4 Iconic Disney Treats You Should Make at Home

There is no hiding the fact that I’m a bit of a Disney fan. When I visit the parks, I enjoy the food almost as much as the attractions. In fact, I’ve been known to book our entire park days around food reservations. It is what it is, people, don’t judge me.

The hard part about Disney is that I’m about 18 hours away from the closest park, so it is not just somewhere I can stop by and grab a bite to eat real quick. It is also expensive, so that’s a huge downside. Not to mention, there are so many places in this world I want to visit that I can’t make every vacation a Disney trip.

When I’m at home craving a bit of Disney magic, I’ve learned to whip up a few timeless treats that make me feel like I’m right there in the park, minus the throngs of strollers and crazy prices.

Monte Cristo

Disney Recipes, Monte Cristo

Where to get it in the parks:

At Disneyland (my closest park), you can get this iconic treat at Cafe Orleans or Blue Bayou. Cafe Orleans has a great little outdoor seating area and good food all around. It’s a bit more budget-friendly than Blue Bayou, and we really enjoy sitting down, watching people, and having lunch here.

Blue Bayou is a restaurant that Disney fans love to visit because of its ambiance. It’s super fun, although, in my opinion, the food is pretty overpriced. The restaurant is located inside the Pirates of the Caribbean and over looks, you guessed it, the Bayou portion of the ride. Sip a Mint Julep while listening to the crickets, watching the boats sail by, and breathing in that sweet, musky smell of the iconic Pirates ride.

For those on the East Coast, you can find Monte Cristo

  • Les Halles Boulangerie-Patisserie: Located in the French pavilion of EPCOT’s World Showcase
  • Primo Piatto: A quick-service restaurant at Disney’s Riviera Resort
  • The Plaza: Magic Kingdom

Ingredients

1 egg
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons water
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
8 slices egg bread (challah works well), sliced 1/2-inch thick
8 thin slices of ham
8 thin slices of turkey
8 thin slices of Swiss cheese
3 cups canola oil
Confectioners sugar
Blackberry preserves

Photo Credit: Chantelle Kincy

Directions

Line a cookie sheet with paper towels; set aside. Whisk the egg and water together in a mixing bowl. Add flour, salt, and baking powder and whisk thoroughly for 2 to 3 minutes or until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl.

On one slice of bread, arrange 2 slices of ham, turkey, and cheese, covering the bread evenly. Place another slice of bread on top and slice each sandwich in half diagonally.

Heat oil to between 365 degrees F and 375 degrees F in a 10-inch pan. Do not let the oil reach a higher temperature than this; if the oil starts to smoke, turn the heat down. Dip half of the sandwich into the batter, allowing the excess to drain, and very carefully place it into the oil. Repeat with the other sandwich half.

Cook for 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Place the cooked sandwich on the prepared cookie sheet in a warm oven until ready to serve. Repeat with the other three sandwiches.

Cook one at a time, and allow the oil to reach the desired temperature between each. Sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar and serve with blackberry preserves on the side.

Dole Whip

Dole Whip
Photo Credit: Chantelle Kincy

Where to get it in the parks: At Disneyland Resort, you’ll find the Tiki Juice Bar tucked away by the Tiki Room; here, you can get Dole Whip either as a soft serve or as a float (my fave). It’s tropical and refreshing and one of my favorite things at Disney!

The Tropical Hideaway is in Adventureland next to Jungle Cruise, and here you can get the Chile- Mango Whip and even Lumpia with DOLE whip dipping sauce!

You can also stop by the Disneyland Hotel for a sweet treat at Tangaroa Terrace.

At Disneyworld, you can also find DoleWhip, which is perfect for those hot Florida days; you can find unique combos here, such as coconut (the best), watermelon, and orange, and even elevate your whip with a few fun boozy additions.

Ingredients

  • 1 scoop vanilla ice cream
  • 4 oz. of pineapple juice
  • 2 cups of frozen pineapple
Photo Credit: Walt Disney Company

Directions

Add all ingredients into a blender until it’s a thick drink

Add a swirl to show off that beautiful creation.

