chocolate

Minnie Witch Shake

October 14, 2019 by Elana Lepkowski Leave a Comment

Where can I find the original treat?

The Minnie Witch Shake can be found at Schmoozies! in Disney’s California Adventure Park.

A shake in October?! YES when you live in SoCal! One thing people don’t realize is that here in Southern California, it’s still hot in October, like, 85° hot. And so a spooky Minnie Mouse Witch Shake is definitely in order!

Mint chocolate chip is my favorite old school ice cream flavor (peanut butter cup is my favorite “new school” flavor in case you were interested), but we never have it at home since 1. My husband detests the combination of mint and chocolate together and 2. Mint oil now gives him a migraine. So I just don’t keep it around, but when I see it out I most definitely order it.

And this shake delivered! So, I had to sneak a pint of mint chocolate ice cream home to recreate this recipe for all of you. But first, let me explain a bit about the ingredients. First, as someone pointed out on IG, Disney calls this a mint chocolate chip shake, but the chocolate in mine was not snappy, like chips of chocolate, but rather soft, like cookies. So, for this recipe I’ve blended up mint chocolate chip ice cream and Oreos for that softer, chocolate cookie piece texture. Second, the whipped cream. Now, I don’t know if it’s the stabilizers in the whipped cream or what, but the whipped cream on the shake in the park had a marshmallow-like texture and wasn’t super soft like regular whipped cream. Maybe like cool whip? Maybe, except it’s been so long since I’ve had it I can’t remember exactly what it’s like. Anyways, I have a whip cream dispenser at home that I use so I’m making fresh whipped cream for my shake. However, whatever way you like your whipped cream you should use that!

This recipe is for a single serve shake, but can very easily be expanded to as many shakes as you’d like to make (or made into a few tiny shakes for the kiddos!). I think the glass looks super cute with the orange sanding sugar and the green polka dots, but if you want to make this with less steps, I think you could leave out this part and be fine.

Also, if you are making this with/for kids, I’d use plastic cups and forgo the glass like I’m using in the photos. Kids can dip their cups in warm, not hot, melted chocolate and decorate with the sanding sugar and chocolate candies. I’d even let them pour their shakes and top with whipped cream and sprinkles. Adults can make the chocolate bows beforehand as you’re handling hot chocolate and there’s a risk of burns.

As usual, a few notes below the recipe, so please read through the whole thing first before making. Ok?! Let’s start those blenders!!!

Minnie Witch Shake

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Author: Elana Lepkowski
Yield: 1 Minnie Witch Shake 1x

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Description

Cool off this Halloween with a minty Minnie Witch Shake! A Disneyland-inspired treat.

Ingredients

Scale

Mint Chip Cookies and Cream Shake:

3, 2 ounce scoops mint chocolate chip ice cream
3 Oreo cookies, crushed
1/4 cup milk, more or less to taste

Toppings and Decorations:

4 ounces orange candy melts
1/2 cup orange sanding sugar
5 green M&Ms candies
orange, green, and purple sanding sugar mix (this can be pre-packaged if you find it, or mix together yourself)
whipped cream (or 1 cup heavy cream, 1 teaspoon each vanilla extract and simple syrup or liquid sweetener of your choice with directions below for making from scratch)
purple food coloring
2 Oreo cookies

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Instructions

For the shake:

In a blender, combine the mint ice cream, crushed cookies, and milk. Blend until smooth. Set aside.

For the glass decoration and chocolate bow:

Pour the orange sanding sugar into a wide, shallow bowl. Set aside.
Melt the orange candy melts in a microwave safe bowl, like glass. Microwave for 30 seconds. Stir and microwave again for an additional 30 seconds. Keep stirring and microwaving in short bursts of 15-20 seconds until melted and smooth. Use can alternatively use a double boiler for melting.
Dip and coat the outer rim of a glass with the melted candy melts. Then dip in the orange sanding sugar, turning to coat the entire outside rim.
Then, pour some of the melted orange candy melts in your bow mold(s). Let set at least 10 minutes in the refrigerator.
Remove the bow from the mold when hardened and set aside. Repeat molding for additional bows.

To make the purple whipped cream:

If using ready made whipped cream: Spray whipped cream into a small bowl and using a toothpick, add a drop of purple food coloring. Mix and set aside.
If using a whipped cream canister: Add heavy cream, vanilla extract, simple syrup, and one drop of purple food coloring to a chilled whipped cream canister. Add N2O cartridge and twist to activate. Shake the container for a few seconds and set aside.
If making whipped cream with a mixer: Add heavy cream and one drop of purple food coloring to a chilled mixing bowl. Mix until medium peaks form. Set aside.

Assembly:

In the prepared glass, pour in the mint shake mixture. (Any extra set aside to top off later!)
Spoon or spray prepared whipped cream on top.
Sprinkle with orange, green, and purple sanding sugar mix.
Place the bow and the Oreo “ears” on top of whipped cream. Enjoy with a fun straw!

Notes

Glasses can be prepared up to a week ahead and stored in the refrigerator.
Bows can be prepared up to three days and stored in refrigerator.
If dairy is not your thing, try a dairy alternative ice cream and “milk”! You can also make the whipped cream with cream of coconut but be prepared for a less stiff cream on top.
If your ice cream is too soft, use less milk, and alternatively, if your ice cream is pretty hard, use a splash more milk.
You can pre-mix your own sprinkles for future baking projects. There are a lot of bulk options on Amazon for sprinkles and sanding sugars (check out our Favorite Supplies list for some examples!).

Minnie Mouse Chocolate Covered Caramel Apple

September 2, 2019 by Elana Lepkowski 1 Comment

Where can I find the original treat?

These treats can be found all over the Disneyland Resort.

I jokingly declared it fall over on last week’s Instagram announcement due to both Starbucks and Disneyland bringing out all their seasonal products…. in August. But now that it’s September 1st, somehow that doesn’t feel so strange. So, today we’re making caramel apples. Minnie Mouse Chocolate Covered Caramel Apples!

