treat

Christmas Tree Churro

December 9, 2019 by Elana Lepkowski Leave a Comment

Where can I find the original treat?

This holiday treat is located in Critter Country.

I haven’t counted, but I would bet there are more holiday churros out there than candy apples or rice crispy treats this year. There are just SO many to choose from, and narrowing down which I was going to choose came down to two things: flavor and nostalgia. And that churro was the Christmas Tree Churro.

Here’s the weird thing about this particular churro, it was made differently from the posted photo, and I’ve seen it look different even from other people’s photos of it. So, I have to approach this recipe with a caveat: it might be different from what you had, but one thing everyone had in common was that it came with the cherry dipping sauce.

Now, it’s this cherry dipping sauce, with a very jelly-like consistency reminiscent of a doughnut or pie filling, that filled me with nostalgia. When I was younger, my Grandmother would make mini cheesecakes topped with jarred cherry jelly for every occasion. I’m talking birthdays, holidays, baby showers, pretty much any gathering we attended in the ’80’s and ’90’s always included a tray of these treats. And I loved them. Really, really loved them. I could probably eat 10 of these if no one was looking. I think I can pinpoint to these treats starting my obsession with cheesecake that still is going strong decades later.

Anyways, these churros are the classic churro rolled in cookie crumbles and sprinkled with green (and apparently sometimes red) sanding sugar. The side comes with it (as opposed to costing extra), and altogether make for a classic looking holiday treat. I really love the buttery flavor the cookies impart here (similar to those Banana Pudding Churros from earlier in the year), and the tart cherry flavor cuts the sweetness back a bit, so combined it’s well balanced.

After these are fried up, kids can lend a hand to help decorate. Rolling in cookies (even crushing the cookies), and sprinkling toppings are all kid friendly here.

So, find some holiday music, heat up the oil, and start frying these tasty holiday treats! Enjoy!

Christmas Tree Churro

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Author: Elana Lepkowski
Yield: 10–16 churros (depending on tip size) 1x

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Description

This Christmas tree inspired holiday churro is decked out in red and green sanding sugar, edible stars, and rolled in buttery cookie pieces. A Disneyland-inspired treat.

Ingredients

Scale

1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
big pinch of salt
1 cup all purpose flour
2 eggs
vegetable oil for frying
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 package of Walker’s shortbread cookies (about 9 fingers), crushed
2 tablespoons green sanding sugar
2 tablespoons red sanding sugar
edible stars
cherry jam or pie filling

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Instructions

First, line two half sized sheet pans with parchment, set aside. Mix together 1/2 cup of granulated sugar and cinnamon in a long shallow bowl or loaf pan, set aside.
Next, crush cookies in a ziplock bag with a rolling pin until finely ground. Alternatively, you can pulse in a food processor until a sand-like consistency forms. Set aside in a large, shallow bowl.
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 pour in all the flour at once. 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 (for thinner churros) or with a Ateco 847 closed star tip (for thicker churros, shown in this post) half full with batter (see notes below on filling pastry bags).
If not frying immediately, pipe 6-8″ long dough onto the sheet pan. 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.
If frying immediately, 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 a few degrees.
Place (if piped earlier) or pipe churros 2-3 at a time into the cooking oil for 6 minutes, turning after 3 minutes with a spatula or spider. Wait until oil comes back to temperature before adding next batch. Thicker churros may need an additional 30 seconds to one minute to fully cook through.
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 cinnamon sugar, tapping off any excess. Then roll churro in the cookie crumbs, lightly pressing to adhere. Set churro aside. Repeat with all the churros.
Next, sprinkle churros with red and green sanding sugar, and edible stars.
Finally, serve churros with a small dipping bowl of the cherry filling.

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 Peppermint Beignets

December 2, 2019 by Elana Lepkowski Leave a Comment

Where can I find the original treat?

This holiday time treat can be found at the Mint Julep Bar at the Disneyland Resort.

