[1] A fun milkshake for Halloween (photo © Half & Half Magazine).

[2] Use your favorite vanilla ice cream (photo © Talenti Gelato).

[3] Add your favorite chocolate milk (photo © Fairlife).

[4] If you haven’t had stroopwafels, thin Dutch cookies with a caramel filling, here’s more about them (photo © 3 Bros Cookies).

We received this fun Halloween milkshake from Kemps Dairy, which in turn received it from Half & Half magazine, a publication of Dairy Farmers of America), the nation’s leading milk marketing cooperative.

While the recipe uses vanilla ice cream and chocolate milk, you can adapt the flavors to your favorites: coffee, mint, strawberry, what you will.

> More milkshake recipes.

> The history of Halloween.

> The history of the milkshake.

> Also below is the difference between a milkshake, float, malt, and thick shake.

 
 
RECIPE: HALLOWEEN CHOCOLATE MILKSHAKE WITH A WITCH’S HAT

You can save time by purchasing a witch’s hat sugar cookie, but it won’t look as cool as the one you can bake.

You can also use chocolate ice cream for a deeper chocolate flavor.
 
Ingredients For A Large Shake

For The Chocolate Milkshake

 
For The Whipped Cream

 
For The Witch’s Hat

 
Preparation

1. MAKE the witch’s hat. Place the chocolate in a shallow bowl, and heat in the microwave in 20-second intervals until fully melted.

2. CUT the tip off the sugar cone and dip in the melted chocolate. Place the tip back on the cone at an angle. Freeze for a few minutes until set.

3. DIP the bottom of the sugar cone in the chocolate and place it in the center of the round stroopwafel or thin cookie. Freeze for a few minutes until set.

4. SPREAD an even layer of chocolate on the hat and immediately sprinkle the black sanding sugar all over it. Freeze again for a few minutes until set.

5. TIE a purple ribbon around the hat and set the hat aside until you’re ready to assemble the milkshake.

6. MAKE the whipped cream. In a medium bowl with an electric mixer, whisk the heavy cream and sugar until soft peaks form. Set aside momentarily.

7. MAKE the milkshake. Combine the ice cream, chocolate milk and chocolate syrup in a blender until smooth.

8. DRIZZLE the chocolate syrup on the inside of a milkshake glass, then pour the chocolate milkshake into the glass.

9. TOP with homemade whipped cream and the witch’s hat. Enjoy!

Are you looking for a new recipe for the fall season? How about a Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies recipe? We just finished baking it as our weekend baking project.

Even if there’s no room for the other desserts on your Halloween or Thanksgiving table, these freeze beautifully for snacking and dessert when the Thanksgiving leftovers are gone.

We love fusion food (here, cheesecake x brownies). A layer of pumpkin swirl cheesecake sits atop a brownie.

Thanks to Bea and Marco from El Mundo Eats for the recipe.

“Our secret is we add lots of pumpkin purée in both the brownie and cheesecake layer for the optimum delicious pumpkin flavor,” say Bea and Marco.

Check the El Mundo Eats website for more wonderful recipes.

> The history of pumpkin.

> The history of cheesecake.

> The history of brownies.
 
 
RECIPE: PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE BROWNIES 
 
Ingredients For 12 Servings

For The Pumpkin Cheesecake Layer

 
Ingredients For The Brownies

 
Preparation

1. MAKE the pumpkin cheesecake layer. Beat the cream cheese, mascarpone, and sugar in a large bowl until smooth. Beat in the pumpkin, flour, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, ginger, and nutmeg. Add the egg yolks, beating just until combined. Set aside.

2. HEAT the oven to 325°F. Line a greased 9-inch square baking dish with parchment paper; grease the paper.

3. CREAM the butter, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating each until well combined.

4. COMBINE the flour, cocoa, salt, and baking powder in another bowl. Gradually add to the butter mixture, beating each addition until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.

5. SPREAD half of the brownie batter in the pan. Drop spoonfuls of reserved cheesecake mixture over top. Spoon the remaining brownie batter into four lines over the top of the cheesecake layer; swirl the batter with a toothpick or knife.

6. BAKE for 43-47 minutes or until the top is just set and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. (Do not overbake.) Cool completely on a wire rack.