These caramel apples are easy to find at the parks, and you can grab one at Candy Palace, Pooh Corner, Trolley Treats, and Marceline’s in Downtown Disneyland. The treat consists of an extra large apple (I’ve gotten Granny Smith apples but I’ve also seen Fuji) dipped in caramel, with marshmallow ears, which then get dipped in semisweet chocolate, and then half dipped in white chocolate. The apple then gets decorated with the classic Minnie Mouse bow, and gets a layer of white M&M’s buttons and a red sanding sugar bottom. The apples also seemed to be treated with a citric acid bath probably to stop the apples from browning and to keep them fresh while sitting, albeit briefly, in the candy case. We’re going to skip that step here, but if you’re making a bunch, say for favors, or for a class treat, drop me a line and I’ll let you know how to do that.

These chocolate covered caramel apples are sweet, crunchy, and big enough to share. I find these treats best if eaten at room temp, straight out of the refrigerator they’re too hard, and the flavors too muted. So, if you make these and then store them for awhile, let them sit out on the counter at least 15 minutes before digging in.

This recipe has a few steps, and a bit of a waiting time to make, but once you have all your ingredients prepped, you can double and even triple this recipe to suit your needs. Also, once you’ve covered your apples in caramel and done the first chocolate dip, I would say from here on out the apples are kid ready for decorating. An adult should melt the white chocolate, but kids can dip apples in there, and then decorate the bottom themselves.

We’ve got a few notes on chocolate tempering and how to get candies and sugars to stick to each other below in the notes, so please read all the way through the recipe. Also! Hot caramel can be dangerous, so keep kids away during that part. Hope you enjoy this sweet treat!

Minnie Mouse Chocolate Covered Caramel Apple

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Author: Elana Lepkowski
Yield: 3 caramel apples 1x

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Description

A sweet, crunchy, Minnie Mouse themed chocolate covered caramel apple. A Disneyland-inspired treat.

Ingredients

Scale

3 Granny Smith apples
14 ounces individually wrapped caramels (like Kraft)
2–1/4 tablespoons water
6 regular sized marshmallows
2 ounces red candy melts
16 ounces semisweet chocolate wafers, divided
8 ounces white chocolate melting wafers
18 white M&Ms candies
1–2 cups red sanding sugar

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Instructions

First, rinse apples in very hot water to move any wax that they might be covered with. Dry well, and using a sharp pairing knife, remove bottom and top stems. Insert a wooden stick into the bottom of the apple. They are easier to stand if you keep them bottoms up. Place them on a sheet pan covered with parchment.
Next, combine caramels and water in a medium sized saucepan over medium-low heat.
Stir constantly until everything has melted and caramels are smooth (about 7-8 minutes).
Slightly tip the pan towards you with one hand and dip the apple in the caramel, turning it around to coat the entire surface. Let the excess caramel drip off and scrape any remaining on the bottom off on the side of the pan. Place back on parchment and repeat with next two apples. Let caramel cool slightly but still tacky. Place two marshmallows on each apple towards the top (as caramel cools more, the marshmallows will settle out and downwards a bit). Refrigerate at least 1 hour to let caramel harden and set.
While caramel sets, make the Minnie Mouse bows by melting the red candy melts in the microwave inside a microwave safe bowl, like glass, for 30 seconds. Stir and microwave again for an additional 30 seconds. Keep stirring and microwaving in short bursts of 15 seconds until melted and smooth. Use can alternatively use a double boiler for melting. If you’d like to also create white polka dots here as well, melt about 1 ounce of white candy melts in the same way and then transfer to a piping bag. Pipe small, round dots in the mold first, and then proceed below.
Pour red candy melts into bow molds and let set for 15-20 minutes (you can speed this up by sticking the molds in the refrigerator). Remove from the molds and set aside until ready to use.
Next, temper the semisweet chocolate. You can do this in a double boiler on the stove or in the microwave. Place 2/3 of the semisweet chocolate in a glass bowl. On the stove, over a double boiler, stir until temperature reaches about 110°f. In the microwave, heat for 30 seconds, stir, and keep heating in short 15-20 bursts, stirring between, until temperature reaches about 110°f. Next, start adding in the rest of the semisweet chocolate in small amounts, stirring until melted between batches, until chocolate temperature cools to around 84-90°f. The chocolate is tempered at this point and ready to use.
Remove caramel covered apples from the refrigerator. Dip each apple in, shaking off any excess and letting it drip back into the pan. Scrape any extra off on the side of the bowl. Place back on parchment and attach red bow. Allow chocolate to firm up, about half an hour in the refrigerator.
Fill a shallow bowl with the red sanding sugar, set aside.
Then, melt white chocolate over a double boiler over medium heat, or in the microwave, stirring until smooth.
Dip half the apple in the white chocolate, allowing any excess to drip off, and scraping any extra off on the side of the bowl.
Attach white M&M’s “buttons” around the base and then immediately roll the apple in the red sanding sugar. Set aside and repeat with last two apples.

Notes

Melted caramel is HOT! Use caution in the kitchen. Do not dip your fingers or hands into the caramel has it can adhere to skin and burn you. Keep away from children.
Use hot water to remove caramel from pans and utensils.
Extra melted caramel can be poured into a container and reheated at a later time. Store in an airtight container in refrigerator.
If you are having trouble keeping your marshmallows on during chocolate dipping, insert a small toothpick in each, dip, and immediately remove the toothpick.
If you have extra melted caramel that has pooled at the bottom of the apple, use kitchen shears to remove it immediately after removing from the refrigerator.
You can also pour the red sanding sugar over the apple into a bowl to catch excess and then press lightly with your hand to secure the sugar.
Any extra red sanding sugar that has attached itself to the apple can be swept away with a pastry brush once the white chocolate has set.

M&M’s Mickey Mouse Rice Krispie Treats

August 19, 2019 by Elana Lepkowski 1 Comment

Mickey M&M's Rice Krispie Treat // magicaltreatsathome.com

Where can I find the original treat?