Peppermint is a very holiday time flavor. From candy canes to chocolate bark to all manner of baked goods, you cannot escape this refreshing addition to treats this time of year. At Disneyland, there is an obvious peppermint theme going on… there are even Mickey Mouse peppermint candy shaped pillows this year. And they smell of peppermint, and yes, I’ve bought a couple for Christmas decorating. So of course I also had to try a batch of the holiday time favorite at the park, the Mickey Mouse shaped Peppermint Beignets.

What I love about these is that they don’t go overboard on the peppermint. It’s a nice balance between the sweet powdered sugar with enough of a “touch” of peppermint so that you can taste and see it (pink powdered sugar!), but your mouth isn’t overwhelmed by the bracing coolness that can accompany peppermint.

Making these at home you can adjust that up or down to your preference. I kept my peppermint addition close to what I feel you get at the parks but if you looooove some peppermint flavor, you’ll definitely want to up the candy canes here. And yes! We’re using ground up candy canes to flavor the powdered sugar!

These beignets follow the same recipe as the classic beignets, or any of the other flavored ones on this site. It’s the addition of the peppermint that gives these the unique holiday twist.

One question I got last time was about freezing the dough. The short answer is yes, you can do the 30 minute proof in the bowl, roll it out, cut the shapes, and then freeze in plastic wrap. You can keep it frozen up to a month. When ready to use, you can remove from the freezer, and let thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Then unwrap from plastic, move to your counter, cover with a towel, and let rise two hours. I found that they did not puff up as well in the oil, but I only did one test of these so there could have been other factors here I haven’t taken into consideration. If you’ve frozen and then fried, let me know how yours turned out!

Also, remember to read through all the notes after the recipe for some helpful tricks and notes! OK, now let’s get that oil hot and make some holiday beignets!

Mickey Mouse Peppermint Beignets

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Author: Elana Lepkowski
Yield: 15 – 18 Mickey Mouse Peppermint Beignets 1x

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Description

Melt-in-your-mouth Mickey Mouse Peppermint Beignets are full of holiday spirit with a minty crushed candy canes and lots of powdered sugar! A Disneyland-inspired treat.

Ingredients

Scale

1/2 teaspoon dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (105º)
1/4 cup (50 g) sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening (I used refined coconut oil)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 egg
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup boiling water
Vegetable oil for frying, like avocado
1 cup powdered sugar
2–3 mini candy canes, crushed (I used a coffee grinder for fine and small chunks of candy)

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Instructions

Sprinkle yeast over warm water in a small bowl, gently stirring to dissolve. Let stand for 5 minutes.
Combine sugar, shortening, salt, heavy cream, egg, flour and boiling water in a large bowl. Mix until everything is just combined and then stir in yeast mixture. With the dough hook attachment of an electric mixer on medium speed, mix the dough just until combined and smooth. About 3-4 minutes. Let dough rest for 30 minutes in the bowl.
Flour your surface and roll to 1/4-inch thickness. Using the Mickey Mouse cutter, cut dough pieces, twisting slightly, and carefully removing dough from around cutter before releasing. You may have to combine dough and roll out again to cut more shapes out. Cover with a towel and let dough rise until doubled in size in a warm, draft-free area, about 1-1/2 to 2 hours.
While dough is rising, mix together the powdered sugar and crushed candy canes in a large bowl. Set aside.
Pour enough oil into a deep-sided, heavy bottomed pot until it reaches 2 inches up sides; heat oil over medium heat to 370°F.
Add 2-3 beignets to oil; fry until golden brown on both sides, about a minute each, turning once.
Remove from hot oil with a slotted spoon and place on a baking sheet lined with paper towels.
Let rest at least five minutes, and then toss in the powdered sugar and candy cane mix. You can sift extra sugar over all the beignets before serving.

Notes

Candy canes clumping when you crush them? Add a teaspoon of powdered sugar to the mix. It will absorb some of the excess oil the candy might give off.
If you are in a higher altitude, your dough may need less time to rise for the second proof.
Dough may have to be recombined and rolled a second time if you have a lot of scraps.
Wait for oil to come back to temperature before adding next batch of beignets to the pot.
No dough hook attachment? Knead dough until smooth and shiny, about 5-8 minutes and then proceed with the recipe.
Want to make these at night for the next morning? After cutting Mickey Mouse shapes out. Transfer to a baking sheet and let rest, covered with a towel, in the refrigerator overnight. Let come to room temperature before frying in the morning. Dough shapes can also be frozen and then left in refrigerator overnight and fried off.
If your dough gets a skin while rising, put the sticky side down first into the oil to avoid tearing while the beignet expands.
Strain your oil after it reaches room temperature. It can be used again!

