Coffee is my favorite form of black magic.
All October posts are part of the Countdown to Halloween!
A cup of iced joe is in my hand when I walk out the door to work every morning. In the afternoon, you’ll often find an iced latte from a local coffee shop on my desk at work.
And as I’ve continued my never-ending quest on Instagram to like pumpkin spice lattes (and, spoiler alert, failed), I’ve been trying to think of other ways to give my favorite source of caffeine a Halloween spin.
My solution? Ice cream.

Oh yes, ice cream. And the thing that adds the perfect ambiance to these ice-cold decadent lattes?

Dry ice!

Penguin Dry Ice is the brand I buy any time I need it because it’s SO easy to find. You can use their store locator at dryiceideas.com to find out where it’s carried near you. When you arrive at the store, look for a cooler like the one on the left. It’s usually located at the front of my grocery stores near the regular ice cooler. Can’t find it? Just ask!
There is usually a large glove inside the cooler you can use to pull out your dry ice. It’s packaged in 10-pound squares, but often you’ll find smaller pieces in other bags. It is priced by the pound so you only need to buy what you need.
And, of course, you’ll want to make sure you follow these safety tips when using dry ice:
- Never touch it with bare hands. You should always use gloves, tongs or a towel when handling dry ice.
- Do not swallow or eat dry ice – while not toxic, it is harmful when ingested due to its extreme temperature (-109 degrees).
- Buy dry ice within a few hours of when you plan to use it. Dry ice sublimates (turns from solid to gas with no liquid stage) and cannot be stored long-term.
- Do not store your dry ice in the fridge or freezer, as this can accelerate sublimation. Use a styrofoam cooler or an insulated cooler with the lid cracked.
- Never store dry ice in an airtight container. When it sublimates, dry ice turns to carbon dioxide and you could risk an airtight container exploding.
- Use a hammer to break dry ice into smaller pieces, if needed.
- Dispose of any extra dry ice by placing it outdoors (i.e. a well-ventilated area) away from children or pets. It will disappear in a short amount of time.
Learn more in this guide. And be sure to check the end of this post for details on Penguin Dry Ice’s Frightfully Cool Halloween Contest!

Now, let’s make our Halloween ice scream lattes! I made a batch of my cold brew (find my instructions in this post) and chilled it in the fridge. (Of course, hot coffee will melt your ice cream a lot faster…but I’m a rebel who prefers the taste of cold brew, always.)

When it came to picking out ice cream for this drink…I couldn’t decide on just one flavor. So, using these darling mugs as a guide, I picked three!

I might not enjoy the traditional pumpkin spice latte, but I LOVE pumpkin ice cream. It was an easy pick. One of my favorite local coffee shops also sells gelato – and has an “extra black” flavor (dark chocolate) – so I grabbed a serving of that. Then, to round out my trio, I picked up classic vanilla for my ghost mug.

Each one got paired up with its accompanying mug. (And if you live in Texas – y’all, this pumpkin pie ice cream is DELICIOUS!)

I put a small scoop of ice cream in each mug.

Then I poured on my coffee!

Double double, toil and trouble. Mix in your ice cream and enjoy a little decadent Halloween treat!

Don’t forget your dry ice for a little spooky ambiance!
HAVE A KILLER DRY ICE DIY YOU’RE MAKING THIS HALLOWEEN?
Then you’re definitely going to want to enter Penguin Dry Ice’s Frightfully Cool Halloween Contest! All you have to do is upload a photo or video (or both!) of your creation by Nov. 6, 2019 to win one of six prizes in each category:
- Grand Prize Winner – $1,000
- Runner-Up – $250
- Honorable Mention – $100
Oh, and did I mention yours ghoulishly has returned for a third year as one of the judges? I’d love to see one of my readers win, so be sure to enter!
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What flavor Halloween ice scream latte would you make?
Share it in the comments! And if you’re looking for more dry ice ideas, check out my smoking cauldron chandelier!
Happy haunting,






Alison
Those mugs are so cute! I’ve never tried pumpkin ice cream but would love to. It will have to wait until I’m next in Canada though.
Miranda | Spooky Little Halloween
It is SO much fun. One of these years, I’m going to have to make my own. :)