Sweet and Spooky: 3 Easy Halloween Dessert Recipes

The 'BER' months have arrived, and cooler weather is creeping in. Mornings are crisp, leaves are shifting to red and gold, and pumpkins are appearing on doorsteps. For cafés, dessert bars, Halloween parties, and coffee shops, it’s a great time of year.

Halloween menus don't have to mean pumpkin spice and orange buttercream. This year we've hunted for non-pumpkin Halloween desserts. Focusing instead on flavours people are searching for: hot honey, matcha, and kadaif. A bit of colour, a bit of heat, and a lot of chocolate.

Get spooky this Halloween with three easy Halloween treats that are definitely more tricks than treats.

Hot Honey & Cinnamon Cold Brew

Iced coffee doesn't have to disappear when the weather turns. This cinnamon cold brew recipe layers sweet cinnamon and a proper chilli kick. It arrives at the table looking striking and drinks like a spiced dessert. Serve it as a limited seasonal special, and stand out from the crowd.

Ingredients:

15 ml Cinnamon Filling

1 tbsp Bang Bang Hot Honey

15 ml just-boiled water

75 ml cold brew concentrate

75 ml cold water

100 ml whole milk, or an alternative of your choice

Large ice cubes

Method:

1. In a tall glass, combine the cinnamon spread, hot honey, and just-boiled water. Stir vigorously until everything dissolves into a smooth syrup.
2. In a separate jug, mix the cold brew concentrate with the cold water. Fill the glass with ice, pour in the milk, and give it a quick stir to lift the syrup off the bottom.
3. Pour the diluted coffee slowly over the back of a spoon to create that dark-to-pale gradient.
4. Stir well before drinking so the spice, sweetness, and heat come through in every sip.

Tip: Using ready-to-drink cold brew instead of concentrate? Use 150 ml and leave out the water. If your customers are heat-shy, start at 2 teaspoons of hot honey and build from there.

Kadaif & Mini Mochi Chocolate Bars (Dubai-Style Chocolate Bar Recipe)

Kadaif (or kadayif) has been trending ever since the Dubai chocolate bar took over everyone's feeds. Here we've paired it with chewy mini mochi and coloured the chocolate a proper pumpkin orange. No baking, no tempering, and one of the easiest no-bake Halloween treats you'll make all season.

Ingredients:

330 g JMP Luxury White Chocolate

15 g White Chocolate Spread

660 g Roasted Kadaif

Yellow and Red Fat-Based Food Colouring

24 Mini Mochi Original

A Tablet Moulds

Method:

1. Using a microwave-safe bowl Melt the white chocolate and Vela together in 20-second bursts. Alternatively, you can use a double boiler.
2. Colour the chocolate orange, adding the red a drop at a time. Set about a third aside for sealing the bars later.
3. Spoon a little chocolate into each mould cavity and brush it up the walls in a thin layer. Chill for 5 minutes until just set.
4. Fold the kadaif into the larger bowl of chocolate. It should look heavily loaded with pastry.
5. Add the mini mochi to the moulds. Spoon the kadaif filling around and over them, and press down gently to remove any air pockets.
6. Pour over the reserved chocolate and scrape flat with a palette knife. Leave to cool at room temperature for around 2 hours, then turn out.

Tip: Your colouring must be fat-based. Water-based gels and liquids will seize white chocolate into a grainy mess, and there's no rescuing it. Keep the finished bars at room temperature; the fridge firms up the chocolate nicely but turns the mochi hard.

Matcha & Cinnamon Lava Cakes (White Chocolate Lava Cake Recipe)

Bright green, molten in the middle, and about as far from a pumpkin as you can get. This matcha lava cake pairs matcha's slight bitterness with white chocolate for balance, and the cinnamon centre gives it warmth. Best of all, the batter can sit in the ramekins in the fridge all day and go in the oven to order. Ideal for busy Halloween service.

Ingredients (makes 2):

55 g JMP Luxury White Chocolate

45 g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing

2 tsp Cinnamon Filling

1 large egg, plus 1 large egg yolk

20 g granulated white sugar

1 tbsp Matcha Powder

25 g plain flour, plus a little for dusting

A pinch of salt

Method:

1. Spoon the cinnamon spread into two small blobs on a baking sheet, flatten into discs, and freeze until solid.
2. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F / Gas 6). Grease two 6 oz ramekins, brushing upwards from base to rim. Dust with flour.
3. Melt butter and chocolate together, either in the microwave in short bursts or over simmering water. Set aside to cool until just warm.
4. Whisk the whole egg, yolk, and sugar for about 2 minutes until pale, thick, and roughly doubled in volume.
5. Fold the chocolate and butter mixture into the eggs, then sift over the matcha, flour, and salt. Fold gently until just combined.
6. Divide half the batter between the ramekins, sit a frozen cinnamon disc in each, and cover with the rest.
7. Bake for 11–13 minutes, starting checking at 10 minutes. Make sure the edges are set while the centre still wobbles.
8. Rest for exactly 2 minutes, then invert onto a plate. Dust with a little extra matcha and serve straight away.

Tip: Ceremonial-grade matcha is worth the extra cost here to avoid a dull olive colour and bitter flavour.

We can't wait to see what all our customers create this spooky season, so please tag us in your pictures.