WASHINGTON, D.C. (Aug. 25, 2025) – Sure, the autumnal equinox technically marks the official start of fall, but let’s get real – the true kickoff to the season begins when pumpkin spice starts landing on menus. One of the most iconic flavors of all time, pumpkin spice is a flavor consumers anticipate every year. Today, &pizza officially put the PSL on notice with something that will leave pumpkin lovers drooling: Pumpkin Spice Knots.

No one does sweet and savory quite like &pizza, and its new Pumpkin Spice Knots were created to deliver on that promise – and then some. Wrapped inside &pizza’s legendary dough is a warm pumpkin spice filling. Once out of the oven, they’re finished with a sweet vanilla icing and a healthy dash of powdered sugar that will have everyone ready to don their plaid flannels, denim and UGG boots. The new Pumpkin Spice Knots will be available for a limited time while supplies last for $6 at all &pizza locations.

“Let’s be honest, brands hang their hats on pumpkin spice every year, but it’s a rinse-and-repeat cycle that’s become mundane at best,” says Mike Burns, CEO of &pizza. “Boring and expected are a death sentence, so we decided to do something about it. We don’t tip toe around trends – we hijack them.”

Mission-driven to create a more socially conscious, culture-carrying community, &pizza is not “Big Pizza,” and it’s proud to be so. More than just a better flavor/quality ingredients kind of pizza shop, &pizza leads with real actions and an unwavering commitment to being more; so, expect more.

Ready to give the Pumpkin Spice Knots a try? Join &pizza’s rewards club to unlock members-only deals, VIP events, swag and more. Download the app or visit andpizza.com to start stacking your &coins.

For more information and to place an order online, please visit order.thanx.com/andpizza.

Price and participation may vary by location. For a list of all location, please visit andpizza.com/andpizza-locations.

About &pizza

Founded in 2012, &pizza is a mission-driven, culture carrying community dedicated to better flavor, quality ingredients, and community betterment. Proud to differentiate themselves, &pizza is doing more for their workers by providing a livable wage, a socially conscious vision, and real action to help advance real social progress. &pizza has locations across the East Coast in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia.

SOURCE: &pizza

The post Are You Punkin’ Me With These Pumpkin Spice Knots? appeared first on Pizza Today.

“Cremolata is usually one of the three flavors. It’s deeply connected to my childhood; something that Italian Americans in the Northeast grow up eating is Spumoni,” he tells Pizza Today. The nostalgia frequently drives Mangieri to include Almond Cremolata on his dessert menu, along with a rotating sorbetto made from juice freshly squeezed each morning.

He believes summer is the best season for dessert, since so many fruits reach peak ripeness during the summer months and can be incorporated into sorbet, gelato, pies and other sweet treats. With around 75 percent of customers at Una Pizza Napoletana choosing to end their meals with dessert, Mangieri is certainly on to something.

Italian Ice in the Rockies

Jason Dascoli toyed with the idea of offering shaved ice made to order at Superior, Colorado-based Rock City Pie & Ice. He realized, however, that each serving of shaved ice would differ based on who was pouring the syrup, leaving the result up to chance.

“It’s like pouring drinks at a bar. Unless you have a system that is monitoring everything you pour, you’re going to get different pours,” he says. “I wasn’t going to be able to control the flavor profile as much as I would like for consistency.”

Dascoli grew up eating Italian ice in Long Island, but the cold dessert is not popular on menus in Colorado, despite a growing number of consumers trying to avoid dairy. “I never could find a good one here, so I decided to make it on my own,” Dascoli says.

After experimenting with an ice cream machine owned by a fellow tenant in a shared kitchen, Dascoli eventually purchased the machine, and he now makes fresh Italian ice every week, with flavors including black cherry, blue raspberry, chocolate, coconut, grape, lemonade, mango, orange cream, root beer, strawberry and wild cherry.

To create the dessert, Dascoli adds flavored syrup to a food-grade container, followed by cold water; then, he folds in sugar and lets the mixture sit overnight in a walk-in cooler until the sugar is completely dissolved. He gives the chilled liquid a good stir before using an old-school batch freezer to complete the process. He says the Italian ice is creamy, sweet and pre-portioned so customers can grab their desired flavor out of a cooler next to the counter.

“It’s more popular all the time. We pretty much sell ice with almost every ticket. When it’s cold out, you’d be blown away by the amount of Italian ice we sell,” he says. “I joke that my favorite ticket is when someone comes in and buys one Italian ice for $5 because it’s unique.”