[1] A layer of pumpkin swirl cheesecake sits atop a layer of brownie. What could be better (photos #1 and #2 © El Mundo Eats).

[2] A close-up on seasonal deliciousness.

[3] Make the pumpkin cheesecake with pumpkin purée and cream cheese (photo © Jessica Gavin—check out her latest recipes).

[4] Cream cheese, the key to yummy cheesecake (photo © F.A. Martin | Wikipedia).

[2] National Spumoni Day is August 21st (photo © Lezza).

[3] National Cherries Jubilee Day is September 24th. Here’s a recipe (photo © Claire Justine).

[4] National Angel Food Cake Day is October 10th (photo © Bhofack2 | Dreamstime).

[5] National M&M Day is October 13th. Garnish a cake, ice cream, or make this M&M Cookie Pie or order it online (photo © Little Red Kitchen Bake Shop).

[6] National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day is October 21st (photo © Chef Marisa Churchill).

[7] Indian pudding with vanilla ice cream (photo © Food On The Food).

[8] Sacher torte, with a filling of apricot marmalade. Here’s a recipe (photo © Jerne J Kitchen).

Part 1 listed the holidays from January through July.

August through December dessert holidays follow.

Forks ready! Spoons ready! Go!
 
 
DESSERT HOLIDAYS – PART 2

How many dessert holidays are there? In American cuisine alone, almost 200 (112 on this page alone, January through July), not counting baklava, cannoli, and other international favorites.

The list of holidays is so long that we’ve divided it. The other half, August through December will appear tomorrow.

Note that some of these holidays may not seem like “dessert.” Our thought was, for example:

 
> The history of dessert.

> Dessert holidays Part 1: January through August.
 
 
August Dessert Holidays

 
Beyond dessert: all the August food holidays.
 
 
September Dessert Holidays

 
Beyond dessert: all the September food holidays.
 
 
October Dessert Holidays

 
Beyond dessert: all the October food holidays.
 
 
November Dessert Holidays

 
Beyond dessert: all the November food holidays.
 
 
December Dessert Holidays

 
Beyond dessert: all the December food holidays.

²Bakewell tarts are a 20th-century variant of Bakewell pudding, which originated in Bakewell, Derbyshire, England in the 1800s. It was created following a mishap by the cook at a local inn, who misunderstood the recipe for a strawberry tart and ended up topping her creation with a soft-set almond custard. The tart’s base is made from sweet shortcrust pastry, which is then layered with seedless strawberry jam and finished with a pale, fluffy frangipane sponge filling of eggs, almonds, and sugar. The Bakewell Tart is traditionally finished with a layer of white fondant icing and half a glace cherry, but other varieties are also produced. Here’s more about it.

³Stir-up Sunday is the last Sunday before Advent, the day when families traditionally gather to prepare the Christmas pudding. The tradition dates back to Victorian times when the family would gather five weeks before Christmas to stir the Christmas pudding. There is a myriad of recipes for Christmas pudding, but the traditional version would contain 13 ingredients to represent Jesus and his disciples.

⁴In the U.K. today, “pudding” is the name for what Americans call steamed cakes and other desserts. Pudding originally referred to encased meats similar to sausages that were steamed or boiled. By the latter half of the 18th century, traditional English puddings no longer included meat. They were still boiled, but the finished product was cake-like (like plum pudding). Our creamy, modern puddings descend from this tradition of steaming sweet ingredients. Here’s more about it.
 
 

This high-quality gingerbread house is “haunted” for Halloween.

Designed exclusively for Mackenzie Ltd., purveyors of fine gourmet foods, this spooky house is 100% edible.

Handmade with quality gingerbread, creepy (and tasty) characters decorate the house, along with candy corn, gumdrops, and other treats.

Delightful and delicious for kids and adults alike, the gingerbread house gets five-star reviews from givers and recipients alike.

The recipients will like it so much, it may become your annual Halloween gift!

Get yours here.
 
 
> The history of the gingerbread house.

> The history of Halloween.

> The history of the Jack o’Lantern.

> The history of Trick or Treat.
 
 
 
 

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

[1] Nibble, nibble, little mouse. Who’s that nibbling at my house? (photos © Mackenzie Ltd.).

