The Sweet, The Savory, and The Satisfying - 3 Halloween Treats for All Day Snacking

In the Brew house, we love our Halloween treats! So we wanted to share some that go great with a cup of pumpkin spice coffee.

Keep scrolling for a sweet, a savory, and a satisfying treat.

At the end, find our review and recipe for HEB Café Ole’s Pumpkin Spiced coffee and At-Home Pumpkin Cold Brew.

Buckeyes (AKA Chocolate Peanut-Butter Balls)

A family recipe that goes great with a hot cup of black pumpkin spice coffee.

Yield: ~ 50-60 1 inch balls, Half Recipe: ~ 25-30 1 inch balls

Filling:

• 6 cups powdered sugar

• 2 sticks room temperature butter

• 2 cups creamy peanut butter

• 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract

Coating:

• 12 oz semisweet chocolate chips (Use white chocolate for Halloween eyeballs!)

Steps:

1. Mix the powdered sugar, butter, peanut butter, and vanilla extract in a large bowl. It should be well mixed but appear flaky.

2. Line cookie sheets with wax paper.

3. Form the dough into small balls, about 1 inch in diameter, and place them on the wax paper.

4. Chill the balls for at least an hour in the fridge. If you don’t have an hour, you can dip them in chocolate right away. They will just be a lot softer.

5. Melt the chocolate so that it is smooth and creamy. I used a double boiler system and it helped keep the chocolate soft while I was dipping. 

6. Using a toothpick, dip the chilled peanut butter balls into the chocolate. Coat them about ¾ of the way up. Place them back on the wax paper.

7. Keep the buckeyes in the fridge until ready to serve them.

To get in the Halloween spirit, I have used white chocolate and then added blood veins using the red food gel (found in most baking aisles). You can also add M&Ms as pupil/iris combos if you need even more sweetness.

Whether decorated or not, these are delicious and super sweet! This batch makes a lot of buckeyes so be prepared for that if you choose not to half it!

Savory Chex Mix with Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

In order to combat the sweetness of Halloween treats, we needed a savory snack! Pair this with an at-home pumpkin cold-brew for ultimate satisfaction.

Homemade Pumpkin Seeds

I roast these separately and then add them at the end.

1. Clean the pumpkin seeds.

2. Spread onto a pan and pat dry with a paper towel.

3. Melt ⅓ to ½ stick of butter and drizzle it over the seeds.

4. Crack sea salt on top to finish it off.

5. Roast in the oven at 300 F for 50-60 minutes, or until they are light brown. Stir about halfway through to get an even color. 

Oven Roasted Chex Mix

Ingredients:

• 1 stick unsalted butter → melted

• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

• 2 tsp seasoned salt (such as Lawry’s)

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• ½ tsp onion powder

• 4 cups Rice Chex cereal

• 3 cups Wheat Chex cereal

• 2 cups pretzels

• 1 cup peanuts

• White Cheddar Cheez-Its (Optional: adds a creamy finish to the salty mix)

Mix up the Rice Chex, Wheat Chex, pretzels, and peanuts in a large bowl with your hands. Add more of each until you are happy with the ratios.

Mix the melted butter, Worcestershire, seasoned salt, garlic powder, and onion powder together. Drizzle over the dry mix until well coated. Use your hands to get the butter mixture spread over all the chex. 

Set the oven to 300 F. Spread the mixture on two flat baking sheets until it is a single layer. Put in the oven and bake for 40-50 minutes, until golden brown. Be careful not to burn the mixture. 

Take out of the oven and allow to cool. Mix in your roasted pumpkin seeds and White Cheddar Cheez-its until you are happy with the quantity of each. 

Serve and enjoy.

Scratch Cupcakes with Chocolate Coffee Buttercream Frosting

Enjoy these cupcakes with chocolate coffee frosting next to a hot cup of pumpkin spice, or an easy at-home cold brew.

Scratch Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cup all purpose flour

• 1 ½ tsp baking powder

• ¼ tsp salt

• 2 eggs - room temperature

• ⅔ cup sugar

• 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter - melted

• 2 tsp Vanilla extract

• ½ cup milk

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line one 12-cup muffin tray with cupcake liners.

2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl.

3. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until they are light and foamy. Then gradually pour in the melted butter and vanilla while continuing to mix.

4. Mixing slowly, add half the flour mixture. Add all the milk. Then finish off with the rest of the flour mixture. Mix until well combined, but be careful not to overmix. The mixture should be creamy.

5. Fill the cups about ⅔ to ¾ full. 

6. Bake for about 18-20 minutes. Check with a toothpick to make sure that they are done in the center. 

7. If you have an uneven oven, rotate the tray after about 16-18 minutes to even out the color on top of the cupcake. 

8. Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting. 

Chocolate Coffee Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:

• 1 stick unsalted butter - room temperature

• 3 cups powdered sugar

• ¼ whole milk - room temperature

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 tsp Instant coffee

• 3 tbsp cocoa powder

Steps:

1. Cream the butter until smooth.

2. Mix in the powdered sugar. Add the milk and vanilla extract. Blend until well mixed.

3. Add in 2 ½ tbs cocoa powder. 

4. In a small bowl, add a drop of water and mix in the instant coffee. Stir in the last ½ tbsp of cocoa powder to absorb the rest of the water.

5. Mix the coffee into the buttercream. Taste and adjust to your liking.

Once your cupcakes are cooled, use a ziploc bag or a piping bag to frost the top. Add some sprinkles if you need a little more. Enjoy!

Check out the Coffee Review and Recipe below!

HEB Cafe Olé Pumpkin Spice Coffee

Make an Easy At-Home Pumpkin Cold Brew