Disneyland Holiday Cupcakes 2019

November 25, 2019 by Elana Lepkowski Leave a Comment

Where can I find the original treat?

This holiday time treat can be found at the Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe at the Disneyland resort.

I’m having a pretty hard time this year trying to narrow down what to eat treat-wise every week at the park; the offerings this year are just so good! One of my stops is always the Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe because the baked goods there almost never disappoint. Case in point, the Holiday Cupcake. Which is what we’re making this week!

With such a nondescript name, the “Holiday Cupcake” could be anything, and what it is, is a moist vanilla bean cupcake with a tight crumb, lightly sweetened two-tone frosting, delicate red and white sugar pearl decorations, edible silver stars, a peppermint-inspired white chocolate candy, and a surprise filling of red and green M&M’s candies. What a mouthful! What could easily be a treat too sweet to finish, is actually pretty balanced in that department and I think it has to do with the lightly sweetened frosting. Landing somewhere between an Italian buttecream and Ermine frosting, it’s light like whipped cream, but stable, and very lightly sweetened.

So, for this recipe I’m going with Ermine frosting, a boiled milk style frosting, which might not be a familiar name to some people, but it’s actually been around for some time. Ermine has a whipped cream like texture when made fresh, and was the original type of frosting for red velvet cakes before the ubiquitous cream cheese frosting took over. I love to use it on cakes as a filling and outer layer, and then decorate with American buttercream for decorations as I get the sharper edges I am looking for when I want stars and lines. I hope you try the combination, people I’ve served it to love the contrast in frostings!

The vanilla cupcake base utilizes vanilla bean paste so you get to see all the tiny vanilla bean seeds throughout the cake. It’s moist but holds up to cutting as you’ll need a bit of a tighter crumb for hollowing out the center to fill with candy.

And the decorations, well, here you can go as big and bold as you want. Or tone it down too. The sugar pearls and the edible stars can easily be purchased from Amazon or your local craft store like Michael’s. The peppermint inspired white chocolates can be made at home (I know these are definitely looking homemade!), but you could also sub in an actual peppermint here too, and I think that would look pretty.

Kids can help in a few ways here. My 2-1/2 year old helped me mix the cupcakes, fill them, and decorate. But I’d say maybe 5 and up could handle piping out the frosting too.

Decorating cupcakes in such a festive way has really gotten me into the holiday spirit this year. And I hope they bring a little magic into your home and kitchen too!

Disneyland Holiday Cupcakes 2019

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Author: Elana Lepkowski
Yield: 12 Holiday Cupcakes 1x

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Description

The Holiday Cupcake is a festively decorated vanilla bean cupcake topped with two-toned, lightly sweetened ermine frosting, with a candy filled surprise center. A Disneyland-inspired treat.

Ingredients

Scale

For the cupcakes (adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction):

1 and 2/3 cup (210g) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
2 large egg whites
1/4 cup (60g) Greek yogurt
3/4 cup (180ml) milk (or non-dairy milk)
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste

For the frosting (adapted from Wilton):

1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup cream
1 cup butter, softened (2 sticks)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the decoration:

green food coloring gel (Leaf green from Americolor used here)
red sugar pearls
white sugar pearls
silver edible stars
1 cup white melting chocolate wafers
1 ounce red candy melts
red and green M&M’s (~72)

Specialty Tools:

holiday cupcake liners
3/4” round cutter (I use one from this set)
pastry bags
Wilton 2A pastry tip
hemisphere mold

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Instructions

For the cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line muffin pan with 12 cupcake liners. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt butter in the microwave. Whisk in sugar – mixture will be gritty. Whisk in egg whites, yogurt, milk or milk substitute, and vanilla bean paste until combined.
Slowly mix dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until no lumps remain. Batter will be thick.
Divide batter among 12 cupcake liners and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool.