These treats can be found all over the Disneyland Resort.

I love a rice krispie treat and the Disneyland resort does not shy away from several varieties on their property. It’s been a few months since making the Minnie Mouse Rice Krispie treats, so I thought it was about time we all made another of these fun, kid friendly, treats.

Using a standard rice krispie base, these treats are then dipped into milk chocolate, and then dunked into a sea of mini M&M’s, covering the entire front of the treat in tiny candies. And if that didn’t sound good enough already, then the whole thing gets a nice drizzle of semisweet chocolate. Because, why not?

Mickey M&M's Rice Krispie Treat // magMickey M&M's Rice Krispie Treat // magicaltreatsathome.com

Actually, that drizzle helps secure many of those mini M&M’s from falling off, and it’s a nice little contrast in chocolate from the milk chocolate holding the candies on. This recipe makes 3 treats, but the beauty of this particular recipe is that is doubles, and even triples, easily (just use the multiplier option in the recipe below!).

If you’re new to making rice krispie treats, or working with marshmallows, be sure to read the notes at the end of the recipe. There’s some helpful tips! Also, this recipe qualifies as “kid friendly” for the assembly! Once the base has cooled, kids can help cut out shapes, dip into chocolate and the M&M’s, and even help drizzle the final chocolate on top. Kids love decorating treats and it’s a great way for them to get involved in the kitchen!

M&M’s Mickey Rice Krispie Treats

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Author: Elana Lepkowski
Yield: 3 M&M’s Mickey Rice Krispie treats 1x

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Description

Crispy, chewy Mickey Mouse Rice Krispie Treats are dipped in a sea of M&M’s candies and topped with a chocolate drizzle. A sweet, Disneyland-inspired treat.

Ingredients

Scale

For the rice krispie treat:

2 tablespoons butter, unsalted
157 g ( 2 cups) mini marshmallows or 20 regular sized marshmallows
1–3/4 cups crisped rice cereal

For the topping:

3–1/2 ounces (100 g) light cocoa candy melts
1 cup mini M&M’s
1–1/2 ounces semisweet chocolate

Tools:

Mickey Mouse cutter
3 Popsicle sticks

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Instructions

For the rice krispie treat:

Before beginning, line a 8×8″ baking pan with parchment.
Combine the butter and marshmallows in a medium sauce pan over medium-low heat. Stir constantly until marshmallows have melted and mixture is smooth.
Immediately dump in the crisped rice cereal and mix to combine.
Pour into the prepared pan and gently press mixture into place with a rubber spatula (or damp fingers). Set aside for at least an hour in the refrigerator so that the mixture can firm up enough to cut shapes.
Once firm, use parchment to lift out rice krispie treats. Use a Mickey Mouse shaped cutter to cut out shapes and set aside.

To decorate:

First, melt the light cocoa candy melts in the microwave inside a microwave safe bowl, like glass, for 30 seconds. Stir and microwave again for an additional 30 seconds. Keep stirring and microwaving in short bursts of 15-20 seconds until melted and smooth. Use can alternatively use a double boiler for melting.
Next, fill a shallow bowl with the M&M’s candies. Set aside.
Insert a popsicle stick into each treat (this will make it easier to handle the chocolate and candies later).
Dip a treat into the melted chocolate, letting any excess drip off back into the bowl, and then immediately dip into the mini M&M’s. Press firmly and then set aside candy side up. Repeat for other treats. Place treats on a piece of parchment lined sheet pan and press candies firmly into place on the treat.
Then, melt semisweet chocolate in a microwave safe bowl, like glass, for 30 seconds. Stir and microwave again for an additional 30 seconds. Keep stirring and microwaving in short bursts of 15-20 seconds until melted and smooth. Use can alternatively use a double boiler for melting. You can also melt directly in a heavy duty, heat safe, piping bag using the same microwave method (I find this easiest when I will be piping without a tip on the bag).
Drizzle or pipe the semisweet chocolate across the M&M’s coated treats. Refrigerate to set about 1 hour. Enjoy!

Notes

Use a smaller pan than you think you’ll need for this. As the marshmallows melt into the butter, if there’s too much space in the pan they will start to dry out and form strings. Keeping the marshmallows closer together in the pan will ensure they melt more evenly, creating a better mixture to add the cereal into.
When mixing crisped rice cereal into the melted marshmallows, keep the mixture on the flame so that marshmallows stay liquid. Removing to mix in can seize up the liquid before the cereal is fully mixed.
You can combine some extra rice krispie treat scraps into the mold to shape additional Mickey Mouse treats.
Treats can be kept in an air-tight container for up to 3 days.

Mickey S’more Square

August 12, 2019 by Elana Lepkowski Leave a Comment

Where can I find the original treat?

These treats can be found all over the Disneyland Resort.

Did you know that Saturday was National S’mores Day? Don’t worry, you won’t find it marked on the calendar, and there isn’t an elf that sneaks into your house at night and leaves s’mores in your shoes. It’s just an excuse to enjoy one of the BEST treats for summer. And Disneyland has you covered… with no fire required!

One of the year-round favorites at the resort, you can usually find this square at Candy Palace, Pooh Corner, Marceline’s in Downtown Disney, and Trolley Treats at DCA. And now you can have it at home too!

The Mickey S’more square is made up of a crisp graham cracker base, a layer of rich milk chocolate fudge, a layer of thick marshmallow, and it’s all covered in a semi-sweet chocolate topped with a yellow chocolate Mickey Mouse. Our recipe below has a few steps, but it all comes together fairly easily once you’re ready to assemble. There’s just the added wait time for the fudge to set up, and the chocolate to set. You WILL NOT need to make graham crackers for this recipe, however, if you do have a homemade recipe you love, by all means use it! We’re using store bought here for consistency and time. For your final square, the Mickey chocolate on top is definitely optional, but we do give an easy way to make one below too, just in case you want a few to snack on!

