Snacks & Desserts

A quick and tasty spicy snack…

Hot sauce and popcorn are a terrific snacking mix. Buttery, salty, and fiery – all are here and it only takes a couple of minutes to pull together. And we’d go to bat for Sriracha sauce being the perfect hot sauce for the job. It adds a little garlic undertone to the popcorn flavor, and just enough heat to be enjoyable for party snacking. Feel free to adjust the amount of Rooster sauce and salt used to better fit your heat tolerance and dietary needs. 

Read moreSriracha Popcorn

Rich and fire-filled…

Habanero chocolate sauce is a healthy step up from our cayenne chocolate sauce recipe. Habanero pepper ranges 100,000 to 350,000  Scoville heat units while cayenne a “mere” 30,000 – 50,000. Cayenne is plenty hot for most people, so know that going in. Habanero has serious extra-hot kick.

That said – if you love extra spicy foods and rich chocolate, this is a pairing made in heaven. It’s delicious poured on ice cream, spread on chocolate cake, or drizzled on fruit (habanero chocolate strawberries are wicked good). Habanero pepper powder is not easy to source in brick and mortar stores (but we carry it for sale as a PepperScale spice), so you can use habanero hot sauce instead. It won’t have the same overall punch. Unlike pure habanero powder, habanero in hot sauce is diluted by other ingredients. It’s still hot, but nowhere near the powdered form. Choose a habanero hot sauce that’s tomato-based, not vinegar-based. El Yucateco Red Habanero hot sauce is a good choice for this recipe if you decide to go the hot sauce route.

Read moreHabanero Chocolate Sauce

A delicious spice rack snack pairing…

The mix of cinnamon and cayenne pepper is one of those spice rack dynamic duos. Cinnamon has that exotic warmth, that sweet earthy flair. And cayenne? Well, it will punch you right in the taste buds. It adds extra life to that homey cinnamon warmth, and we think the pecan is the perfect snacking vehicle for this spice rack combo – crunchy, sweet, and nutty. Share these as a snack side on your holiday table. They’re also perfect to crumble up as a topping for ice cream and other desserts.

For those only marginally heat-inclined, we recommend sticking with that half a teaspoon of cayenne. It’ll have a nice, family-friendly heat. If you’re a spicy food fan, feel free to add an additional quarter to half a teaspoon if you’d like.

Read moreSpicy Cinnamon Pecans

Pumpkin sweet, with a hint of heat…

Now this is a pumpkin pudding with punch! This isn’t simply a spiced pumpkin pudding, this is spicy. A touch of cayenne pepper powder among that pumpkin pie spice provides the sizzle. It really adds a balance to the sweetness of the vanilla pudding and pumpkin in the recipe. If you aren’t ready to invest the time into baking a cayenne-spiced pumpkin pie, this quick-to-make dessert is a terrific alternative. Topped with granola and nuts, it even has a crust-like crunch with each spoonful. 

Read moreSpicy Pumpkin Pudding

Add some sweet spice…

Whether as a dab of spicy for your slice of pie or as a delicious topper “with kick” for your hot chocolate, spicy whipped cream brings oh-so-tasty sweet heat to all sorts of desserts and drinks. We especially love it atop Mexican brownies – yeah, spice on spice. Or try it with a simple apple or pumpkin pie to provide a little flavor surprise.

The spice comes from simple sources: cayenne pepper powder and cinnamon (for a little extra warmth). This recipe calls for a full teaspoon of cayenne – it’s a good amount, and for those of us who are inclined to “spice it up”, you’ll be satisfied. If you’re looking for more of a mild tickle, go with a half teaspoon instead.

Read moreSpicy Whipped Cream