For the frosting:

In medium saucepan, stir together sugar, flour and salt. Whisk in cream until smooth. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until very thick, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and pour into medium bowl; press plastic wrap over top of mixture and sides of bowl to seal completely and prevent a skin from forming. Let cool to room temperature, about 1 to 1-1/2 hours.
In a stand mixer, beat butter at medium speed for 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Slowly drizzle cream mixture into whipped butter and beat until smooth, scraping down bottom and sides of bowl often. Add vanilla and beat 3 more minutes, or until frosting reaches the consistency of whipped cream.
Remove 2/3 of the frosting and spread it into a large piping bag, fitted with a Wilton 2A tip, on one side of the bag. Set aside.
To the remaining frosting, add one drop of the leaf green food coloring. Whip until all the frosting is green.
To make the two tones frosting, you’ll need to spread the green frosting inside the pastry bag on top of the white cream, so that it is in two layers. Twist the bag and push the frosting towards the tip. Pipe some of the frosting out in a swirl until both colors have appeared. Set aside.

For the decorations:

At least one hour before decorating the cupcakes, melt the white chocolate 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. Repeat for the red candy melts and transfer them into a small pastry bag. Cut a small amount of the tip off the end.
Pipe the red candy melts as lines mimicking peppermint candy swirls inside the round molds. Then pour the white chocolate over the red and, using a toothpick, swirl the two together. Refrigerate about 45 minutes to an hour. Then pop out the candies and set aside.
Take the 3/4″ cutter and press firmly into the center of the cupcake. Twist and lift the cutter to remove the center. Repeat for all the cupcakes. Save the insides for cake pops, or eat them if you wish!
Fill each center of the cupcake with 6 red and green M&M’s candy. Set aside and repeat with the other cupcakes.
Next, pipe out a swirl of frosting on each cupcake, and then sprinkle the edible silver stars on top. Place red and white sugar pearls on the frosting.
Finally, place a peppermint inspired white chocolate (or real peppermint if you choose) on the cupcake. Enjoy!

Notes

If you cannot find vanilla bean paste, you can substitute vanilla extract 1:1 and scrape in some vanilla bean seeds from half a pod, or leave out the seeds entirely.
Store cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days and in the refrigerator up to 7.
The cream mixture can be refrigerated up to three days and brought to room temperature before mixing into the butter.
Ermine frosting can be refrigerated up to 3-4 days in an airtight container. It needs to be whipped again before using. If frosting is too cold when whipped it will appear to break. But don’t worry! Keep whipping for several minutes and it will combine and become smooth again like whipped cream.

Churro Marshmallow Wand

November 18, 2019 by Elana Lepkowski 5 Comments

Where can I find the original treat?

This holiday time treat can be found at Trolley Treats and Marceline’s Confectionery at the Disneyland Resort.

One of the cult favorite treats at Disneyland, Churro Toffee, is getting a new twist this holiday season as the coating for a marshmallow wand! What might seem like ‘sugar on a stick’ is actually a pretty tasty treat that doesn’t leave your teeth singing. And we’re making some today!

This treat was consistently selling out when they debuted it. When I tried one at Trolley Treats in DCA, the man behind the counter told me that just moments before a guy came in and bought 12 for his coworkers. WHAT A NICE COWORKER TO HAVE!!!

I’m sure they’ll stock more, but in the meantime, making these in your kitchen is definitely an option. There’s a lot of layers here, but if you get everything lined up and ready, it’s pretty quick to move through all the steps and get a handful ready and made.

Now, the original treat has crushed pieces of the churro toffee dusted over the outside, i.e., very, very, tiny pieces of toffee. Here I opted not to crush mine too small, so that I get some nice crunchy pieces with the soft, pillow-y marshmallows. And if you’re not familiar with these wands, they layer them as such: 3 marshmallows on a lollipop stick, dipped in caramel, and then dipped again in white chocolate and rolled in cinnamon sugar and dusted with churro toffee. I love how the buttery caramel stands in for that thick layer of toffee you get with the Churro Toffee.

