Remember when you were a kid, and you had to show up with some treats for the school Halloween carnival and you hauled in a casserole dish full of your basic orange-iced sugar cookies?
We're in no way turning up our nose at that, because that is an October classic not to be sniffed at. But parties surrounding the spookiest holiday have gotten posher over the last decade, and certainly, in some quarters, more adult. And, nope, we're not talking about late-night costume Bacchanals, but rather Halloween brunches and open houses and afternoon Bloody Mary bashes.
Enter the fancy cupcake and once-a-year ice cream. Sure, kids can enjoy them, but you're just as likely to see grown-up ghouls carting them away. And our LA bakeries and sweet shops are, once again, going all out on the eerie front.
Crumbs has a Halloween Signature Collection complete with a beady-eyed Frankenstein, a tombstone, an eyeball, and few other seasonal touches. A six-pack is $27.
Magnolia Bakery is going the Devil's Food Cake and S'mores route -- those feel pretty fall to us -- in addition to a Pumpkin Pecan Cupcake. Wait, what? We typed that but we feel we probably have to type it again: Pumpkin Pecan Cupcake. Does pie know that cupcakes are horning in on its territory?
Sprinkles has a caramel apple cupcake through Halloween. It is "studded with Granny Smith apples" and has caramel cream cheese frosting. Should we also type those words again? Caramel cream cheese frosting.
Sweet E's flavor of the month for October is Bloodsucker. Strawberry preserves in the middle of a vanilla cupcake? You do the math. Oh! Oh! And fangs on top. Cool.
And, nope, it isn't a cupcake, but we can't leave without giving it up for Bennett's Ice Cream at the Original Farmers Market. They do a pumpkin flavor every year, and fall in LA just isn't the same without a scoop. That and a few orange-iced sugar cookies just make the holiday.
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