With October 31st just around the corner, orange-colored sweets matching the festive Halloween mood are lined up in various stores in many parts of Japan.

7-Eleven has also started selling sweets and breads with Halloween illustrations printed on the packages.

Putting a Halloween twist on the recently-trending maritozzo, the "Pumpkin Whipped Cream & Almond Maritozzo" is easily our favorite Halloween treat at 7-Eleven Japan this year.

Please note that this article is based on information available as of October 2021. Also, some products may not be available in some regions, stores, or at certain times of the year.

The illustration on the package is cute, and definitely has Halloween in mind.

Unlike in a traditional maritozzo, the brioche bun holding the cream filling is dark brown and has a nice chocolate flavor.

There's a clear film wrapped around the pumpkin whipped cream filling to prevent it from spilling out, and it's printed with a jack-o'-lantern design, creating the perfect Halloween look.

You may have worked up an appetite after snapping a few photos for your social media account, so if you're ready to dig in, remove that film and take a bite!

This hefty maritozzo might be too tall to fit your mouth, so you might go for the bottom layer first. This is where you'll find this dessert's "trick": almonds and caramel sauce which you can't see from the outside!

The crunchy almonds and the rich caramel sauce complements the mild sweetness of the pumpkin whipped cream.

Speaking of which, the cream filling combines pumpkin with a cinnamon-centric blend of spices for a delicious combination further enhanced by the bittersweet chocolate brioche.

On Japanese social media, some users have been posting photos along with comments such as: "The Halloween version is cute," and "I was surprised to find so much cream inside!"

The eminently Instagrammable "Pumpkin Whipped Cream & Almond Maritozzo" (「マリトッツォ・パンプキン」maritozzo panpukin in Japanese) is available now at 7-Eleven locations in Japan for 270 JPY (tax included).

Nutritional information: Energy 249 kilocalories, Protein 4.3 grams, Fat 15.4 grams, Carbohydrates 24.1 grams (Sugar: 22.5 grams, Fiber: 1.6 grams), Salt equivalent 0.37 grams.

---

If you aren't married to the idea of finishing off a rich and creamy maritozzo all by yourself, there's a more petite pumpkin treat for smaller appetites that we can also recommend at 7-Eleven Japan, and one that's perfect for sharing.

It's the Pumpkin Cheesecake (in Japanese, it's ひとくち濃厚かぼちゃチーズケーキ hitokuchi nōkō kabocha chīzukēki, which literally means "rich, bite-sized pumpkin cheesecake.")

Inside the cup, you'll find eight small 2 cm cubes of cheesecake. Wth its bright orange color, you might think it will hit you with a powerful pumpkin flavor. But as you'll discover when you put the moist but densely-textured cube in your mouth, the pleasant tartness and rich cheese flavor of cheesecake takes precedence, with the more subtle but unmistakable taste of pumpkin following.

It's not too sweet and perfect when you want just a bite-sized treat. In fact, you'll probably find it easy to finish the whole cup by yourself!

Some of the reactions on social media were: "Pumpkin lovers should definitely try it" and "It's low in calories so you won't feel guilty eating it!"

A cup of cubed Pumpkin Cheesecake will set you back 311.04 JPY (including tax) at 7-Eleven locations in Japan.

Nutritional information: Energy 177 kilocalories, Protein 3.3 grams, Fat 9.3 grams, Carbohydrates 20.8 grams (Sugar: 19.2 grams, Fiber: 1.6 grams), Salt equivalent 0.24 grams.

---

And if you're looking for non-pumpkin sweets, check out our review of "Ten tasty treats to satisfy your sweet tooth at Japanese 7-Eleven convenience stores" here.