If kids are helping in the kitchen, I’d stay clear of having them dip in the caramel unless they are experienced with the stove and hot things like caramel. Otherwise, dip and set the wands with the caramel, and then they can dip into the white chocolate and roll them in the cinnamon sugar and churro toffee.

Ok churro toffee fans, time to try something a little new. And if you’re looking for a recipe for just the churro toffee, we’ve got that too! And remember to check out all our notes at the end of the recipe!

Churro Marshmallow Wand

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Author: Elana Lepkowski
Yield: 6 Churro Toffee Marshmallow Wands 1x

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Description

Soft and fluffy marshmallow wands are enrobed in creamy caramel and dipped in white chocolate with a dusting a cinnamon-sugar and churro toffee. A holiday-time Disneyland-inspired treat.

Ingredients

Scale

18 marshmallows
9 ounces (~32 candies) individually wrapped caramels (like Kraft)
1–3/4 tablespoons water
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon of coconut oil
10 ounces of white candy melts
1/4 cup of crushed churro toffee pieces (or if you don’t have any stashed away in your freezer like me, any English-style toffee will do)
6 lollipop sticks

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Instructions

Place 3 marshmallows on each lollipop stick and set aside on a parchment lined sheet pan.
Mix together the sugar and cinnamon in a large, shallow bowl that can accommodate the length of the marshmallow wand. Set aside.
Unwrap all the caramels and add to a small saucepan. Pour water in and heat over medium-low heat.
Stir constantly until everything has melted and caramels are smooth (about 7-8 minutes).
Once melted (caramels should drip in a ribbon from a spoon back into the pan), dip each wand into the caramel, turning quickly to coat OR ladle the caramel over the wand, turning to coat. Let excess caramel drip off for at least 30 seconds, turning while it drips for even coating, tap the wand gently but firmly on the edge of the pan to remove any additional excess caramel, and then place back on the parchment.
When all the wands have been dipped, place the baking sheet in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes so that the caramel will be set for dipping.
While the caramels set, melt your white chocolate for coating. Combine the white candy melts and coconut oil 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. Do not let the white chocolate get over 110°f as it can burn the chocolate (use a candy thermometer if you’re not sure about this).
Remove the marshmallow wands from the refrigerator. You’ll know they are set when they lift easily off the parchment. If they still stick, keep them in 5 minutes longer.
Set up the cinnamon sugar bowl next to your white chocolate, and set out the crushed churro toffee in a small bowl as well.
Dip the marshmallow wand in the white chocolate, or ladle chocolate over, turning to coat. Tap the stick firmly on the side of your pan to remove any excess chocolate. Then sprinkle churro toffee over the white chocolate and immediately roll in the cinnamon sugar. You can also ladle the sugar over the wand, turning to coat. Whatever is easiest for you! Then place back on the parchment.
Repeat with the remaining marshmallow wands.
Let sit at least 30 minutes to firm up or in the refrigerator for quicker results. Enjoy!

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.
If the marshmallow wands start to stick to the parchment while you are dipping and coating, stick the pan with the uncoated wands back to chill in the refrigerator for a few minutes. If your kitchen is really hot, keep them in there the whole time, taking one at a time out to coat and decorate.
If you have extra melted caramel that has dried around your wand, use kitchen shears to remove it immediately after removing from the refrigerator.
Did your chocolate coating break when you first dipped your wand in? Wait for the chocolate to cool down more. It should drip freely from a spoon without it seizing when the spoon is shaken slightly (will cause crevices in the chocolate on the spoon). If it breaks on the wand, your wand also might be too cool, so let them warm up more. And don’t worry, once that chocolate starts to firm up, you can dip it AGAIN into the chocolate to get a more even, although slightly thicker, coating.

Layered Pumpkin Cheesecake

November 11, 2019 by Elana Lepkowski Leave a Comment

Where can I find the original treat?

This treat can be found at the Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe at the Disneyland resort.

