Graveyard Crunch: Halloween Cocoa and Sunset on the Dunedin Causeway

Halloween on the Dunedin Causeway, with Mexican hot cocoa, popcorn, and dark chocolate worth lingering over.

Last Halloween, my wife, my son, and I watched the sunset from the Dunedin Causeway. Then we stayed. The air was cool, so we had another cup of Mexican hot cocoa. We made Jiffy Pop, and I brought out the Graveyard Crunch. Sometimes the best thing you can bring to the waterfront is enough snacks to give everyone a reason to linger.

Once the sun had gone, the Snow Peak Mini Flame Lantern supplied our little circle of light. Its amber flame reflected off the table and the rim of my cup. Beyond that small arrangement of familiar equipment, the Gulf Coast evening settled around us.

I borrowed my old GigaPower back from my son, the stove I started using in 1998. After all these years, it still earns its place among the things we trust. There is comfort in knowing a piece of equipment well enough to light it and get on with supper.

The Jiffy Pop foil dome rose as the kernels began their noisy business. Once it was ready, we opened the package and shared the popcorn.

Beside the popcorn we passed around the Graveyard Crunch: rough little clusters of dark chocolate, tart cherries, toasted pumpkin seeds, and broken pretzel bones. The cherries brought a sharp bite through the chocolate, while the pretzels supplied salt and crunch. Between handfuls of popcorn, we snacked on the candy and drank our Mexican hot cocoa.

I carved a white marshmallow into a skull and floated it in the dark cocoa, where it slowly lost its stern expression. A few raspberries supplied the red. By the lantern’s light, the whole arrangement looked sufficiently classy for Halloween.

I spend a good deal of my outdoor life teaching skills, checking equipment, and thinking about what comes next. That evening asked very little of me. Mind the stove. Share the popcorn. Enjoy the company of my wife and son. Food has always mattered to me beyond the ingredients. Preparing something, sharing it, making sure the people beside you have enough, these are small acts of hospitality that travel well. They belong at a family table, beside a campfire, or on the Dunedin Causeway beneath a little lantern.

We had come to watch the sunset. The cocoa and candy helped us make an evening of it.

Graveyard Crunch

Dark chocolate Halloween clusters with tart cherries, pretzel bones, and pepitas.

Recipe note: I made the first batch by eye. The measured version below is my working formula and still needs a repeat batch to confirm the yield and proportions.

Yield: About 20 small clusters, subject to testing.
Preparation: 15 minutes.
Heating and mixing: About 10 minutes.
Setting: Allow approximately 30 to 60 minutes with refrigeration at home; timing varies.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces semisweet dark chocolate bars, approximately 55 to 60 percent cacao, finely chopped
• ½ cup thin pretzel sticks, broken into pieces about ¾ inch long, plus 20 short pieces for decoration
• ⅓ cup dried tart cherries, roughly chopped, divided
• ¼ cup roasted, unsalted pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt

Equipment

Snow Peak GigaPower stove and compatible fuel, small camping saucepan, completely dry stainless steel bowl that rests securely over the saucepan, silicone spatula, measuring cups and spoons, parchment paper, pot holder, and a small tray or rigid food container that fits your refrigerator or chilled cooler.

Recommended approach: Make the clusters at home, refrigerate until firm, and carry them in a closed container in a chilled cooler. For the method below, use a household stove indoors or the GigaPower outdoors to heat the water; turn off the heat before setting the chocolate bowl over it. Making the candy outdoors requires a chilled cooler for setting.

Method

1. Prepare the tray. Line it with parchment. Measure the ingredients before lighting the stove. Reserve the decorative pretzel pieces and 1 tablespoon of the chopped cherries.
2. Heat the water. If using the GigaPower, set it outdoors on a firm, level, heatproof surface. At home, use a saucepan on your household stove. Add about 1 inch of water to the saucepan, adjusting the amount so the bowl will sit above the water without touching it. Heat until gently steaming, then turn off the stove.
3. Melt gently. Move the saucepan to a stable, heatproof surface. Set the bowl containing the chocolate over the hot water. Stir slowly until smooth. Keep water and condensation out of the chocolate. If the water cools before the chocolate melts, remove the bowl, reheat the water, turn off the stove, and resume.
4. Add the crunch. Lift the bowl away and wipe its underside dry. Stir the cinnamon and salt into the chocolate. Fold in the broken pretzels, remaining dried cherries, and pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds).
5. Build the graveyard. Drop rounded tablespoonfuls onto the parchment, aiming for about 20 clusters. Press a reserved pretzel piece and a few reserved cherry pieces onto each while the chocolate remains soft.
6. Let them firm. Refrigerate until set. At camp, place the tray in a rigid, closed container inside a chilled cooler, above any meltwater. Keep the candy dry.
7. Serve cool. Bring out a few at a time. A warm Florida evening will soften chocolate whether the calendar says October or not.

Field Notes

This is untempered chocolate candy. Expect a rustic finish, softer handling, and possibly pale streaks after temperature changes. It will not have the dependable gloss and snap of professionally tempered chocolate. Florida heat makes this a better recipe for preparing ahead and transporting in a cooler than for making on a warm shore without refrigeration.

Use dried fruit, not fresh berries, in the candy. Leave out butter, coconut oil, honey, and maple syrup for this version. Keep the cinnamon in the background so the chocolate and cherries lead.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy within one week for best texture. The pretzels gradually lose their crispness. Contains wheat and may contain milk or soy, depending on the ingredients. Check all labels before sharing.

Carry home parchment, wrappers, and every fallen crumb. Halloween is for feeding your company, not recruiting raccoons.

Equipment and Location

• Snow Peak
• Mini Flame Lantern
• Ozen Solo Table
• GigaPower stove and Snow Peak stove range. My stove dates to 1998; current models differ.
• Stainless Steel Sierra Cup
• Dunedin Causeway, official City of Dunedin visitor information

Check current Causeway rules before bringing a stove or flame lantern.

Chocolate Technique Reference

King Arthur Baking: melting chocolate. Gentle heat and dry utensils help prevent scorching and seizing.