[2] Up-close and personal with yummy ghouls.

[1] Apple cobbler, one of our Top 10 desserts (photo © Pillsbury).

[2] Banana pudding, layered with whipped cream and Nilla wafers (photo © M. Sheldrake | iStock Photo).

[3] Fudgy brownies (photo © Cafe Delites).

[4] Carrot cake with a whopping four layers and cream cheese filling and frosting (photo © Sweet Street Desserts).

[5] Cheesecake with blueberry topping (photo © Pixabay | Pexels).

[6] Chocolate mousse (photo © Morton’s The Steakhouse).

[7] Crème brûlée (photo © Mad Max Chef | Unsplash).

[8] Key lime pie (photo © La Tourangelle | Facebook).

[9] Lemon bars (photo © King Arthur Baking).

[10] Rice pudding. Here’s the recipe (photo © Cafe Delites).

[11] Runner up: pecan pie (photo © Sara Cervera | Wesual | Unsplash).

[12] June is National Frozen Yogurt Month (photo Mr. Tin | CC BY ND 2.0 License).

Last month we asked a dozen friends and neighbors to name their favorite desserts, noting that we’d have a potluck dessert party on National Dessert Day.

We assigned the desserts, told everyone to have a very early, light dinner, and to arrive for dessert at 8 p.m.

We provided after-dinner drinks: Cognac, liqueurs (Amaretto, Bailey’s Irish Cream, Frangelico, Grand Marnier, Kahlúa, Sambuca), Cognac, Port, and sherry, plus coffee and tea.

Everything is self-service. We turned the dining room table into a buffet table.

A year of some 200 dessert holidays begins below.
 
 
OUR TOP 10 DESSERTS

Pecan pie and pumpkin pie were runners-up. Apple pie got about as many mentions as apple cobbler, but we chose the latter as easier for self-service.

For this party, dessert favorites like chocolate soufflé, ice cream, and lava cake were sidelined because they wouldn’t do well on a buffet.

Here are our Top 10 desserts, in alphabetical order (the corresponding photos are at left):

 
DESSERT HOLIDAYS

How many dessert holidays are there? In American cuisine alone, almost 200 (114 on this page alone, January through July), not counting baklava, cannoli, and other international favorites.

The list of holidays is so long that we’ve divided it. The other half, August through December will appear tomorrow.

Note that some of these holidays may not seem like “dessert.” Our thought was, for example:

 
> Here’s Part 2, August through December.
 
 
January Dessert Holidays

 
Beyond dessert: more January food holidays.
 
 
February Dessert Holidays

 
Beyond dessert: more February food holidays.
 
 
March Dessert Holidays

 
Beyond dessert: more March food holidays.
 
 
April Dessert Holidays

 
Beyond dessert: more April food holidays.
 
 
May Dessert Holidays

 
Beyond dessert: more May food holidays.
 
 
June Dessert Holidays

 
Beyond dessert: more June food holidays.
 
 
July Dessert Holidays

 
Beyond dessert: more July food holidays.
 
> Continue to Part 2, August through December.

¹January 3rd is National Fruitcake Toss Day commemorating the first fruitcake available for mail order. It was baked at the Collin Street Bakery in Corsicana, Texas, in 1896. Every year in Manitou, Colorado, hundreds of people gather to compete to see who can throw their fruitcake the highest or the greatest distance. Hopefully, the fruitcakes are wrapped and can be eaten afterwards, or else fed to the birds.

²Pączki (POINCH-key) are filled donut-like pastries found in Polish cuisine, filled with jelly, custard, or other sweet filling. They are a specialty pastry reserved for once a year in honor of Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras), the precursor to the Lenten season, and the last day to indulge in foods before the traditional 40-day period of fasting before Easter. Pączki are made from a different dough than donuts, an especially rich dough that contains eggs, fats, sugar, yeast, and sometimes milk. They can be glazed, or covered with granulated or powdered sugar.

³33 Flavors Day is dedicated to ice cream! Some sources say that the holiday takes place on the anniversary of the opening of the ice cream shop, Baskin Robbins. Baskin Robbins is known for its 31 flavors, not 33, so it is unclear why the day is called 33 Flavors Day.