As most Disney Parks are now reopen around the world, there is still a large Disney following that are planning to stay home for the duration of 2021. Even though many aren’t able to enjoy the tasty treats in the parks, here are some of our favorite Disney treat you can make right at home!
11. Mickey Waffles
You can’t go wrong with this popular Disney staple, even if the general prep and ingredient incorporation is admittedly conventional by any waffle preparation methods. The major thing here is having a Mickey Mouse (or other Disney character-themed) waffle iron for the final shaping process. If you don’t have one you can easily order what you need online at shopDisney.com, or through plenty of other online retail vendor options. All the same, in getting down to the authentic taste you’ve come to know and love, we’ve got you covered with a step-by-step how-to that’s sure to make your concoctions come out in comparable format to those found in Parks and Resort locations, brought to you by picky-palate.com.
Ingredients:
2 cups of all-purpose flour
3/4 cup of granulated sugar
3 teaspoons of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt
2 large eggs whites and yolks, separated
1 cup of buttermilk
1/2 cup of milk
1 cup of unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
Directions:
- Preheat waffle iron.
- Stir flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into a large mixing bowl to combine.
- Place egg whites into a medium mixing bowl and whisk continuously until stiff peaks form.
- Place buttermilk, milk, melted butter, vanilla, and egg yolks into a large bowl and whisk to combine. Slowly stir into dry ingredients. Once combined, fold in egg whites until also combined.
- Spoon batter into Mickey shape filling (or fillings if you have a larger waffle iron) close to top. Close lid and let cook until golden brown and crisp (about one to one and a half minutes depending on the heat setting of your waffle iron).
- Remove hot waffles and place on cooling rack. Continue cooking waffles until all batter is used.
- Enjoy your delicious Disney-themed waffles at home! Top with fruit of your choice and drizzle with warm buttermilk syrup. (Note: the site also features a delightful syrup recipe you may incorporate into your fixing as well).
10. Mickey Mouse Beignets
Beignets are all the rage in both Disney World and Disneyland alike. And while bountiful flavor options and seasonal selections create a wealth in variety for how to get your preferred beignet fixing, we’ve got the authentic, classic beignet recipe here for you to bake up right in your very own kitchen, provided by the official Disney Parks website. Note: This recipe yields 10 large Mickey Mouse-shaped beignets or two-dozen smaller beignets.
Ingredients:
1/2 teaspoon of dry yeast
1/4 cup of warm water (105 degrees)
1/4 cup of sugar
2 tablespoons of vegetable shortening
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of heavy cream
1 egg
4 cups of all-purpose flour
1/2 cup of boiling water
Vegetable oil for frying
Powdered sugar
(Note: You will need a mixer and piping bag for this recipe along with a Mickey Mouse-shaped cutter if you opt for a Mickey shape.)
Directions:
- Sprinkle yeast over warm water in a small bowl, stirring to dissolve. Let stand for 5 minutes.
- Combine sugar, shortening, salt, heavy cream, egg, flour, and boiling water in a large bowl.
- Stir in yeast mixture. With the dough hook attachment of an electric mixer on medium speed, mix the dough just until combined and smooth.
- Let dough rest for 30 minutes.
- Roll to 1/4-inch thickness and cut individual beignets with a Mickey Mouse-shaped cutter (or cut into 2 1/2 to 3-inch squares). Cover with a towel and let dough rise until doubled in size in a warm, draft-free area, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
- Using caution, heat 3 inches of vegetable oil to 350 degrees F in a deep, heavy pot over medium-high heat.
- Fry beignets until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes, turning as soon as they brown on one side.
- Remove with tongs and place on paper towels to drain.
- Dust warm beignets with powdered sugar and serve immediately.
9. Disney Parks Churro Bites
Disney Parks the world over are known for dishing out the same delicious churro recipe. A cult classic for many, these flavorful favorites boast a bountiful fan following and hold a unanimous seal of approval for being some of the very best of the best. Fortunately for us, the folks at Disney Parks have shared their recipe secrets for making these mouthwatering morsels right at home.
Ingredients:
1 of cup water
8 tablespoons of butter
1/4 teaspoon of salt
3/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, divided
1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 eggs
1 and 1/2 cups of vegetable or canola oil
1/2 a cup of sugar
(Note: You will need a piping bag.)
Directions:
- Combine water, butter, salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon in 1 and 1/2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Bring pot to rolling boil.
- Reduce heat to low.
- Add flour and stir vigorously until mix forms a ball.
- Remove from heat and let rest for 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add eggs, one at a time, and stir until combined. Set aside.
- Heat oil in medium skillet or 1-quart saucepan over medium-high heat or until temperature reaches 350 degrees F.