We won’t be making any campfires for this recipe, and the only fire you’ll see is on a gas stove, but you’ll definitely know you’re eating a S’more when you take a bite of this yummy treat.

Mickey S’more Square

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Author: Elana Lepkowski
Yield: 6 S’mores Squares 1x

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Description

Layers of crisp graham crackers, rich milk chocolate fudge, and gooey marshmallow are covered in semi-sweet chocolate and topped with a yellow Mickey Mouse chocolate in this dessert reminiscent of the classic s’mores. A Disneyland-inspired treat!

Ingredients

Scale

For the Milk Chocolate Fudge:

8 ounces (227 g) milk chocolate, finely chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
7 ounces sweetened condensed milk
pinch teaspoon salt

For the Marshmallows:

1–1/2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 corn light corn syrup
pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 packets of gelatine
2/3 cups of water, divided

For assembly:

6 graham cracker squares (3 large sheets broken in half)
12 ounces (340 g) semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped and divided
2–1/2 ounces white chocolate (71 g), chopped, optional
yellow oil-based chocolate covering, optional

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Instructions

For the Milk Chocolate Fudge:

Line a loaf pan with parchment paper or wax paper.
In a double boiler, combine milk chocolate, butter, sweetened condensed milk, and salt. Stir occasionally, until smooth.
Pour into loaf pan and chill, uncovered, until firm, about 4 hours. Set aside.

For the Marshmallows:

Grease a loaf pan and line with parchment paper or wax paper. Grease top of paper as well. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan over high heat, combine sugar, corn syrup, salt, and 1/3 cup of water. Stir to dissolve sugar. Once mixture reaches a boil, do not disturb. Let the mixture reach “soft ball” stage, approximately 238°F (use a candy thermometer or probe thermometer to get an accurate temperature).
While syrup is boiling, in the bowl of a stand mixer, pour in the other 1/3 cup of water and sprinkle gelatine over it. Let sit for five minutes so water can absorb the gelatine. Not all of it will absorb and that’s ok.
Then, attach the whisk attachment and turn mixer on slowest speed. Wearing oven mitts in case of splashing, slowly pour in the syrup mixture into the mixer. Whisk two minutes and then raise speed to medium. Whisk another two minutes and then gradually move speed to highest. Whisk another 3-5 minutes until mixture is stiff. Beat in vanilla extract for 30 seconds and then pour everything into the prepared pan. Mixture will be very sticky and you might not be able to get everything out of the bowl. See notes below.
Use wet fingers to smooth out the marshmallow top and let sit out, uncovered, until firm. About 3 hours.

Mickey Mouse chocolate toppers (optional)

In a microwave safe bowl, combine chopped white chocolate and a few drops of the oil-based yellow food coloring.
Heat in microwave for 30 seconds, stir, and continue to microwave in short 15 -20 second bursts, stirring between, until chocolate is melted and smooth.
Pour into molds and let sit in the refrigerator about 30 minutes to harden. Remove from molds and set aside.

Assembly:

First, temper the semi-sweet chocolate for coating: In a microwave safe bowl, add 2/3 of the chocolate. Microwave for 30 seconds, stir, microwave for another 30 seconds. Stir again and microwave in short bursts of 15-20 seconds until chocolate has uniformly melted and has reached between 114° – 118°F. Then add in some of the remaining chocolate, stir to completely melt and then add more (I did three batches). Continue to stir the chocolate until it has cooled to 88° – 89°F (this can take several minutes of stirring). The chocolate is now tempered and ready to use. Set aside.
Un-mold the fudge from the pan and using a graham cracker as a guide, divide and cut the fudge to fit on the base of cracker. You may need to combine some pieces of fudge if your graham crackers are larger.
Next, remove the marshmallow from the pan keeping it on the parchment. To square off ends of marshmallows, use a long, sharp knife to trim sides. Clean knife with hot water between cuts.
Then, using a graham cracker as a guide, divide the pan into roughly 9 squares, using the same, long, sharp knife to make cuts. You will only need six of the marshmallows for this recipe. See notes below for storing extra marshmallows. Use damp fingers to remove marshmallows from each other if they get stuck together.
Create each stack by starting with the graham cracker base, a piece of fudge, and then top with the marshmallow. Set aside on a sheet pan lined with parchment.
Dip each stack into the tempered chocolate, using a spoon to pour chocolate on top and let drip down sides. Use a chocolate fork or slotted spatula to remove the stack from the chocolate. Allow the chocolate to drip from the stack for a minute or two (or you’ll end up with lots of pooled chocolate) and then place on sheet pan. Repeat until all stacks have been dipped.
If you are using the yellow chocolate Mickey Mouse topper, place one on each stack after you have dipped it.
Allow everything to set at least 4 hours or overnight. Enjoy!

Notes

Making marshmallows is a sticky, hot mess. You will need to wear an apron, close toed shoes, and make sure you have a candy thermometer and the clear space to work.
Be OK with the fact that you were going to lose some of the marshmallow in the mixing bowl, on your spoon, and probably on your hands. It’s OK! You’ll have plenty left over.
Any leftover marshmallows in the pan can be cut and tossed in powdered sugar. Keep in an airtight container up to a week.
When tempering chocolate, keep all moisture and liquids away from the chocolate.
If chocolate starts to cool after it is tempered, microwave for 5-10 seconds.
A note on pan sizes. I mention that the fudge is made in a loaf pan and the marshmallows are made in an 8″ square pan. Both hold around 8 cups capacity so you would be able to make both in the 8″ square pan. I was able to get 6 squares of fudge from the loaf pan, I just had to smoosh a few pieces together as noted in the recipe above. Force of habit of making fudge in a loaf pan automatically had me write the recipe this way!

Mickey’s Celebration Churro

July 29, 2019 by Elana Lepkowski Leave a Comment

Where can I find the original treat?

This specialty churro was part of the “Get Your Ears On” celebration found near the Small World Promenade at the Disneyland resort.

