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Pumpkin Spice Milkshake and Halloween Time at Disney California Adventure

26 October, 2018 by Tara 7 Comments

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Recipe for a Pumpkin Spice Milkshake inspired by Halloween Time at Disney California Adventure! This creamy pumpkin vanilla milkshake is topped with whipped cream, pumpkin spice sugar, caramel sauce, and graham crackers.

Disclosure: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. If you purchase something through the link, I may receive a small commission at no extra charge to you.

Pumpkin Spice Milkshake in a tall glass with mini pumpkins in the background

Halloween Time at Disney California Adventure

Last week I shared a recipe for Mummy Macarons and our visit to Disneyland during Halloween Time. Well today, I am featuring the Halloween food and decorations found at Disney California Adventure!

Entrance to California Adventure with halloween sign- bats, Oogie Boogie, and pumpkins

At the park entrance, Oogie Boogie rises over the turnstiles and talks to the crowds.

Standing in front of the headless horseman holding a pumpkin

You can get a photo in front of the Headless Horseman on Buena Vista Street and at night the entire area is decorated with twinkling purple lights.

Standing next to Vampirina in California Adventure

Claire was so excited to find Vampirina hanging out in Hollywood Land.

The Food

Halloween-inspired food at California Adventure- S'mores churro, mummy doughnut with purple and white icing, ice cream sundae with bat wings, hot dog with cheese sauce, garlic pizza, and vamire Mickey Mouse loaf of bread

The park is featuring 26 specialty menu items for Halloween in addition to a handful of souvenirs. We were able to try a portion of those. One of my favorites was the S’mores Churro from the Golden State Churro Cart by the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail. The top two-thirds of the churro are drizzled with a marshmallow cream and sprinkled with mini chocolate chips and crushed graham crackers.

We found the Mummy Donut and Caramel Apple Smoothie at Schmoozies in Hollywood Land. They were both very sweet and best for sharing. The Mummy Donut was actually a lot larger than I though it would be and filled with peanut butter and jelly. Schmoozies also has a Bat-Shaped Whoopie Pie filled with Espresso Chip Ice Cream.

The Bat Wing Raspberry Sundae can be found at Clarabelle’s Hand Scooped Ice Cream on Buena Vista Street. This was another treat perfect for splitting. Clarabelle’s also has the Spider Silk Macaron Sandwich (black macaron with charcoal-tart cherry ice cream, popping candy, and raspberry sauce). Next door at Fiddler, Fifer & Practical Cafe is a Sleepy Hollow Cupcake (Red Velvet Cupcake with Headless Horseman Chocolate Piece).

While the Spicy Halloween Dog at the Refreshment Corner in Disneyland wasn’t actually spicy to me, the Oktoberfest Dog at Award Wieners in Hollywood Land definitely was (to me, Chad didn’t taste as much of the spice). A kielbasa sausage is topped with caramelized onions, sauerkraut, Oktoberfest beer cheese, and green onions. Award Wieners also has two types of funnel cake fries for the season- pumpkin spice and cookies & cream.

Another favorite was the Anti-Vampire Chicken Pizza from Boardwalk Pizza & Pasta (roasted garlic sauce, marinated chicken, smoked Gouda, Mozzarella, roasted red peppers, and a tomato-harissa drizzle). It was just a bit pricy at nearly 9 dollars for only a slice.

We picked up a Vampire Mickey Sourdough at Mortimer’s Market on Buena Vista Street. It can also be found at Pacific Wharf Café.

Mickey Mouse wearing suspenders in front of a red trolley with dancers

Red Car Trolley News Boys Show on Buena Vista Street

Coco

Plaza decorated for Coco movie- Sign stating Plaza de la Familia with Coco and orange flowers, skeleton wearing a dress, and dog

The entire area around Paradise Gardens Park has been beautifully decorated to celebrate Día de los Muertos with Coco.