- Spoon dough into piping bag fitted with large star tip. Pipe 1-inch strip of dough over saucepan, cut with knife, and drop into hot oil. Repeat until churro bites fill saucepan with room to fry.
- Fry churro bites until golden brown. Remove with slotted spoon or mesh spider strainer.
- Drain churro bites on paper towel.
- Mix sugar and 1/2 a teaspoon cinnamon in medium bowl. Toss in churro bites until coated. Place on serving plate and serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
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8. Dole Whip
This Hawaiian highlight features an exclusive Disney-developed recipe that’s succeeded as a hit with devoted fans for well over three decades now. Popular at both Disney World and Disneyland, this refreshing chilled concoction is surprisingly easy to make at home in your own kitchen. And while there have been developments in uniquely new ways to dole out the Dole, including a delightful Pineapple Float option, we’re sharing the classic Dole Whip recipe Disney released for us.
Ingredients:
1 large scoop of vanilla ice cream
4 ounces of pineapple juice
2 cups of frozen pineapple
(Note: You will need a blender.)
Directions:
- Combine all the ingredients into a blender and mix well.
- Serve and enjoy.
- That’s it!
An alternate vegan version can be concocted with the following recipe, made possible by thedisneychef.com.
Ingredients:
1 16-ounce bag of Dole frozen pineapple chunks
1/2 cup whipped topping (optional—omit if preparing vegan)
Water (if using a blender)
(Note: A blender or Yonanas machine will be needed.)
Directions:
- Remove pineapple chunks from freezer and allow to sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes.
- If using a blender or Yonanas machine, feed the pineapple chunks into the chute. Using the plunger, push through the feeder into a bowl. Disassemble unit and scrape out remaining whipped pineapple.
- If desired, mix in whipped topping until thoroughly blended. Serve immediately.
- If using a blender, add pineapple into the blender and blend on puree, adding water slowly in a thin stream while the blender is running as needed, to achieve desired consistency.
7. The Grey Stuff
Have you tried the Grey Stuff? It’s delicious, according to Lumiere from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. And anyone who has ever dined within the walls of the Be Our Guest Restaurant at Magic Kingdom Park would agree. Originally served as a special treat offered to select guests during times of special celebrations, popular demand has secured this tasty tantalization a spot on the restaurant’s regular dessert menu. Do note, however, that the recipe has been reimagined somewhat since it first premiered, altering it from its former panna cotta consistency to its current, more widely known cookies and cream mousse-like presentation. One thing that hasn’t changed though, is its state of deliciousness. And now you can try it yourself at home with this easy-to-follow recipe.
Ingredients:
1 box of instant vanilla pudding (3.4 ounces)
1 and 1/2 cups of milk
15 sandwich cookies
8 ounces of whipped topping
2 to 3 tablespoons of instant chocolate pudding mix
Edible pearls/sprinkles to decorate with, if you so desire
(Note: You will also need a food processor.)
Directions:
- Mix entire box of vanilla pudding mix and milk in a large bowl with a whisk and set in refrigerator to chill for 10 minutes.
- Blend sandwich cookies in food processor and mix until they are fine crumbs, close to a powder form.
- Grab the pudding from the refrigerator and mix in the crushed sandwich cookies.
- Fold in the tub of whipped topping.
- Mix in the chocolate pudding mix and stir well.
- Place back in refrigerator to chill for at least one hour before serving.
- Garnish with sprinkles if you so desire.
6. Tonga Toast
This breakfast delicacy is a South Pacific pleasure you can only get at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. (Note: Tonga Toast versions served at Rain Forest Café in Disney’s Animal Kingdom and in Disney Springs are not the same!) Available at both Kona Café and Capt. Cook’s, the ways in which to dish up and garnish these offerings may differ depending on the premises location you opt for, but the same general recipe is used in the concocting nevertheless. And we have that recipe for you to make at home, made possible by Disneyfoodblog.com. This recipe serves four.
Ingredients:
1 quart of canola oil, for frying
1 loaf of sourdough bread (uncut, 12 inches long)
2 large bananas, peeled
3/4 cup of granulated sugar
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
4 large eggs
1 and 1/3 cup of whole milk
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 tablespoon of granulated sugar
Directions:
- For cinnamon-sugar, mix sugar and cinnamon in a medium bowl (large enough to roll toast) with a fork until thoroughly blended. Set aside.
- For batter, whip eggs in medium bowl (large enough to dip toast) until well beaten. Add milk, cinnamon, and sugar. Mix well and set aside.