Well, July is almost over and that means that Churro Month is coming to an end (for now). And to conclude this on a celebratory note, today we’ve got Mickey’s Celebration Churro for our final churro recipe.

This fun chocolate churro was another favorite of mine, mostly because it was doused in warm cookie butter. And I heard from a number of followers that this too was a win, albeit a bit messy!

Remember, check out all the notes following the recipe below for some tips and tricks to making churros at home. These are definitely easy to make once you get the hang of everything.

Here we’ve got a chocolate churro that’s been covered in chocolate cinnamon sugar, drizzled with cookie butter, sprinkled with sparkling sugar crystals, and then it gets covered in black, white, and red Mickey Mouse decorettes. I opted to purchase cookie butter for ease of use with this recipe, but if you have a recipe for it you like, go ahead and use that! I’ve found that the cookie butter spread at Trader Joes was similar in taste to what was at the park. Also, if you enjoy making Disneyland-inspired treats at home, Amazon has a wealth of options currently for this Mickey Mouse decorettes.

Ok, let’s start up that cooking oil one last time and make some churros!

Mickey’s Celebration Churro

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Author: Elana Lepkowski
Yield: 16 – 18 churros 1x

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Description

Celebrate Mickey with this chocolate churro covered with chocolate cinnamon-sugar, warm cookie butter, sugar crystals, and black, white, and red Mickey Mouse decorettes! A Disneyland-inspired treat.

Ingredients

Scale

Chocolate Churros

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1/4 cup white sugar crystals
1/2 cup cookie butter (I used Trader Joes brand here)
black, white, and red Mickey Mouse decorettes

vegetable oil for frying
1 cup water
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 eggs

Marshmallow Creme

3/4 cup glucose or corn syrup
1 ounce egg white
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons vanilla extract
1–2 tablespoons milk (start with one and increase if needed)
red food dye
yellow “buttons” (I used M&Ms)

Tools:

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Instructions

Chocolate Churros:

Line two half sized sheet pans with parchment, set aside. Mix together the 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, cinnamon and cocoa powder in a long shallow bowl or loaf pan, set aside.
Warm the cookie butter in the microwave about 45 seconds. Stir and set aside. Optionally, you can pour the warmed cookie butter into squeeze bottle. Keep near the stove while cooking so it stays warm.
In a medium sized saucepan over medium-high heat, combine water, butter, sugar and salt. Bring to a boil, or until butter has melted.
Turn burner to low and sift in all the flour and cocoa powder. Stir until there are no visible flour lumps and dough has begun to stick together in a ball and pulled away from the sides of the pan. Remove pan from heat and let sit 5 minutes. Then stir in each egg until incorporated. Dough will appear to break or become lumpy. Continue to stir until it forms a smooth, sticky dough.
Fill a pastry bag fitted with a Wilton 1 M open star tip half full with batter (see notes below on filling pastry bags) and pipe 8″ long dough onto the sheet pan. I was able to fill two sheet pans with all the batter.
Refrigerate dough at least 30 minutes and up to two days. Batter will stiffen the more it sits, so let the dough come to room temperature before frying.
Fill a dutch oven or deep frying pan with vegetable oil at least 2″ up the side of the pan (I found a 1/2 gallon of avocado oil worked for me in my large dutch oven. See note below about reusing oil.). Heat oil to 340-350°f, using a candy thermometer to keep the temperature constant. You may need to adjust heat up or down during cooking.
Place churros 2-3 at a time in the cooking oil for 6 minutes, turning after 3 minutes with a spatula. Wait until oil comes back to temperature before adding next batch.
Using a spider or large spatula, remove churros from oil and drain on a cooling rack over parchment or on a paper towel. Wait at least a minute and then toss the churro in the chocolate cinnamon-sugar, tapping off any excess. Then move them back to the cooling rack. Drizzle cookie butter on the churros, sprinkle the sugar crystals, and then the Mickey decorettes.
While churros cool slightly, make the marshmallow creme dip.

Marshmallow Creme:

Combine glucose or corn syrup, egg white, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on high for 5-10 minutes until doubled in size.
Once doubled, move speed to low and pour in powdered sugar in a constant stream and mix until fully combined. You may have to stop and scrape down sides of bowl. Add in one tablespoon of milk. Add in additional milk if you’d like the creme runnier. Mix in vanilla extract.
Remove 1/2 cup of mixture into a separate container and add in 3-4 drops of red food dye until desired color is reached. Top marshmallow creme with the yellow M&M “buttons”.
The rest of the marshmallow creme can be sealed in an air-tight container and refrigerated up to a month.
Dip churros in marshmallow creme. Enjoy!

Notes

Do not overfill your pastry bag! Fill in two to three batches. If there is too much dough, it will seep out the top and will be hard to pipe.
Slowly pipe out dough all of a consistent size, smaller spots on the churro can cause them to become more fragile while handling and can break in the oil or while coating in sugar.
Churro dough can be piped out onto parchment and covered in the fridge up to 48 hours.
If you want to make you churros immediately after making dough without the chilling time, once oil has reached temp, starting about one inch above the oil, pipe a small line of dough down into oil and either snip end with scissors, or break the dough off the pastry tip on the side of your pan. Follow directions above for frying.
Thicker churros will require a longer cooking time to fully cook through the center. Test one churro first to adjust your cooking time.
Cooking oil can be fine strained and stored again for another use. I strain back into the bottle it came from. Well strained oil can be stored in a cool, dry place and used up to several times.
Churros curling? That could be one of a few reasons. One is that it will naturally shrink and change shape as the dough hits the oil and puffs up. I found that the stiffer dough from sitting in the fridge resulted in straighter churros while fresher dough tending to curl more. Also, if you’re using a circular pot like a dutch oven, churros may rest against the inside edge of the pan while cooking causing them to take on the curved shape of the pan. To prevent this, nudge your churro with the spider or spatula immediately after placing in oil when it pops back up to the surface. Continue to nudge gently back and forth for about 20-40 seconds or until the dough has gotten stiff in the oil.