We’ve got our last of the pumpkin treats today as we say goodbye to all the fall decorations at Disneyland and head straight into Christmas. But wait! Yes, there is another holiday before then, and we’re not talking about National Peanut Butter Fudge Day (although that lands on November 20 this year). We’ve still got Thanksgiving coming this month, and that means PIE! Pumpkin pie! But if making a whole pie from scratch is just not doable, try these mini Layered Pumpkin Cheesecake jars instead!

Last year at Disneyland I tried one of these and I inhaled it in seconds; it was just so good. Admittedly I am a lover of pumpkin flavored treats and I live for cheesecake, so this layered individual dessert cup was calling my name. I was so happy they brought it back this year, but on November 8th, *poof*, it’s gone, and who knows if it will come back next year. So let’s make our own now!

These are a really great option if you’re thinking about desserts for the holidays and want to do all the prep ahead of time, even a whole day or two ahead of time. These jars are quick to put together because there’s NO COOKING! Just dirty some bowls, store everything into little jars in the fridge, and then take them out when it’s time to serve to guests (or let’s be real, yourself, 4 times).

This recipe makes just 4 individual desserts, but this can be easily scaled up (the recipe box below has a handy tool to do that with too!). You may want to increase or decrease the sugar as you scale, so remember to do a taste test when adjusting!

This might not be the most “fun” dessert for kids to make, but they can definitely help with assembly, and older kids can do the piping work. My kids always feel proud to eat anything they’ve helped make too, even if it doesn’t include sprinkles.

A note here on the jars used. In the photos I am using a Weck tulip jam jar that holds about 7.4 ounces. These are a great size for individual portions, and cute looking too. However, I find these very fragile and I do not suggest them for use with kids. Tempered glass jars, like Wean Green, or plastic lidded containers would work best if you are making these for younger guests, or hey, for those holiday guests that have a designated driver.

Layered Pumpkin Cheesecake

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Author: Elana Lepkowski
Yield: 4 servings 1x

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Description

Layers of pumpkin pie filling and creamy, no bake cheesecake are topped with cinnamon spiced cream cheese swirls in individual portions. A Disneyland-inspired treat.

Ingredients

Scale

Whipped Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting:

4 ounces (half a block) cream cheese
1/4 cup (55 g) unsalted butter
1–1/2 cups (188 g) powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch salt

Pumpkin Pie Filling:

1/4 cup (65 g) heavy cream
2/3 cup (180 g) pumpkin purée
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2–1/2 tbsp brown sugar (47 g)
pinch salt

Cheesecake Layer (adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction):

1/2 cup (4 oz) heavy cream
4 ounces cream cheese (half a block)
3 tablespoons (45 g) light brown sugar
1 tablespoon (15 g) sour cream or Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Topping:

crystallized ginger (see notes below)
brown sugar

Specialty Tools:

Ateco #843 closed star pastry tip
pastry bag
Weck tulip jam jars

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Instructions

Whipped Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting:

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on high speed for several minutes, cream together the cream cheese and the butter until light and fluffy, and fully combined.
Next, add in the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt. Slowly mix together until all the powdered sugar has been incorporated, and then bring the mixer to high speed until fully mixed, and frosting is light and fluffy.
Add the frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a small closed star (like Ateco #843). Set aside.

Pumpkin Pie Filling Layer:

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, pour in the heavy cream and whip until very soft peaks form. You want the cream to still slip off a spoon, but not be liquid-y.
Then remove the whisk and add the paddle attachment.
Add in pumpkin purée, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, brown sugar, and salt. Gently mix until combined.
Set aside.

Cheesecake Layer:

In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the cold heavy cream into stiff peaks on medium-high speed, about 3-4 minutes. Gently remove into a separate bowl. Set aside.
Next, switch to a paddle attachment and in the same empty bowl you whipped the cream in, add in the cream cheese, sour cream, lemon juice, and vanilla extract together on medium-high speed until smooth and no more lumps.
Gently fold in the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture by using a rubber spatula to cut down through the center of the mix, scooping through the bottom left, giving the bowl a quarter turn, and then repeating until the whipped cream is just barely incorporated. Set aside.