Learn how one Minnesota ice cream shop made “Pizza Ice Cream!”

Fresh-squeezed Sorbetto

Back in New York City, Almond Cremolata is on the menu at Una Pizza Napoletana almost every night, but the sorbetto (a frozen, dairy-free dessert) changes daily based on which juice is freshly squeezed each morning. Mangieri says he aims to use fruit that is local and in-season, such as New Jersey blueberries, which achieve peak ripeness from mid-June to late July.

As in Colorado, Mangieri says dessert sales remain relatively consistent throughout the year, though he does see an uptick in traffic when the restaurant posts on social media about sorbetto featuring locally sourced fruit. He encourages the serving staff to sample each day’s flavor, so they are prepared to discuss it with customers.

“In summer, we have access to such beautiful fruit at the peak of ripeness. I always believe what creates the best dishes is using the best ingredients at their peak. For example, in New York in the summer, we have berries, melons and stone fruits,” Mangieri says, adding that he occasionally imports Sorrento lemons to create lemon sorbetto and incorporates non-traditional flavors such as corn.

As for the Almond Cremolata, it is served in Italian ice cream cups with homemade whipped cream and a piece of candied orange peel from Sicily. The high-end dessert is accompanied by a small spoon as a nod to the grand cafes of Southern Italy.

KATE LAVIN is Senior Editor of Pizza Today.

Read the June 2025 Issue of Pizza Today Magazine

This month, we focus on restaurant technology. See what’s hot in tech trends this year. Explore kitchen automation that can save labor costs and improve quality. See how digital menu boards can help you stay on top of menu prices in a fluctuating economy. After a record-breaking Pizza Expo and International Pizza Challenge, we explore pizza trends from the world pizza competition. Find summer dessert inspiration. Discover how to take your side salads to entree status. Go to the June Issue.

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Desserts are a tough sell. Diners have filled themselves up on your main attraction, pizza. That is why it’s so important to put the idea of having dessert into their minds before they even begin filling up. There should be mouth-water images of your desserts strategically placed in your restaurant throughout their dining experience. Find out more about marketing desserts.

The desserts themselves shouldn’t be (pardon the pun) cookie cutter. People love making desserts at home so ask yourself this as you evaluate and taste your desserts: does what I’m offering beat anything a customer would make at home? The answer should be yes on every single dessert. The great thing about desserts is they don’t have to be overcomplicated. Some of the best-selling desserts are the simplest. Let’s explore some desserts customers can’t resist eating in the restaurant or taking home for later.

Cookies

This is an easy add onto the dessert menu. Cookies may be made ahead of time and can serve as a great grab-and-go item or packaged promotion. The big questions are which cookie to go with. Similar to pepperoni on pizza, chocolate chip is widely the most popular cookie in the U.S. in study after study. Next, peanut butter, double chocolate chip, shortbread and oatmeal cookies are also popular. A local pizzeria here in Louisville serves corn cookies and they are amazing. They are a cross between sweet cornbread and a peanut butter cookie. You could also go red velvet, sugar, M&M, Snickerdoodle (my favorite), macarons or lemon cookies.

If you are offering cookies, chocolate chip is a no brain. How traditional or unique you make yours is up to you. Here’s a basic recipe below to work from.

Get a classic Chocolate Chips Cookie recipe.

Cake Truffles, Balls or Pops

Cake bites are big with the kids and easy on your kitchen crew. These bite-sized desserts are made of cake mixed with a bit of frosting and dipped in chocolate or white chocolate. You can go wild with type of cake, frosting and dipping flavors. The key with cake balls or pops is the presentation. They should look irresistible. Show them off wherever you can in your restaurant and offer them as a grab-and-go item.

Panna Cotta

This classic Italian custard has experienced a resurgence. It may be because of all the ways you can customize and serve it. Unlike gelatin molds of the 1980s, panna cotta is decadently sleek and presents beautifully. It’s creamy and unique. You can get creative with how you serve it. Top it with fresh fruit like strawberries, raspberries or peaches. You can even pour a fruit-based reduction sauce over the top. Prep is a cinch as it is made ahead in individual portions and ready to serve. 

Get a traditional Panna Cotta recipe. 

Tiramisu

It’s a classic and we will continue to talk about this Italian coffee-flavored dessert. It’s a go-to dessert because people are not likely to make it at home often but if they see it on a menu, they want it. Tiramisu is made ahead in round or sheet pans. It presents beautifully.

Here is a classic Tiramisu recipe to get you started.

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