Mickey Mouse Celebration Whoopie Pies

May 27, 2019 by Elana Lepkowski Leave a Comment

Where can I find the original treat?

These specialty treats were found at the Grand Californian Hotel.

Disneyland’s “Get Your Ears On” celebration is sadly coming to a close this week at the parks, but that doesn’t mean the celebration has to stop in your kitchen! We’re popping back in to White Water Snacks at the Grand Californian Hotel to recreate their massive Mickey Mouse Celebration Whoopie Pie. Bonus: there’s sprinkles involved.

I consider myself a bit of a whoopie pie master. A few years back I decided to make some for a friend’s party and they were such a hit I feel like I haven’t stopped making them for friends and clients ever since. (I even made an adult’s only version with Kerrygold Irish Cream that is definitely worth checking out if that’s your thing.) The cakes are not super sweet because HELLO! they’re filled with vanilla buttercream and sprinkles; it’s a great balance that prevents them from becoming too sweet.

Now let’s talk about the white chocolate medallion. This was purely an optional step on my part to really recreate what you get in the parks. The Mickey Mouse design on there is done with a printer outfitted with edible inks!! I have one!! If you are considering purchasing one, they’re not really that expensive. But unless you are doing lots of decorating that requires such a thing (or, *coughcough*, starting a side project based on a certain theme park’s foods), this is definitely not something you need to get. My kids didn’t even bother eating the medallion because they found the artwork too interesting to destroy.

One tool that I do find helpful for making the whoopie pies is a disher. Dishers are used a lot by institutions for serving food that needs to be a certain amount. They are usually color coded to help identify them in the kitchen. However, they are excellent products to have in your kitchen since they scoop perfect sized cookies, or ice cream, or meatballs, or anything else that needs to be measured. A blue handled, #16, 2 ounce disher is the perfect way to dish out the batter for each whoopie pie half (yes, there is FOUR OUNCES OF CAKE you’re getting per whoopie pie). Feel free to size this down though if you’d like more petite whoopie pies. You’ll need to reduce baking time though depending on how small you go.

Ok, I feel like I’ve written enough here, let’s make some whoopie pies!

Mickey Mouse Celebration Whoopie Pies

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Author: Elana Lepkowski
Yield: 5 cakes

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Description

Rich chocolate whoopie pies are filled with sweet vanilla buttercream, sprinkled with Mickey Mouse decorettes, and topped with a white chocolate Celebration Mickey Mouse. A Disneyland-inspired treat from the “Get Your Ears On” celebration.

Ingredients

Cakes: 
1/2 lb. butter 
1 cup light brown sugar, packed 
1 egg 
1 teaspoon baking powder
 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 
3/4 teaspoon salt 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
1/2 cup cocoa, dutch-processed 
10 ounces all purpose flour 
1 cup milk (or milk substitute like almond)

Filling (this filling can be doubled if you want extra filling): 
1/2 stick (2 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
 1/2 pound powdered sugar 
2-1/2 tablespoons heavy cream

Mickey Mouse celebration decorettes
2-1/2 ounces white candy melts, optional (for medallions)

Tools:
#16, 2 ounce disher

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Instructions

Filling:

Prepare the frosting by creaming together the butter and powdered sugar until smooth.
Pour in the heavy cream until incorporated. Filling can be kept refrigerated in a sealed container up to three days.

Cakes:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Make the cakes by creaming the sugar and butter together until smooth. Add in the egg and mix until incorporated.
Next add in baking powder, baking soda, salt and vanilla extract. Mix until well combined.
Sift in cocoa powder and mix until combined.
Mix in 1/2 of flour and 1/2 the milk, and then mix in second half of flour and then the rest of the milk. Stir until just combined.
Scoop out a 1/4 cup of mixture (or use the #16 disher) onto a sheet pan covered in parchment. You can fit 5 scoops on each sheet pan. Bake 18-22 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean from the center.
Cool on sheet pan and then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling completely. Store in an air tight container until ready to use.
To assemble, spread filling on flat side of one half of the cakes. Top with second half of cake.
Sprinkle Mickey Mouse decorettes to sides of whoopie pies.
Set any extra frosting aside to attach medallions if making.

Medallions (optional)

Melt the white candy melts in a microwave safe container like glass for 30 seconds, stir, and then continue to microwave in short bursts of 15-20 seconds, stirring between times, until fully melted and smooth. Optionally, melt using a double boiler.
Next, line 5 standard muffin tins, covering bottoms and all the way up the sides, with cling wrap.
Pour in candy melts among the 5 tins, making sure it is evenly distributed.
Let set about 30 minutes and then, using the cling wrap, gently remove the discs and set aside.
If using a chocolate transfer design, follow the directions on the package and adhere to medallion.
Use remaining frosting to add a dot to the top of each assembled whoopie pie and adhere the medallion to the top.

Notes

A disher will help get even, rounded whoopie pies that are also consistent in size.
Frosting can be made ahead of time and kept refrigerated up to 3 days.

Minnie Mouse Rice Krispie Treat Pops

May 20, 2019 by Elana Lepkowski 1 Comment

Minnie Mouse Rice Crispie Pops // magicaltreatsathome.com

Where can I find the original treat?

These treats can be found at the Candy Palace on Main Street in Disneyland.

Since we covered Mickey Mouse doughnuts last week, I figured it was definitely time to give Minnie Mouse a turn. If you’re looking for a nostalgic treat, these Minnie Mouse Rice Krispie Treat Pops fit the bill!

Chewy, Minnie Mouse shaped rice krispie pops are dipped into red and light cocoa candy melts and decorated with red sprinkles, white buttons, and Minnie’s signature red bow. The trick to getting that chewiness is with the butter; don’t skimp on it or the rice krispie treats will turn rock hard. Still edible, but rock hard.