- For Tonga Toast, preheat oil to 350 degrees F in a large pot or a deep fryer. (If using a large pot, use a candy thermometer to make certain the oil does not get any hotter or it will burn.)
- Slice the bread into four three-inch-thick slices.
- Cut each banana in half crosswise, then each piece lengthwise.
- Place a bread slice flat on the counter and tear out just enough from the middle (do not tear all the way through) to stuff half a banana into. Then repeat with each bread slice.
- Dip stuffed bread into batter, covering both sides, allowing excess batter to drip off bread and place carefully into hot oil.
- Cook for 4 to 5 minutes until golden brown. If needed, turn toast over after 2 minutes and cook for another 2 minutes on other side.
- Remove and drain excess oil.
- Roll toast in cinnamon-sugar. Repeat for each piece of toast.
5. Jack-Jack’s Num Num Cookies
Want an ooey gooey chocolate chip cookie-tart that’s truly incredible? Then consider baking up some of Jack-Jack’s Num Num Cookies, inspired by Disney·Pixar’s The Incredibles franchise. While more popularly associated with Pixar Pier at Disney California Adventure Park in Disneyland, these mouthwatering morsels made their way over to Walt Disney World Resort last year during the Disney Parks worldwide summer celebration of superheroes—in conjunction with celebrating The Incredibles 2 and the grand opening of Pixar Place in Hollywood Studios. Ever since, Disney fans have been craving these savory sweet top-sellers at the Neighborhood Bakery. But the good news is Pixar has released their recipe for baking up batches of this super savory hit right at home.
Ingredients:
1 cup of butter (2 sticks)
1 and 1/4 cups of brown sugar
1/4 cup of granulated sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 cup of chocolate chips
2 and 1/4 cups of flour
(Note: You will need a mixer or whisk.)
Directions:
- In a saucepan, brown the softened butter on medium heat, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon or spatula. Let the butter cool until it begins to solidify.
- Cream butter, both sugars, and salt in a mixing bowl, using a mixer or whisk until light and fluffy.
- Mix in whole egg, egg yolk, and vanilla.
- Combine dry ingredients and mix into the batter.
- Add chocolate chips.
- Scoop into balls and chill thoroughly, at least for an hour, but preferably overnight.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 7 to 10 minutes until golden brown on edges but still soft in the center.
4. Breakfast Potato Casserole from Akershus
If you’re looking for something more filling as well as Disney fulfilling, then consider recreating a bountiful breakfast feast like the one you know and love at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall in Epcot. While the profuse all-you-can-eat options and Disney Princess visits may be a little harder to recreate (unless you have young ones at home eager to don their best Disney Princess gowns for the breakfast occasion) we have an easy-to-follow copycat recipe for one of this restaurant’s favorite breakfast features—The Breakfast Potato Casserole.
Ingredients:
1 and 1/2 lbs of diced potatoes
1 and 1/2 lbs of shredded potatoes
4 ounces of diced white onions
8 ounces of shredded cheddar cheese (Reserve half for topping later)
8 ounces shredded Jarlsberg cheese
13 ounces béchamel sauce or heavy cream
8 ounces of sour cream
Salt and pepper to taste
5 ounces of milk
Directions:
- Using a mixing bowl combine all ingredients and mix well by hand.
- Place in greased casserole or non-stick pan.
- Sprinkle with reserved cheese on top.
- Cover with waxed paper and then aluminum foil.
- Bake in 350-degree oven for approximately 40 minutes.
- Remove foil and paper for the last 10 minutes to brown the top if desired.
3. 1900 Park Fare Strawberry Soup
While the sound of “strawberry soup” may send some scratching their heads in confusion, it definitely succeeds in garnering the attention of countless diners to the Grand Floridian’s 1900 Park Fare, curious to try some. And once you do, you’ll be happily hooked forever after. Served chilled, this restaurant specialty blends beautifully the natural sweetness and juiciness of fresh strawberries with cream in an all-out royal ensemble fit for the palate of any prince or princess. And because your home is your castle, we’re presenting this recipe for you to make in your own kitchen.
Ingredients:
2 lbs of frozen strawberries
1/2 lb of fresh strawberries
16 ounces of heavy cream
2 ounces of sour cream
3 ounces of yogurt
(Note: You will also need a blender.)
Directions:
- Thaw the frozen berries in their juices.
- Blend all of the ingredients (except the fresh berries) on low until smooth.
- Chill, shake well before serving.
- Add fresh strawberry halves as a garnish.