To make it a float, add some chilled pineapple juice to the glass after the “whip” is in. If you wanted to feel like Captain Jack Sparrow, you “could” add some rum too.. just saying

The Grey Stuff

Grey Stuff- Disney recipes

Where to get it in the parks:

Grab this sweet (really sweet) fluffy treat from Red Rose Tavern in Fantasyland at Disneyland and Be Our Guest Restaurant, also Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom.

As Lumiere says in Beauty and the Beast, “Try the grey stuff”. I’m not one to argue with a singing candelabra, so I thought we would give it a try. Guess what? “It’s delicious…don’t believe me, ask the dishes”

The recipe is super easy, too, so that’s a bonus. So, Be our Guest and try it out.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups cold whole milk
  • 1 (3.4 ounce) package of instant vanilla pudding mix
  • 15 chocolate sandwich cookies
  • 1 (8 ounce) container whipped topping, thawed
  • 3 tablespoons instant chocolate pudding mix
  • 12 scalloped sugar cookies
  • Edible sugar pearls

Directions

  1. Pour milk into a large mixing bowl. Add instant vanilla pudding mix and whisk for 2 minutes until smooth and slightly thickened. Place in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours, until firm.
  2. Place chocolate sandwich cookies in a food processor and pulse until puréed.
  3. Fold puréed cookies into pudding mix. Stir until fully mixed.
  4. Add whipped topping and instant chocolate pudding. Stir until fully mixed.
  5. Place in refrigerator and chill for one hour.
  6. Spoon grey stuff into a piping bag fitted with the desired tip. Pipe grey stuff onto cookies. Top with sugar pearls.

Disney Churros

My Momma With her gingerbread holiday churro with hot cocoa dip : Photo Credit: Chantelle Kincy

Where to get them in the parks

You can grab churros from food carts everywhere in every park! The churros may have different toppings and dips available depending on the season, or even the land where you grab them.

Everywhere you go to Disney, you can see people walking by with Churros. The smell is tempting and delightful. Thankfully, the recipe is super simple, and you likely have all the ingredients in your pantry already.

These are super yummy. My 17-year-old set out to make them the other day, and we realized we didn’t have a bag to “pipe” the classic star shape into them. He was quick to solve the problem and decided we could do Churro “bites” instead. He made the recipe as directed, and then at the end, instead of putting them into a bag and piping them out, he just rolled them on a cutting board and then cut them into bite-sized pieces.

*Pro-tip: throw these little tasty nuggets over some vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients

  1. 1 cup water
    8 tablespoons butter
    1/4 teaspoon salt
    1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
    3 eggs
    1 1/2 cups vegetable or canola oil
    1/2 cup sugar
    3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided

Directions

  1. Combine water, butter, salt, and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon in 1 1/2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Bring the pot to a rolling boil.
  2. Reduce heat to low.
  3. Add flour and stir vigorously until the mix forms a ball. Remove from heat and let rest for 5-7 minutes.
  4. Add eggs, one at a time, and stir until combined. Set aside.
  5. Heat oil in a medium skillet or one-quart saucepan over medium-high heat or until the temperature reaches 350 degrees.
  6. Spoon dough into a piping bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe a one-inch strip of dough over the saucepan, cut with a knife, and drop into the hot oil. Repeat until the churro bites. Fill the saucepan with room to fry.
  7. Fry churro bites until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon or mesh spider strainer.
  8. Drain churro bites on a paper towel.
  9. Mix sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon in a medium bowl. Toss in churro bites until coated. Place on serving plate and serve with favorite dipping sauce.

Whats your favorite Disney Snack?

Author: Chantelle Kincy

Title: Journalist

Expertise: Travel, Food

Chantelle is a passionate traveler interested in discovering and savoring new food and drinks from diverse locales. She seeks out unique, local culinary experiences off the beaten path, often favoring food trucks and small establishments over Michelin-starred restaurants. Her engaging and insightful writing shares Chantelle's enthusiasm for these hidden gems.

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