In lieu of pilfering from the candy bowl you reserved for Tuesday’s barrage of trick-or-treating juveniles, check out the following Halloween offerings (as well as a Dia de los Muertos-inspired brunch) that will satiate your sugary cravings.
From jack-o’-lantern sugar cookies to a full-monty shake to zombie doughnuts, these treats go above and beyond a bag of Hershey’s Miniatures. Keep in mind this is not a comprehensive list of all the Halloween fare available; consider it a jumping off point for finding the best Halloween goodies.
Black Tap’s Graveyard Shake: Located in Downtown Disney, this burgers-and-beer joint offers its annual Graveyard Shake, a concoction with M&M cookie pie, gravestone cookie, crumbled Oreo, gummy worms, whipped cream, chocolate shavings and orange and black sprinkles. And if that’s not enough, it comes with a chocolate-frosted rim and a wooden witch’s “brew” stick. 1540 Disneyland Drive, Ste 101, Anaheim
Calaca Mamas Cantina’s Mes de los Muertos brunch: Check out this Anaheim restaurant’s massive ofrenda while enjoying its Dia de los Muertos-inspired brunch, called “Mes de los Muertos,” that includes small plates like tuetano corn esquites and mango habanero guacamole, and main courses like the chicken en salsa verde. Don’t miss out on the deconstructed chocoflan or the El Regreso cocktail featuring grapefruit juice, lime, agave and cinnamon-infused reposado tequila. 1550 S. Harbor Blvd, Anaheim
Okayama Kobo Bakery’s Halloween buns: Known for its adorable kawaii Kobo Kuma bear (ursa-shaped soft buns filled with vanilla bean), this Japanese bakery offers spider, spiderweb, cyclops and delightfully creepy bear and kitten buns for All Hallows’ Eve. Don’t miss out on its autumnal offerings, like the bun stuffed with kabocha (pumpkin) custard. 155 W. Center Street Promenade, Anaheim
Salt and Straw’s Scoops and Skulls series: The Oregon ice cream purveyors’ Halloween dishes, inspired by founders’ Kim and Tyler Malek’s grandmother’s annual Halloween parties, will feature ice cream flavors that use house-made candies, pumpkin, and, yes, real edible bugs. To wit: The Great Candycopia comes with housemade candy inspired by Kit Kats, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, Snickers, and Heath Bars, which are folded into salted butterscotch ice cream. Jack-o’-lantern pumpkin bread, a pumpkin-spiced ice cream with chunks of pumpkin bread and whipped cream cheese frosting. The Creepy Crawly Critters come with matcha ice cream with toffee-brittle mealworms and chocolate crickets from Don Bugito, a company trying to change how the world sees — and eats — insects. Chocolate Champurrado with sesame toffee, an ice cream honoring the Day of the Dead with pieces of palanqueta, a traditional Mexican-style sesame toffee. And finally, Blackberry and Masa Tamale Sherbet, a vegan mashup in tribute to Michoacan’s tamal from the Purépecha region: half masa coconut cream sherbet, half marionberry sherbet. Salt and Straw has two O.C. locations: 1550 Disneyland Drive, E, #103A, Anaheim, and 2001 Westcliff Drive, Newport Beach
Smallcakes’ Halloween cupcakes: A witch’s hat, an Oreo spider, a cookie gravestone, and meringue ghosts can be found haunting the tops of Smallcakes’ array of cupcakes for the holiday. 16476 Beach Blvd., Westminster
SusieCakes’ ghost and jack-o’-lantern sugar cookies: Downright adorable frosted sugar cookies decorated like jack-o’-lanterns and apparition. Four-box (2 ghosts, 2 pumpkins) comes to $23.80, a platter (9 ghosts, 9 pumpkins) costs $107.10. If cookies aren’t to your liking, the bakery chain also has a candy corn-decorated cake that’s a gorgeous and tasty ode to the polarizing Halloween candy. Three O.C. locations: 25473 Rancho Niguel Road, Laguna Niguel; 2043 Westcliff Drive, #104, Newport Beach; 3321 Hyland Ave. suite J, Costa Mesa
Zombee Donuts’ horror doughnuts: With a name like that, how can you go wrong when it comes to sugar-laced spooktacularity? Founded by a mother-daughter duo who are die-hard fans of “The Walking Dead” and other zombie movies, this Fullerton spot bakes donuts in the likeness of Frankenstein’s monster, the Bride of Frankenstein (i.e., the monster’s mate), jack o’ lanterns, Freddy Kruger and Jason Voorhees. Halloween aside, Zombee now makes Mochi doughnuts (available Sundays and Wednesdays only). 802 E. Chapman Ave., Fullerton