Also, try not to use too large of a sauce pan to melt the marshmallows in. If there’s too much space once you add in the cereal, what happens is the marshmallows have too much space to move around in, and will start to dry out and form strings, making it harder to mix together. I used the red candy melts to also make the bows in addition to the dipped lower half. If you are more advanced with your chocolate, go ahead and use high quality white chocolate here with red food dye and temper.

There are lots of variations of these rice krispie treats throughout the parks. If you have a favorite one, let us know in the comments below, or shoot us an email at hello@magicaltreatsathome.com and we’ll add it to our list of treats to make.

With this post, I’ve also started to note which recipes kids can participate. A big reason for starting this site, apart from having Disneyland treats whenever I want them, was to get my kids more involved with baking and cooking projects at home. I started helping in the kitchen at an early age (maybe four?), and that helped cement a life long love of creating with food. Many people find baking intimidating because they did not do it at home, or had parents who didn’t do it or let them help, and because baking is, well, more specific, it can seem daunting. So, if you’re a little uneasy with the idea of baking, these kid friendly recipes are a great place to start!

Kid Friendly tips:

Older kids can complete this recipe from start to finish. Have an adult supervise when using the stove.
Elementary age kids can help cut out shapes, dip in chocolate, and put on the sprinkles and decorations.
Very young kids can help sprinkle on the sanding sugar. Sprinkling on decorations is always a good task for the very little ones! (If the sanding sugar on these looks a bit uneven that’s because my two year old helped me with that!)

Minnie Mouse Rice Krispie Treat Pops

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Author: Elana Lepkowski
Yield: 3 Minnie Mouse Pops

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Description

Crispy, chewy, chocolatey Minnie Mouse shaped rice krispie treat pops. A Disneyland-inspired treat.

Ingredients

For the rice krispie treat:
2 tablespoons butter, unsalted
157 g ( 2 cups) mini marshmallows or 10 jumbo marshmallows, ripped apart
1-1/2 cups crisped rice cereal

For the chocolate dips:
2 ounces light cocoa candy melts
2 ounces red candy melts

For the bow:
8 red candy melts
1/2 ounce white candy melts

Decorations:
red sanding sugar
white M&Ms

Tools:
Minnie Mouse cutter
parchment
9″ bread loaf pan
Minnie Mouse bow mold
lollipop sticks

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Instructions

For the rice krispie treat:

Before beginning, line a 9″ bread loaf pan with parchment.
Combine the butter and marshmallows in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Stir constantly until marshmallows have melted and mixture is smooth.
Immediately dump in the crisped rice cereal and mix to combine.
Pour into the prepared loaf pan and gently press mixture into place with a rubber spatula. Set aside for at least an hour in the refrigerator so that the mixture can firm up enough to cut shapes.
Once firm, use parchment to lift out rice krispie treats. Use a Minnie Mouse shaped cutter to cut out shapes and set aside.

To decorate:

First, melt the light cocoa candy melts in the microwave inside a microwave safe bowl, like glass, for 30 seconds. Stir and microwave again for an additional 30 seconds. Keep stirring and microwaving in short bursts of 15-20 seconds until melted and smooth. Use can alternatively use a double boiler for melting.
Once melted, dip top half of Minnie ears into the light cocoa. Set aside on parchment. Repeat for all treats.
Using the method above, melt the red candy melts. Dip the lower half of the Minnie Mouse treat, letting any excess drip off. Immediately sprinkle with red sanding sugar and press 5 white M&Ms into the sanding sugar. Set aside.
Make the bows by melting the remaining red candy melts using the method above. Pour into bow molds and set aside for 15 minutes.
Melt the white candy melts in a microwave safe piping bag using the method above but kneading instead of stirring.
Gently pop out bows and pipe small white polkadots on them. Set aside.
Pipe a small amount of the white candy melts onto the center head part of the rice krispie and press the bow to “glue” on.
Let everything stand for about 30 minutes and then enjoy!

Notes

The chocolate will be smoother if you use the flat side as opposed to the bumpy rice krispie side.

You can combine some extra rice krispie treat scraps into the mold to shape a third Minnie Mouse if you could not cleanly cut out 3 from your batch.

Treats can be kept in an air-tight container for up to 3 days.

Mickey Mouse Shorts Doughnuts

May 13, 2019 by Elana Lepkowski 1 Comment

Where can I find the original treat?

These vanilla cake doughnuts can only be found at Craftsman Bar and Grill (formerly White Water Snacks) inside the Grand Californian Hotel in Downtown Disney.

I found myself googling “does Mickey Mouse wear pants or shorts?” this morning to make sure I was getting the title correct for this treat. Answer: most definitely shorts.

And these are most definitely delicious and easy to make. My #1 easy tip for this is that you most certainly can use store bought doughnuts to make these. The actual treat from White Water snacks reminds me of grocery store doughnuts (like Donettes!), but today I’m also providing a super quick (and I mean quick!) recipe to make baked doughnuts. So put that vat of hot oil away for another day (like churro making day… we have a lot of those recipes coming up!).

One surprise after dissecting my doughnut to find out all the components… Disneyland uses M&Ms to make all their buttons for treats! Who knew? Well, maybe you if you’re like me and need to know how they make everything.

If you can find chocolate wafers, go ahead and use those for the ears, however since my chocolate wafers were on the small side, I used the same candy melts chocolate to make rounds in a mold, and then that chocolate was used again to coat the ears and doughnut.

Mickey Mouse Shorts Doughnuts

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Author: Elana Lepkowski
Yield: 6 doughnuts 1x

Print Recipe

Description

Vanilla cake doughnuts dipped in chocolate look a lot like Mickey Mouse’s shorts. A Disneyland-inspired treat!

