A warm Halloween drink can be creamy, chocolatey or full of apple and spice. This collection brings together pumpkin white hot chocolate, marshmallow ghost hot chocolate, caramel apple cider and spiced cherry apple cider. Choose one rather than trying to keep four pans warm at once; the recipes below make either two or four mugs.
Choose your recipe and set up
Set out heatproof mugs before warming the drinks. Ordinary cold-drink glasses are not a substitute for heatproof vessels. The pumpkin recipe specifies at least 350 ml per mug. For Halloween decorations, use appropriate exterior mug decals below the rim, away from the drink and mouth; they are presentation details, not extra ingredients.
1. Pumpkin White Hot Chocolate
2 mugs · 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 cups (480 ml) milk
- 1/4 cup pumpkin purée (not pie filling)
- 75 g white chocolate, finely chopped
- 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup whipped cream
Method
- Whisk the milk, pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice together in a small saucepan. Warm over medium-low heat for 4–5 minutes, stirring often, until steaming gently; do not boil.
- Turn the heat to low and stir in the white chocolate until fully melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
- Divide between two heatproof mugs of at least 350 ml capacity and top each with 2 tablespoons whipped cream. Let cool to a comfortable drinking temperature.
Pumpkin purée is measured separately from the milk and is not pumpkin pie filling. Warm it with the milk and spice before turning the heat low for the finely chopped white chocolate. Add the vanilla after removing the pan from the heat.
2. Ghost Hot Chocolate
2 mugs · 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 cups (480 ml) milk
- 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 large white marshmallows
- 1 tsp mini semisweet chocolate chips
Method
- Whisk the cocoa and sugar with a splash of the measured milk in a saucepan to make a smooth paste. Whisk in the remaining milk.
- Warm over medium-low heat, stirring, until steaming gently. Do not boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
- Melt the chocolate chips in short microwave bursts. Dot eyes and a small mouth onto one side of each marshmallow with a skewer.
- Divide the hot chocolate between two heatproof mugs. Float one marshmallow ghost on each, face-up, and serve warm.
Making a cocoa paste with a splash of the measured milk helps avoid dry pockets before the rest of the milk goes in. Decorate the marshmallows separately with melted chocolate so the face stays on the surface when floated face-up.
3. Haunted Caramel Apple Cider
4 mugs · 15 minutes
Ingredients
- 4 cups (960 ml) apple cider
- 2 tbsp caramel sauce
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 small apple, sliced into thin half-moons
Method
- Put the apple cider and cinnamon stick in a saucepan. Warm over medium-low heat for 8–10 minutes, until steaming gently; do not boil hard.
- Remove the cinnamon stick. Whisk in the caramel sauce until dissolved.
- Divide between four heatproof mugs. Add an apple half-moon to each mug and serve warm. Serve any remaining apple slices alongside.
Warm the cider with the cinnamon stick first, remove the stick and then whisk in the caramel. The apple half-moons finish the mugs; any remaining slices can be served alongside. This is a warm drink, so keep the heat gentle.
4. Spiced Cherry Apple Cider
4 mugs · 25 minutes
Ingredients
- 3 cups (720 ml) nonalcoholic apple cider
- 1 cup (240 ml) tart cherry juice
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 whole cloves
- 4 thin orange slices
Method
- Put the apple cider, cherry juice, cinnamon stick, cloves and orange slices into a saucepan.
- Bring just to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 15 minutes, without boiling hard.
- Strain into a heatproof jug, removing the whole spices and orange slices. Divide between four mugs and let cool to a comfortable drinking temperature.
The cherry version uses three cups of nonalcoholic apple cider and one cup of tart cherry juice, rather than the four cups of cider in the caramel version. Strain out the whole spices and orange slices before dividing between mugs.
Plan the serving order
If choosing for two people, either hot chocolate gives two mugs. If choosing for four, either cider gives four mugs without changing the written quantities. For a mixed table, make one of each style and use separate ladles or pouring vessels. Finish the marshmallow ghosts and whipped cream at serving, and let hot drinks cool to a comfortable drinking temperature.
Optional tools for these recipes
These are optional equipment links. Use suitable items you already have. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through these links. As an Amazon Associate, Fondfolk earns from qualifying purchases.
A small saucepan suits the two-mug hot chocolates. Check its usable capacity against the milk and toppings; the four-mug ciders need a larger suitable pan. Caraway Mini Saucepan. Follow the maker’s heat and care instructions and use suitable wood or silicone utensils. Nominal capacity needs working headroom.
A silicone balloon whisk helps combine the cocoa paste or pumpkin mixture with milk in compatible cookware. OXO 11-Inch Silicone Balloon Whisk. Keep the silicone coating intact and the handle clear of burners.
A measuring cup makes it easier to keep the milk, cider and cherry juice amounts distinct. Use a vessel suited to the temperature of what you measure. OXO 2-Cup Glass Measuring Cup. Dishwasher-safe, according to OXO. Keep glass away from direct flame.
A fine-mesh strainer removes the whole spices and orange slices from the cherry cider. Strain into a heatproof jug, as that recipe specifies. Stainless-Steel Fine-Mesh Strainer Set. Check the mesh and size for the task; this is not a cheesecloth or paper-filter substitute for every recipe.
