I spent $200 on food and drinks at Universal's Halloween Horror Nights. Here are 12 seasonal items I'd order again.

One of the highlights of my visit, the pepperoni-pizza skull ($7.49), was thematically pleasing and delicious.

The skull-shaped dough was very fresh and stuffed with a generous portion of cheese and pepperoni bits. It was cooked until golden brown and set in a bowl of zesty marinara sauce.

This reminded me of an elevated, adult version of a Hot Pocket in the best possible way. Overall, it was very flavorful and made for sharing.

Sometimes too much of a good thing is a bad thing, but the pumpkin cookie-dough ball ($4.50) doesn't fall into that trap.

The two-bite treat had just the right amount of sweetness (ideal for me) and was also beautifully artful in presentation.

The pumpkin-gingersnap punch ($15.49) is a tiki-style cocktail with a dash of fall inspiration and notes of sweet, spicy, and savory.

Myer's dark rum is combined with pumpkin puree, ginger-and-cinnamon syrup, single-press lemon juice, orange juice, and pimento bitters.

It was perfectly balanced, with a strong liquor flavor complementing the juices and spices.

The cleverly named fresh-ground princess ($6.49) was essentially a freshly prepared marshmallow treat.

It was subtly sweetened with raspberry jam, which contributed to its vivid appearance.

The butcher-shop packaging alone makes this worth a purchase. Plus, if you're a fan of the classic treat, this was well executed and didn't disappoint.

The churro dog on a stick ($8.99) combined two beloved theme-park snacks: churros and corn dogs.

Somehow the combination worked really well, with the sweet cinnamon sugar adding a layer of flavor to the savory hot dog.

It was well cooked and had just the right amount of batter.

The bao-style spicy-pumpkin bun ($6.49) was a unique combination of flavors and made for the perfect portable theme-park snack.

The treat is named after the unofficial event mascot, Lil' Boo, a wide-eyed, adorable pumpkin.

The bun itself had a soft and pillowy texture, with a bright-orange exterior fitting for the holiday.

There was also the right amount of butternut-squash filling, and the spices brought a delightful heat. 

The burning-skull cocktail ($15.49) featured a tantalizing combination of tequila, Gran Gala liqueur, lime juice, simple syrup, mango nectar, pineapple juice, spicy bitters, jalapeño, and basil concentrate.

To make it even better, it's topped with a Tajin-coated ice pop.

The sweetness of the drink was cut perfectly with some heat and a generous portion of booze. I also loved the keepsake light-up skull cup it's served in. 

A staple of Halloween Horror Nights for many years, pizza fries ($10.99) are standard french fries piled high with sausage, pepperoni, marinara sauce, and cheese.

There's nothing earth-shattering about them, but they're delicious, generously portioned, and perfect for less adventurous eaters.

I was impressed that Universal now offers a vegan version ($10.99) as well for those with dietary restrictions.

The base of the shareable mac-and-cheese dish ($8.49) featured creamy, white-cheddar macaroni with large shells.

For a twist on the classic, it was topped with a skewer of char-siu pork. The meat was very tender and cooked to a perfect temperature.

This dish was super impressive, especially considering it was prepared and served from a food truck.

Described as popcorn infused with custard and topped with blood-splattered kettle corn, the killer stove-top popcorn custard ($6.99) was a total surprise for me.

I wasn't expecting the flavors and textures to work together so well, but they did.

The dense but creamy custard added a subtle sweetness to the crunchy, salty popcorn.

Twisted taters ($9.99) are another signature dish of Halloween Horror Nights. The fried, spiralized potatoes are thinly sliced and skewered.

The unique "fiery" version was topped with white-cheese sauce and sprinkled with crushed hot-cheese puffs and ghost-pepper seasoning.

The potato on its own is delicious, but it was kicked up a notch by the spicy, ghost-pepper seasoning. 

The petrified rat tails ($9.99) are made from funnel fries coated in Florida Bay seasoning and topped with creamy crab dip and sliced scallions.

The crispy fries are deep-fried and offer a hint of sweetness to balance out the savory richness of the crab dip.

It's a hearty dish with an unexpected layering of sweet and salty flavors.