October is here! The air is getting crisp, we are officially in fall, and there are tombstones and skeletons in the yard. So spooky! I think Halloween is a great time of year. I love getting dressed up, seeing all the creative costumes and decorations around. And of course, candy is on everyone’s mind so I took inspiration from that again this year for these October chocolate flavors.
Last year I did American candy, so this year I am doing *other* American candy – other North and Central American countries that is. We have Canada, Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Puerto Rico, and Nicaragua being represented this time! I am so excited to share these fun takes on beloved candy.
Coffee White Chocolate Ganache with Feuilletine
While you might think Canadian’s favorite candy would be maple based, the Coffee Crisp bar is by far the #1 choice. Sort of like a coffee KitKat, the original has layers of a coffee flavored soft candy with vanilla wafer cookies. In my take, I made a strong coffee ganache lightened by the white chocolate, with layers of feuilletine (broken pieces of thin crispy crêpe). The feuilletine is coated in milk chocolate to keep it crispy and add a deeper sweetness. Not bad, eh?
Tajin and Tamarind Caramel
Mexican candy is often very different from candy you find in the United States. They play much more with sour, sweet, and spicy than we do. One of the most popular candies is De la Rosa’s Pulparindo, a savory candy made with tamarind paste and salted chili. I actually didn’t change much for this one. I used Tajin, which is common for homemade versions of this candy, and I made the tamarind pulp myself. You will find a wonderful sourness with a touch of citrus, and salty and a bit spicy to finish.
Peanut Praline with Sesame White Chocolate Ganache
Dulces de ajonjolí et mani are very popular in Puerto Rico. These bars made from caramelized sesame seeds or peanuts are extremely easy to make. Sesame bars are actually found all over the world, all made in a very similar way. I wanted to combine these two to add some wonderful variety. The peanut praline is essentially what would happen if you put dulce de mani in a food processor – caramelized peanuts ground into a paste. The sesame ganache is smooth and very sesame forward from tahini. There is a layer of caramelized sesame seeds for crunch! I dare you not to fall in love with this chocolate.
Spiced Pumpkin Caramel
Dulce de calabaza is a candied pumpkin, often served with the spiced sugar syrup. Though associated with Belize, dulce de calabaza is actually pretty popular all the way up into Mexico. Traditionally it is a different squash such as a kabocha or acorn, but pumpkin seemed more appropriate to me for Halloween! Here, I made a pumpkin caramel with brown sugar and the spices usually found in dulce de calabaza (clove, cinnamon, allspice).
Dulce de Leche Milk Chocolate Ganache
In Guatemala, a very popular treat is canillitas de leche – a sort of dulce de leche fudge-like candy. The name comes from “canillas” meaning leg bone, because the end product looks a bit like a shin bone. Creepy and Halloween appropriate! The ingredients are essentially the same as dulce le leche (milk and sugar) with cinnamon. You boil it all together to form a sort of dough, stretch it out into your “bones” and let harden. For my take, I made a dulce de leche milk chocolate caramel with a bit of cinnamon. You keep the creaminess the canillitas de leche is known for and the flavors while adding a lovely milk chocolate sweetness.
Coconut Caramel with Shredded Coconut
Based on the Nicaraguan treat cajeta de coco, I did my best to pack this caramel full of coconutty goodness. Cajeta de coco comes in two main colors: pink and brown. The pink variety is made with clove which is what imparts the pink color (though often this is helped with food color nowadays) and the brown often has tamarind. These are usually made with fresh coconuts, which are somewhat out of season here (and I don’t really know how to work with them so I cheated). The brown sugar caramel is made with coconut cream and allowed to crystallize before adding a bunch of shredded coconut. You get fun texture and a whole lot of coconut flavor!
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Chocolate and peanut butter are such a classic combination, especially for Halloween. These chocolatey cookies are wrapped around a peanut butter filling for a wonderful surprise! Do I really need to tell you more, or have you already ordered a dozen?
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Acorn flour is a delicious and rare treat. The taste is somewhat similar to whole wheat or buckwheat, but much nuttier. I used both whole wheat and acorn flour to give an amazing depth of flavor. These delightfully crisp cookies are a wonderful way to show off the acorn. Paired with honey, ginger, and coffee, it is like a mouthful of fall!
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May is blooming all around us! With all the citrus trees and jasmine in full flower right now, all my walks smell absolutely heavenly. Mother’s