Ingredients

Scale

Vanilla Cake Doughnuts
Adapted from King Arthur Flour

2 tablespoons butter
25g (1/8 cup) vegetable oil (or refined coconut oil)
49g (1/3 cup) granulated sugar
35g (1/4 cup) brown sugar
1 large eggs
3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
159g (1-1/3 cups) Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
113g (1/2 cup) milk (or milk substitute like almond milk)

Chocolate Discs

1–1/2 ounces light cocoa candy melts

Decorating

5–1/2 ounces light cocoa candy melts
3-1/2 ounces red candy melts
12 yellow M&Ms

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Instructions

For the doughnuts:

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly grease one standard doughnut pan.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, beat together the butter, vegetable oil, and sugars until smooth.
Add the eggs, beating to combine.
Stir in the baking powder, baking soda, salt, and vanilla.
Stir the flour into the butter mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour and making sure everything is thoroughly combined.
Spoon the batter into the lightly greased doughnut pans, filling the wells to about 1/4″ shy of the rim.
Bake the doughnuts for 10 minutes. Remove them from the oven, and wait 5 to 7 minutes before turning them out of the pans onto a rack.

For the Chocolate Discs:

Melt candy melts in a microwave safe bowl (preferably glass) or piping bag for 30 seconds. Stir, and continue to microwave in short bursts until fully melted and smooth. (I found once more at 30 seconds and then again at 20 seconds worked for me, but your microwave may be different)
Pour melted chocolate into round molds about 1/8″ high or alternatively, pipe out into rounds on parchment.
Wait 10 minutes and then remove from molds. The discs are ready to use.

For assembly and decorating:

Start by cutting two slits for the chocolate discs in each doughnut for the ears along the seam line of the doughnut. Insert the discs halfway into the doughnut. Set aside.
Melt the light cocoa candy melts following the method above. Alternatively you can do this over a double boiler as well.
Dip the doughnut half including the “ears” into the melted light cocoa candy melts. See note below if you have trouble keeping the discs in place.
Set the dipped doughnuts down on parchment and melt the red candy melts using the same method above or in a double boiler. Dip the bottom half of the doughnut in the red candy melts, overlapping with the light cocoa candy melts. Immediately press two yellow M&Ms into the red to make Mickey’s buttons. Set aside.
These take about 30 minutes to fully set and can be eaten then, or stored in an air tight container for up to 3 days.

Notes

Several components can be purchased instead of made. The doughnuts and chocolate discs can be store-bought and assembled.
If the discs pop out while dipping the doughnut into the melted chocolate, remove them and dip the doughnut separately, and then they can be dipped separately in the melted chocolate and inserted into the doughnuts.
Never rest items that have been dipped into candy melts on a wire rack. Always use parchment paper or you risk the melted chocolate fusing onto the wires and ripping off once cool.

Chocolate Covered Pineapple Spears

May 6, 2019 by Elana Lepkowski 2 Comments

A Disneyland-inspired treat!

Disneyland Inspired Chocolate Covered Pineapple Spears // magicaltreatsathome.com

Where can I find the original treat?

These treats can be found in Disneyland, DCA, and Downtown Disney!

This treat might seem a bit odd to kick off a site devoted to making all the delicious foods found at Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure. Sure, I never gave this treat a second look when I was visiting the park until I saw a photo on Instagram. And then it soon became one of my FAVORITE treats and I don’t even feel like I’m particularly indulging because… well, FRUIT. The combination of tart pineapple with rich, dark chocolate is just so delish.

Eating this can kinda be a bit of a HOT MESS at the parks too, especially while trying to act totally casual in front of crowds of people while juice runs down your face and hands. And arms. And maybe even your shirt. At home you can eat this over the sink with or without a shirt on. You can also make them small, or even use pineapple chunks and just pop a few at a time. Actually, that sounds so good I’m going to go and do that right now.

But first, of course, the recipe. To create that snappy exterior, the chocolate must be tempered and I have an easy microwave how-to below with a few tips at the end. However, if you just want to enjoy that pineapple spear dipped in chocolate, then just go ahead and melt some chocolate and dip away!

Tell me, have you tried one of these chocolate covered pineapple spears? Was it love at first bite?

Chocolate Covered Pineapple Spears

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star No reviews

Author: Elana Lepkowski
Yield: 6–8 chocolate covered pineapple spears 1x

Print Recipe

Description

Juicy pineapple spears enrobed in rich, bittersweet chocolate. A Disneyland-inspired treat!

Ingredients

Scale

6–8 pineapple spears about 4″-5″ in length
8 ounces (227 g) 70% bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped and divided
2 ounces (60 grams) white candy melts
6″ lollipop sticks

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Instructions

First, pat your pineapple spears to remove any excess juice on the outside and set aside.
Next, temper the chocolate. In a microwave safe bowl, add 2/3 of the chocolate. Microwave for 30 seconds, stir, microwave for another 30 seconds. Stir again and microwave in short bursts of 15-20 seconds until chocolate has uniformly melted and has reached between 114° – 118°F. Then add in some of the remaining chocolate, stir to completely melt and then add more (I did three batches). Continue to stir the chocolate until it has cooled to 88° – 89°F. The chocolate is now tempered and ready to use.
Working quickly, dip each pineapple spear in the chocolate and use a fork to turn it around and remove the spear, letting any excess chocolate drip off before placing onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
Next, in a microwave safe pastry bag, pour in white candy melts and microwave for 30 seconds. Knead the bag and microwave in 20-30 second bursts, kneading in between each round. When fully melted, snip end of bag to make a small hole for piping. Pipe across pineapples to make stripes.
Insert a lollipop stick into each pineapple base. Will keep refrigerated up to 3 days.

Notes

Tempering Chocolate tips:

Tempering chocolate creates a glossy sheen and a crisp snap
Using short bursts of time makes controlling the temperature easier
Keep all moisture and liquids away from the chocolate while tempering
Use an instant read candy thermometer with a clip (we like this one)
If chocolate starts to cool, microwave for 5-10 seconds
If you do not have a candy thermometer, read this article on tempering without one: https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-temper-chocolate-without-a-thermometer-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-196475
And if you don’t have the time to temper your chocolate, just melt and dip and eat!

chocolate

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A Disneyland-inspired treat!

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