2. Grapefruit Cake
Disney’s Hollywood Studios is an echo of Hollywood, California’s bygone golden age in many ways. From retail to restaurants, no place rings truer to recreating the glamor and glitz of Hollywood’s heyday than the Brown Derby Restaurant. Fashioned after the original Hollywood Brown Derby on Vine Street, this venue boasts similar in comparison on all levels, including serving up one of the restaurant’s most famous house originals—Grapefruit Cake. Conceived from owner Robert Cobb’s suggestion to “put grapefruit into something” (a response to William Randolph Hearst’s complaint about desserts being too fattening), this unique and original confectionary concoction has been a one-of-a-kind hit ever since. And now you can make it for yourself right at home.
Ingredients:
1 and 1/2 cups of cake flour
3/4 cup of sugar
1 and 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 a teaspoon of salt
1/4 cup of water
1/4 cup of vegetable oil
3 eggs, separated
3 tablespoons of grapefruit juice
1/2 teaspoon of grated lemon rind
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
For Grapefruit Cream Cheese Frosting:
2 to 6ounce packages of cream cheese
2 teaspoon of lemon juice
1 teaspoon of grated lemon rind
3/4 cup of powdered sugar
6 to 8 drops of yellow food coloring (optional)
1 to1 lbs of canned grapefruit sections, or fresh grapefruit in segments
(Note: You will need a mixer.)
Directions:
- Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into a mixing bowl.
- Make a well in center of dry ingredients. Add water, oil, egg yolks, grapefruit juice, and lemon rind. Beat until very smooth.
- Beat egg whites and cream of tartar separately until whites are stiff but not dry.
- Gradually poor egg yolk mixture over whites, folding gently with a rubber spatula until just blended. Do not stir mixture. Pour into an ungreased pan.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes, or until cake springs back when lightly touched with finger.
- Invert pan on cake rack until cool. Run spatula around edge of cake. Carefully remove from pan. With serrated knife, gently cut layer in half.
- Let cream cheese soften at room temperature. Beat cheese until fluffy. Add lemon juice and rind.
- Gradually blend in sugar. Beat until well-blended and add optional coloring (if desired).
- Crush several grapefruit sections to measure 2 teaspoons and blend into the frosting.
- Spread frosting on top of bottom half of cake. Tap with several grapefruit sections. Cover with second layer. Frost top and sides, and garnish with remaining grapefruit pieces.
1. Kitchen Sink
Some Disney classic recipes are legendary, as is the case with this last cult classic staple. Even better, it boasts one of the easiest preparations of all; really just one massive incorporation of well-loved ingredients, combined. It’s none other than the legendary Kitchen Sink sundae dessert you’ll find at Beaches and Cream at Disney’s Beach Club Resort. And thanks to the folks at Disney Parks, you can make your own Kitchen Sink Sundae in your own kitchen.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup warm fudge topping
- 1/2 cup warm butterscotch topping
- 1/2 cup warm peanut butter topping
- 1 medium banana, sliced in 1/2-inch slices
- 1 cinnamon spice cupcake (2 ½ x 1 1/4-inch), quartered
- 1 angel food cupcake (3 x 1 1/2-inch), quartered
- 2 generous scoops vanilla ice cream
- 2 generous scoops chocolate ice cream
- 2 generous scoops strawberry ice cream
- 1 generous scoop mint chocolate chip ice cream
- 1 generous scoop coffee ice cream
- 3 tablespoons chocolate syrup
- 1/4 cup marshmallow cream
- 1/4 cup strawberry topping
- 1/4 cup pineapple topping
- 14-ounce can dairy whipped topping
- 1 large brownie (6-inch x 6-inch), quartered
- 1 regular-sized candy bar, quartered
- 4 chocolate cookies with cream filling
- 1 tablespoon sliced toasted almonds
- 1 tablespoon dark and white chocolate shavings
- 1 tablespoon crushed chocolate cookies with cream filling
- 1 tablespoon chopped jellied orange slices, about 2 large slices
- 1 tablespoon milk chocolate chip morsels
- 1 tablespoon peanut butter chip morsels
- 1 tablespoon chocolate sprinkles
- 1 tablespoon rainbow sprinkles
- 1/2 cup drained maraschino cherries
To Serve:
- Pour hot fudge, butterscotch, and peanut butter toppings into bottom of large bowl.
- Layer banana slices and cupcake pieces over toppings. Top with all ice creams.
- As quickly as possible, spoon chocolate syrup, marshmallow cream, strawberry, and pineapple toppings over ice cream.
- Cover completely with dairy whipped topping. Tuck brownie pieces, candy bar pieces, and cookies in whipped topping.
- Sprinkle with toasted almonds, dark and white chocolate shavings, crushed cookies, jellied orange slices, milk chocolate chip morsels, peanut butter morsels, chocolate sprinkles, and rainbow sprinkles. Top with cherries.