Pairing Cheese and Halloween Candy for the Ultimate Party Platter

This cheese and Halloween candy appetizer tray was not only fun to make but it was also a big hit during our Halloween festivities yesterday.  The grandkids were jumping up and down with joy when they saw this Halloween "snack" I had prepared for them. 

I saw this article on Food52 where they paired cheese with popular Halloween candy which I thought was a very clever idea and it makes for a very festive food tray.  Plus, there is something for everyone; sweet or savory, traditional or unusual, healthy or not, plus it was very colorful for the season.  

You can also add your own favorites.  I added some pistachios and wheat thin crackers since I knew the grandson would go straight for the cream cheese and wheat thins, which he did.  The cream cheese was soon annihilated.  The Food52 article also included blue cheese and Twix, neither which I like that much so I left that pairing out.  There is a lot of room to customize this party tray to your liking.  I basically love everything on my tray so I felt like this article was written for me.  Who would have ever thought that Halloween candy would pair nicely with cheese?  But it's perfect.  The candy corn, which I realize a lot of people are not a fan, I actually like.  And according to the article, the lightly flavored marshmallow notes of candy corn blends nicely with the creamy, brown butter notes of the Brie.

A strong, sharp cheddar that was tested with the candy corn actually made the candy taste sour instead of sweet. Cow's milk Brie is mild, nutty, and fruity. This adds a nice base for the candy corn flavor to shine. The two don't overpower each other, yet blend together to make a creamy marshmallow flavor experience.

The next pairing was cream cheese and Kit-Kat, my favorite Halloween candy.

The article used triple cream cheese but I used the regular cream cheese that I had in the freezer since it's our grandson's favorite. So, my photo shows the cream cheese slightly crumbly and falling apart from being frozen, but since I was making this for a two-year-old and a four-year-old, who cares!  (It's a good time to experiment and just have fun.)  The article says that the extra cream in triple cream cheese results in a creamy and buttery creation almost as lush as ice cream. The chocolate in the Kit-Kat cuts through the milky interior while the wafer adds a nice crunch to round out the experience. 

The next pairing was the gouda cheese and caramel popcorn.  Don't you just love caramel corn on Halloween?  I love it.  I remember making popcorn balls for Halloween when we were little.  But then times changed and you had to only give out commercial items for Halloween because people were putting razor blades in the popcorn balls...Geeeez.  The things you remember about childhood.  

This pairing exhibits a beautiful amber color with flavor notes of butterscotch-caramel and salt.  Does it really get much better than that?  The popcorn has a stronger sweet aroma, cutting through the sharpness of the gouda.  If you look closely, you can see the little amino acid crystals in the cheese, providing a nice crunch alongside the popcorn.  

The last pairing that I included was Manchego cheese and Reese Peanut Butter Cups.  Now, come on.  I know Reeses Peanut Butter Cups are everybody's favorite Halloween candy.



Manchego is a milder sheep's milk cheese.  Some flavor notes include sour cream and cheesecake.  Have you ever tried peanut butter cheesecake?  That's essentially what happens when you add Reese's in the mix.  The result is sweet, nutty and creamy.  

              

Regardless of these pairings, this Halloween platter will be a hit at your next Halloween party when you're once again able to socialize with friends, hopefully next year.  Just the way it looks makes this one a winner.  I didn't eat much of it because I'm on the Hannah Freese, RD diet but I believe the expert opinions of Food52 and it did make for a fun Halloween center piece.  Like I said before, there is quite a variety of munchies to choose from for a crowd so I'm sure I'll make this again for future Halloweens.  Most of the things I present to my grandkids are always a hit and they're the main people I'm entertaining for these days.  Nick and Lauren also came over and I think they both munched on it, as well.  I mean, how can you resist?  These two party-goers looked very colorful with their Halloween costumes.    

Both are Netflix characters; Princess Sofia on the right and Bad Janet from The Good Place on the left.  Didn't they choose great costumes this year and they look so color coordinated!  Other Halloween activities included making my Spider Web Cupcake.

Nick and Lauren loved making these cupcakes on Halloween when they were little and now I'm passing it on to the next generation.  I had to acclimate them to the spider rings earlier this week when they came over because they were a little scared of them.  They look so REAL!  But now they knew they were only toys and enjoyed playing with them and actually making something yummy with them.  Bruce carved pumpkins and since it was a gorgeous day, it turned out to be a great outdoor activity.  

They looked great on our front porch.  

We put the Halloween candy out on a table to keep our distance from trick-or-treaters, as most people did this year who gave out candy and it worked out pretty well.  

We did keep running out pretty quickly because we had A LOT of trick-or-treaters.  I was surprised, quite honestly.  Our neighborhood is notoriously known to be very active on Halloween so I guess a pandemic wasn't about to stop people.  It's like a big block party in our neighborhood on Halloween.  

I made my lasagna for dinner that really hit the spot for everyone with the spider web cupcakes for dessert, of course. 

                        

It was a very successful Halloween this year despite a pandemic.  It's unusual that we have such wonderful weather here in Seattle, plus it was a full moon and it was just a gorgeous evening as we watched the moon rise. 

It's a good time to experiment with new recipes during this pandemic so go for it.  I may be entertaining for preschoolers but someday, we'll be inviting other adults over to our house and I hope to have lots of new dishes to share with everyone.  In the meantime, I plan to keep trying out new recipes, as unusual as they might be.  Candy and cheese?  Who would have thought?   We must keep our lives interesting and positive in this era of coronavirus.