Spooky (and not so spooky) treats to scare up some tasty thrills this Halloween
PETALING JAYA, Oct 17 — It’s that time of year again for jack-o’-lanterns and trick-or-treating. Time for werewolves and vampires, zombies and mummies, ghouls and goblins. (Or at least the cosplay variations thereof.)
With just over half a month till Halloween, let us search for some spooky (and not so spooky) treats to scare up some tasty thrills. Even costumed monsters need to eat, no?
For everything sweet and sinister, head over to Elevete Pâtisserie, founded by the ever-affable Edwin Chan and known for "fatcarons” — an homage to the viral South Korean ttung-carons (ttung is the Korean word for fat).
In the past, Elevete has elevated these supersized macarons with popular flavours such as Ondeh Ondeh (coconut buttercream paired with salted gula Melaka) and Tiramisu (Italian coffee ganache paired with mascarpone mousse), making the pâtisserie a macaron maestro.
So it’s no wonder that Chan has given his crowd-favourite designer macarons a flesh-creeping twist with his Monster Macarons.
Be it a swamp-hued Frankenstein’s monster or a bandage-white mummy, every sweet bite promises to be a blood-curdling affair.
Prefer something more crumbly and moist? Consider Elevete’s Spooky Cupcakes: the cupcake base seems innocuous enough until you consider the frosty toppings — from bloodshot eyes to creepy-crawly spiderwebs. Guaranteed to send a sugar rush shiver down your spine.
To haunt your guests further, there is the Fright Night Tart — a buttery, crumbly chocolate crust that Chan describes "as dark as the midnight sky” and a velvety, Nutella-infused filling that is "as smooth as a witch’s spell.”
Elevete Pâtisserie celebrates Halloween with Spooky Cupcakes (left) and Fright Night Tarts (right).
The idea here, one assumes, is to leave you spellbound and hankering for more Halloween magic. Elevete’s harrowing Halloween treats are available for pre-order now, to be savoured from now until November 4.
Perhaps you’re looking for gruesome nibbles that are less garish but still suitably terrifying. Basket Break, a bakery famed for "sourdonuts” (sourdough-based doughnuts) in Section 17, PJ has got you covered here.
Founder Daphne Ng has decided to give her dainty and delicate lemon meringues a spooky upgrade for the spine-chilling season. By hand-painting eerie eyes, she transforms her innocent meringue drops into tiny ghouls, resulting in Lemon Ghostie Sourdonuts.
Little lemon meringues getting a spooky upgrade for Basket Break’s Lemon Ghostie Sourdonuts.
Recalling s’mores being grilled over campfires, Ng has also created a Vanilla Bean "Boolee” Sourdonut where a brioche "sourdonut” is filled with vanilla cream and topped with a homemade marshmallow patty that is lightly torched.
This is a play on boule (meaning "ball” in French), referring to the traditional squashed ball shape of rustic bread in boulangeries.
It’s hard to see how customers will scream "Boo!” after buying one of these; they are more likely to go "Woohoo!” whilst pulling the doughnut apart and marvelling at that gooey vanilla cream.
Basket Break’s limited edition Vanilla Bean 'Boolee' Sourdonut.
For something simpler, try Basket Break’s Charcoal Cinnamon Sugar, an unfilled charcoal based brioche "sourdonut” rolled in cinnamon and sugar. Basic is best sometimes.
Ng is making these three treats, together with her new gochujang-flavoured cookie, available as a box of Halloween specials. Pre-orders are encouraged, she advises, as the boxes are subject to daily stock availability.
Lest we forget, Halloween isn’t all about the jump scares. (Though a marathon of horror franchises such as The Conjuring, Friday the 13th and — of course — the Jamie Lee Curtis starring Halloween series might convince you otherwise.)
The month of October coincides with the fall season in temperate countries. The autumnal weather, chilly but not yet freezing, calls for some comfort food and cosy company to cuddle up with.
Huckleberry’s autumnal favourite, the warm and 'hygge' inducing Pumpkin Spice Latte.
This is clearly what Huckleberry, a family-owned artisan bakery and café that serves fresh pastries, breads and cakes, has in mind with their fall specials this year.
Taking a leaf (or thickly cut wedge, as it were) from American celebrations such as Thanksgiving, the humble pumpkin occupies the prized position here. To this end, Huckleberry uses premium Japanese pumpkin to make their own pumpkin syrup.
This homemade concoction is well employed in Huckleberry’s autumnal favourite, the warm and hygge inducing Pumpkin Spice Latte. The caffeine comes from their house blend espresso beans, ensuring consistency in every cuppa.
Enjoy a slice of Huckleberry’s creamy Pumpkin Pie to welcome autumn at its best.
For something more substantial, enjoy a slice of Huckleberry’s creamy Pumpkin Pie to welcome autumn at its best: red maple leaves, a bracing breeze, the steam from baking and brewing coffee.
True, it might be the haze we are facing now (what a fall back to reality, if you’d pardon the pun), but with festive and frightful fare, we too can look forward to autumnal cheer and oh so sweet Halloween scares.
Elevete Pâtisserie
No. 12, Jalan SS 26/13, Taman Mayang Jaya, PJ
Web: elevete.com.my
Basket Break
Lot B1-01, Basement Level, Seventeen Mall, Jalan 17/38, Section 17, PJ
Open Wed-Sun 9am-4:30pm; Mon & Tue closed
IG: instagram.com/basket.break/
Huckleberry Food & Fare
Locations: Damansara Heights, Bangsar Shopping Centre, Pavilion Bukit Jalil & Intermark Mall
Web: huckleberry.my
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