Decorations from the movie Coco- family photos, ofrenda, flowers

Here you can find performances with folklórico dancers and mariachi musicians, an Ofrenda with scenes from Coco, a Memory Wall to add remembrance notes, paper Alebrije masks to decorate, and more.

Painting cheek with a pink skeleton

There is also a booth next to the craft area for Coco-inspired face paint. The line was a little long, but the artist worked so quickly for such great results!

3 singers playing the guitar in front of Coco sign stating "Music is my language and the world es mi familia" ~Miguel

Coco food- orange concha with Miguel's face and colored sugar, three layer cake (pink, orange, red) with blue sugar skill

We were able to find these Coco-themed desserts At Paradise Garden Grill. The orange Conchita Pan Dulce is filled with dulce de leche and topped with sprinkles. The Churro Cake was another hit with three layers of colored sponge cake separated by cinnamon mousse and a sweet cream cheese frosting.

Photo of Miguel's family together singing and playing the guitar with sign stating- Diversión para toda la Familia!

Cars Land

Car decorated for halloween with Witch's hat in front of sign stating "Happy Haul-o-Ween from Cars Land"

We especially loved the transformation of Cars Land for “Haul-O-Ween.” I never took any photos at nighttime, but the decorations are even more spectacular when the sun goes down and all the lights come on. The one day we were in the park at night was also the first Mickey’s Halloween Party of the season in Disneyland so the sudden jump in crowd levels got to be a bit too much for Evan.

Halloween decorations at Cars Land- orange cones with jack-o-lantern faces, sugar skull car, and stacks of tires

Everything from the Cozy Cones to the cars and random decorations in between have been transformed. Even the rides are in the spirit. Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree is currently Mater’s Graveyard JamBOOree and Luigi’s Rollickin’ Roadsters next door is Luigi’s Honkin’ Haul-O-Ween with Halloween-themed music.

Cars characters dressed up for Halloween- dinoco yellow car with pirate hat, purple vampire Mater, mummy tractor, and Lightning McQueen with a lightning bolt

Lightning McQueen, Cruz, and Mater are also dressed up (superhero, pirate, vampire)!

Halloween food from Cars Land- churro with dipping sauce, orange cone macaron, pumpkin milkshake, and candy corn pie

Each Cozy Cone at the Cozy Cone Motel has something unique to offer. The first Cozy Cone is featuring a Pumpkin Spice Churro with a Cream Cheese Dipping Sauce. The sprinkles covering the churro were quite messy, but the dipping sauce was so good. The Spoke-y Cone Macaron at Cozy Cone 4 is perfect for candy corn lovers. The orange cone-shaped macaron is filled with marshmallow buttercream and lots of candy corn. I didn’t get a chance to try the Slow Burnin’ Mac & Cheese Cone (pasta with spicy red pepper cheese sauce topped with crushed chile-cheese puffs in a black bread cone).

Across the walkway at Flo’s V8 Cafe, you can find a Pumpkin Spice Shake with caramel and graham crackers and a Candy Cone Pie (Cream Pie with Vanilla, Butterscotch, and White Chocolate Pudding).

Ofrenda in Cars Land for Doc Hudson- tires, wrenches, Rust-eze sign, and photo of the car

Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel

Oogie Boogie Rice Crispy pumpkin with sign for Disney's Grand Californian Hotel

During one of our visits to Disney California Adventure, we cut through Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel on the way out to Downtown Disney to see the decorations in the lobby. The Halloween Pump-“Cake” Patch is a massive rice crispy treat made up of 200 pounds of powdered sugar, 40 pounds egg whites, 180 pounds rice cereal, 80 pounds marshmallow, 60 pounds butter, 80 pounds dark chocolate, 60 pounds white chocolate, and 300 pounds fondant. The Oogie Boogie pumpkin alone is over 4 feet tall.

Halloween treats- poison apple cookies, Green Mickey Mouse Whoopie Pies, and Frankenstein green pops

Right next to the rice crispy treat pumpkin patch is a snack cart full of fun halloween-inspired treats.

