy and some drinks for 21+ readers to whip up for the festivities, I will be featuring some special-edition seasonal snacks or sips related to fall or Halloween that I think people should try before they disappear for the year. Some I may have already mentioned in my discussion of favorite fall flavors, but that just means you should really try them.
Starting with the basics — in flavor and meal — pumpkin spice Cheerios hit the pumpkin spice spot without being too sweet or artificial-tasting. If you’re like me and enjoy eating dry cereal as a snack, these Cheerios taste delicious on their own, or poured into a bowl with a dairy milk alternative like oat milk, almond milk or coconut milk. For some reason, I think the nuttiness or creaminess of these alternatives pair well with the spice and cinnamon of the cereal. Another fall cereal flavor to try is apple pie Toast Crunch, which has garnered favorable reviews from Cinnamon Toast Crunch fans. And although they just barely qualify as breakfast, Belvita has a limited edition pumpkin spice flavor of their biscuits that is similarly reminiscent of spice and cinnamon but not too sweet, like the Cheerios.
If you want another small, pumpkin-flavored snack to pick at that is more dessert-like, look for the Nestlé Toll House pumpkin spice latte flavored “Morsels & More,” which includes “premier white morsels” — AKA, white chocolate chips — mini coffee biscuits and pumpkin spice flavored chunks. (I love how vague these descriptions are.) If you want to keep it in the Nestlé family, bake up some Trick-or-Treats fudge cookie dough or Ghoul’s Mix sugar cookie dough, both with Halloween sprinkles, or pumpkin spice cookie dough with white chocolate chips. While your oven is still on, pop open a can of Pillsbury Grands pumpkin spice rolls made with Cinnabon cinnamon or the pumpkin rolls from Trader Joe’s.
Speaking of Trader Joe’s, the fan-favorite grocery store always knocks it out of the park with seasonal offerings. If you’re down with pumpkin palooza, check out the pumpkin spice hummus, pumpkin bagels, spicy pumpkin curry sauce, pumpkin cream cheese, pumpkin butter, pumpkin ginger cones, pumpkin spice batons, pumpkin waffles, honey roasted pumpkin ravioli, pumpkin empanadas, pumpkin bisque or pumpkin overnight oats. If that search doesn’t already tire you out, pick up the maple streusel bread, autumnal harvest soup, butternut squash mac and cheese, spiced cider, maple and sea salt kettle corn or the ghosts and bats crispy potato snacks.
If you’re looking to add some festive flavor to your coffee, pick up Chobani’s limited batch pumpkin spice creamer, Silk’s pumpkin spice almond cream and maple brown sugar oat creamer, International Delight pumpkin spice.
Last, but not least, the special-edition candy and chocolate that crop up around Halloween. I’m not just talking about your typical fun-size Snickers and Crunch, although those are delicious. I’m talking about the pumpkin pie Kit Kats; “Frankencup” Reese’s that have a green mint layer; “Cookies and Scream” M&Ms; or white chocolate pumpkin pie Dove chocolate with graham-flavored crisps.
Bonus: Fast-food favorites — besides pumpkin-flavored drinks from Dunkin’ and Starbucks — include pumpkin creme pie from McDonald’s, pumpkin pie or pecan pie Blizzard from Dairy Queen and maple-glazed donut from Krispy Kreme.
