‘Trick or Treat’ yourself

Halloween conjures a variety of images: buying or making costumes, orange and black crepe decorations, and lots and lots of candy. You might be past the age of going door to door with bag in hand, or too kind to sneak bites from your own kids’ bags at the end of trick-or-treating on Wednesday night, but that’s no reason not to indulge in some sugary sweets this Halloween season. 225 Dine has some tips on where to pick up sweets and Halloween goodies that grownups can enjoy.

Cupcakes: Baton Rouge is surfing the crest of the gourmet cupcake bakery trend, with nearly a half-dozen spots around town specializing in these tasty treats. Cupcake Couture, Sweet Wishes, Frosted Cupcakes and multiple locations of Cupcakes ‘n Cream all serve up cupcakes from expected flavors like carrot cake and red velvet to more adventurous fare like pink lemonade and apricot.

Chocolate: Strands Café is a standard-bearer for handcrafted gourmet chocolate, with varieties from the tiger eye with a caramel-honey center, or the Acadie, flavored with coffee and chicory. But just down the road, newcomer Blend lets you enjoy a beautifully plated chocolate truffle assortment with wine or a cocktail. And classic bakeries like Baum’s and Ambrosia make delicious handcrafted chocolate as well; not to mention mouthwatering petit fours and Halloween cookies.

Cake Balls: If you like to have your cake and candy combined, Brew Ha-Ha’s deservedly famous cake balls deliver—crunchy candy outside and moist, sweet cake inside. With flavors ranging from wedding cake to mint chocolate chip, you’ll find yourself a cake-ball convert in just one bite. And local caterers Party Pops and Pretty Pleaz offer take-away orders of tasty cake balls and their lollipop variant, cake pops.