White and Red wooden roller coaster at Pixar Pier

Overall, we had such a wonderful time and loved all the decorations/food. The area definitely does get packed this time of year though, especially on Halloween party nights.

Pumpkin Spice Milkshake

Two Pumpkin Spice Milkshake in a tall glass topped with caramel sauce and graham crackers

This Pumpkin Spice Milkshake is modeled after the version I tried at Flo’s V8 Cafe. Milk is simmered briefly with pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon. After whisking in a little vanilla extract, the mixture is cooled to room temperature and blended with vanilla ice cream and ice cubes.

The resulting pumpkin vanilla milkshakes are transferred to serving glasses (I used these ice cream glasses) and topped with whipped cream, pumpkin pie spice sugar (I combined pumpkin pie spice with orange-colored sanding sugar), caramel sauce, and graham crackers.

Pumpkin pie spice is a spice mixture often comprised of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice. It can be found in the spice section of most American grocery stores, particularly in the fall, or made easily at home.

Pumpkin Spice Milkshake in a tall glass on a wooden board with graham crackers and white/orange mini pumpkins in the background

Pumpkin Spice Milkshake Recipe

Adapted from The Chunky Chef

Pumpkin Spice Milkshake
Print Pin

Pumpkin Spice Milkshake

Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword autumn, beverage, drink, fall, halloween, milkshake, pumpkin, pumpkin spice
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Resting Time 30 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 2 -3 Servings

Ingredients

  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • Pinch ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups vanilla ice cream
  • 1/2 cup ice cubes

Toppings:

  • 2 tablespoons granulated or decorating sugar
  • 1 teaspoon Pumpkin pie spice
  • Whipped cream
  • Caramel sauce
  • Graham crackers

Instructions

  • In a small saucepan, whisk together the milk, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to simmer. Remove from heat, whisk in the vanilla extract, and allow to cool.
  • In a blender, pulse together the cooled milk pumpkin mixture, ice cream, and ice cubes until smooth.
  • Transfer the mixture among serving glasses.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice. 
  • Top each milkshake with whipped cream, the pumpkin spice sugar, caramel sauce, and graham crackers. Serve immediately.
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Filed Under: Beverages, Desserts, Travel Tagged With: autumn, beverage, california, disney, disneyland, drink, fall, halloween, ice cream, milk, milkshake, pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, pumpkin spice, travel

Previous Post: « Eski Peynirli Hangel (Handkerchief Noodles with Blue Cheese and Butter) and Istanbul & Beyond Cookbook Review
Next Post: Pumpkin Mac and Cheese »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Catherine Brown

    26 October, 2018 at 11:52 am

    YESSS! I haven’t had a good milkshake in forever…. and this pumpkin spice milkshake looks brilliant! I love the graham crackers here too!

    Reply
  2. Alina | Cooking Journey Blog

    26 October, 2018 at 11:54 am

    So many cool food and family pics from Disney! I’ve never tried pumpkin spice milkshake, but I think it is a great fall cocktail, especially for kids.

    Reply
  3. Kelli Kerkman

    26 October, 2018 at 12:07 pm

    This looks like such a fun trip! Love Halloween 🙂

    Reply
  4. Emily Hill

    26 October, 2018 at 12:30 pm

    I think I’d like at least two of these pumpkin spice milkshakes and I’m not going to share! What a fun trip to Disneyland! Halloween is a great time to visit!

    Reply
  5. Courtney

    26 October, 2018 at 1:51 pm

    Looks like a really fun trip! Great milkshake recipe as well!

    Reply
  6. Colleen

    26 October, 2018 at 3:07 pm

    Disneyland is so much fun. And these shakes look so creamy and delicious, too!

    Reply
  7. Urvashee

    11 December, 2018 at 7:52 am

    Hi Tara, Thanks for linking to my pumpkin pie spice recipe! This milkshake looks delicious!! I’ve pinned it to my dessert drinks board. Can’t wait to try it out.

    Reply

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