It's Pumpkin Spice Season!

If you're not among the people whose favourite season is autumn, this time of year still has plenty to offer, thanks to the incredible amount of tasty treats you can make from autumn's unofficial mascot, the humble pumpkin. We've picked out some of the best recipes for you to try at home!

Pumpkin spice latte.

The only place to start, pumpkin spice lattes are one of the UK's favourite seasonal hot drinks.

Ingredients.

To make pumpkin spice lattes, you will need:

• 750g pumpkin

• ground cinnamon

• ground ginger

• ground nutmeg

• 30ml espresso or strong coffee

• 250ml milk (any variety)

To begin, you will need to make some pumpkin puree. Peel and seed your pumpkin, then cut into evenly sized cubes. Place the cubes in a steamer or colander over a pan of simmering water for 10-15 minutes or until soft, then mash and leave to cool.

Once cool, put two teaspoons of puree into a large heatproof glass or mug and stir in the spices and coffee. Next, heat the milk in a saucepan over a low heat until steaming and frothy. Pour into the glass or mug and spoon over the froth. Stir to combine, dust with more cinnamon and voila - the perfect warming, aromatic drink to enjoy on a cold autumn evening!

Pumpkin spice cookies.

If you don't manage to lay your hands on a pumpkin this autumn, don't worry - this cookie recipe uses an easy-to-make spice mix instead of pumpkin. And you'd never know the difference!

Ingredients.

To make pumpkin spice cookies, you will need:

• 300g plain flour

• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

• ½ tsp salt

• 1 tbsp cornflour

• 1-2 tsps pumpkin spice mix

• 115g unsalted butter

• 100g brown sugar

• 100g granulated sugar

• 1 large egg

• ½ tsp vanilla extract

• 200g white chocolate chunks or chips

• 100g orange M&Ms

To make the spice mix, you will need:

• 3 tbsps ground cinnamon

• 2 tsps ground ginger

• 2 tsps ground nutmeg

• 1.5 tsps all spice

• 1.5 tsps ground cloves

Preheat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4, line two large baking trays with parchment paper, then prepare the spice mix by adding the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, all spice and cloves to a bowl and whisk until even. Add the plain flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and cornflour and whisk until combined.

Next, carefully melt the butter and add to a bowl, then add the sugars and whisk for two minutes. Add the vanilla and the egg and whisk again until combined. Add in the flour mixture, M&Ms and chocolate and beat well until the mixture resembles cookie dough.

Finally, using a cookie dough or batter scoop, scoop the dough out in even portions, roll them into balls, place on the baking trays and cook in the oven for 10-13 minutes. Once cooked, leave the cookies to cool for five minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely and serve.

Happy Halloween From Cafe2U!

We're big fans of Halloween and autumn at Cafe2U, as it's the perfect opportunity to beat the cold with a delicious hot drink. To find out what your local Cafe2U van has to offer, get in touch with them here!

Halloween Bakes 2025.

Halloween has become one of the UK's most eagerly anticipated days and, even if you're not a huge fan of trick-or-treating or horror films, there's still plenty to enjoy. Namely the wide range of hideously good, Halloween-themed recipes that are easy to make and great fun to share! 

Here's how to make some of our favourites.

Toffee apples.

The perfect Halloween treat, toffee apples are a guaranteed hit with kids and adults alike. Although they're easy to make, the use of hot toffee means this is a recipe for adults only!

Ingredients.

To make 8 toffee apples, you will need:

• 8 red apples

• 400g caster sugar

• 1 tsp lemon juice

• 4 tbsp golden syrup

• red or black food colouring

• 8 lolly sticks

Begin by inserting the lolly sticks into the stalk-end of each apple until they're firmly in place, then put a large piece of parchment paper onto a chopping board.

Tip the sugar, lemon juice and 100ml of water into a large saucepan, bring to a simmer and cook until the sugar dissolves, being careful not to stir the mixture - instead, gently swirl the pan to move the sugar around. Next, add the golden syrup and bubble the mixture, without allowing it to boil over, until it reaches 'hard crack' stage (when there is almost no water left in the pan) or reaches 150℃ on a sugar thermometer (if you're using one). To test if the mixture is ready, drop a small amount of the toffee into cold water. If it hardens instantly and is brittle when removed, it's ready; if it's soft, continue to boil.

When the toffee is ready, add some drops of food colouring, swirl to combine and turn off the heat.

Finally, quickly dip each apple into the toffee, tipping the pan to cover each one. Lift out, allow any excess to drip off, place on the parchment paper until cool and you're done! Ideally, these fiendish fruits should be eaten the same day.

Eyeball pops.

Decorate these mini chocolate cake balls to look like eyes and you'll have a spooky Halloween treat nobody will say 'Boo' to!

Ingredients.

To make 10 pops, you will need:

• 100g/4oz madeira cake

• 100g Oreo cookies

• 100g bar milk chocolate, melted

• 200g bar white chocolate, melted

• Smarties and icing pens to decorate

• 10 wooden skewers

• A small pumpkin - or similar - to stand the pops in

Start by breaking the Madeira cake and cookies into the bowl of a food processor, then pour in the melted milk chocolate and blend until combined. Tip the mixture into a bowl then divide into 10 balls and put them in the fridge for 2 hours until solid.

Next, push a skewer into each ball and spoon the white chocolate over the balls until covered. Stand the pops in the pumpkin, place a Smartie on each one while still wet and return to the fridge until the chocolate sets. Before serving, use the icing pens to draw a pupil on each Smartie and wiggly red veins on each eyeball. 

Edible fake blood.

The perfect addition to any Halloween recipe - including those listed above - edible fake blood looks disgustingly realistic and kids will love adding it to their scary treats.

Ingredients.

To make edible fake blood, you will need:

• 1 tbsp cornflour

• 45ml cherry juice

• 250g glucose syrup

• red, blue and yellow food colouring gel

Start by mixing the cornflour with 1 tbsp cherry juice, then tip the mixture into a small pan with the glucose syrup and remaining cherry juice. Heat gently over a low heat, whisking well to combine, then remove from the heat.

Squeeze in a good amount of the red food colouring gel and stir well, then add a very small drop each of the blue and yellow food colouring gels and stir again. Continue to add little drops of food colouring, stirring well between each addition, until you reach your desired colour.

This recipe makes thick, gooey blood; if you want it thinner, simply stir in a little more cherry juice.

Happy Halloween!

If you're hosting a Halloween party this year or just want a hot drink to take with you trick-or-treating, we've got you covered - contact your nearest Cafe2U van here and we can provide all your coffee needs!