Assembly:

In a clean jar, add about 1/4 cup (2 ounce #16 disher) of the cheesecake mixture to each jar.
Next add in the same amount of the pumpkin filling.
Finally, dot the top of the pumpkin filling with small stars made of the cinnamon cream cheese frosting. Dust with finely chopped crystallized ginger or brown sugar. Enjoy!

Notes

Components can be refrigerated up to 5 days beforehand separately and then assembled to serve, or assembled into jars, sealed and kept refrigerated for 5 days.
Granulated ginger can also be used and mixed with brown sugar as a topping.
The dessert can also be assembled into a trifle dish for one larger serving.
Tempered glass jars, like Wean Green, or plastic lidded containers would work best if you are making these for younger guests as the Weck jars are fragile and can break easily.

Pumpkin Cake Pops

November 4, 2019 by Elana Lepkowski 1 Comment

Pumpkin Spice Cake Pops // magicaltreatsathome.com

Where can I find the original treat?

These treats can be found all over the Disneyland resort.

Santa was out riding around Disneyland on Halloween, which was kinda weird, what with jack-o-lanterns still hung up everywhere. It’s that narrow time frame of transition at the parks where everyone is itching for Christmas, but we still had to get through Halloween first. And now that trick or treating is behind us, I’m still here for the pumpkins. That’s why this week’s treat recipe is Pumpkin Cake Pops!

These pumpkin spice, pumpkin shaped cake pops have a wonderful punch of baking spices that will have you longing for a piece of pumpkin pie. They’re coated with orange and green chocolate, and a caramel stem, and the bakers did a great job of adding in a hint of molding so that these cake pops really do resemble little pumpkins. And now you get to have them at home too!

Cake pops are one of those treats that look easy to make, but actually require a little finesse to get it right, but don’t let that stop you! I’ve got some tips and tricks in the notes section below the recipe to help you out. These cake pops can be made all from scratch, a combo of pre-made items, or all store bought! The recipe I use from scratch makes for a moist cake that holds its shape well after forming a ball, and has a balanced amount of spices with real pumpkin in the mix. I use a cream cheese frosting that is super creamy and makes a great “glue” here. You can also choose to color white chocolate, or use pre-colored candy melts too.

Now, while all kids can definitely help roll the cake into balls and attach to the sticks, older kids might be better suited to coating the chocolate, as there is some technique involved there. However, you know your own kids, and if it comes down to it, you can just throw all the cake balls into the chocolate and have cake bon bons instead of pops. And then everyone can help decorate. That actually sounds pretty fun.

So let’s enjoy pumpkin season while it lasts, because we might not make it to Thanksgiving when all the peppermint treats that are about to drop at Disneyland. Have a magical day everyone!

Pumpkin Cake Pops

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Author: Elana Lepkowski
Yield: 7 cake pops 1x

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Description

Moist, perfectly spiced pumpkin cake pops are coated in orange and green chocolate to resemble tiny pumpkins. A Disneyland-inspired treat.

Ingredients

Scale

For the cake balls:

2 cups (~210 g) loosely packed crumbled pumpkin spice cake crumbs
1/4 cup (32 g) cream cheese frosting
***Both recipes can be found here if making from scratch (recipe makes more than you’ll need here. see notes below about freezing extra components)

For the decoration:

6–1/2 ounces (3/4 cup) orange candy melts
1–1/2 ounces red candy melts
1/2 ounce (~1 tablespoon) green candy melts
1/2 ounce (~1 tablespoon) dark cocoa candy melts OR 2 caramel squares

Special Tools:

1 ounce disher
lollipop sticks
pastry bags
cake pop holder OR shoe box base for drying cake pops
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Instructions

For the cake balls:

If baking from scratch, follow directions for cake, cool completely and crumble half for recipe. Eat or freeze the rest of the recipe for another time.
If making frosting from scratch, make and set 1/4 cup aside. Use or freeze the rest for another recipe.
Combine cake crumbles and frosting in the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment until fully incorporated. You can also mix well in a bowl with a rubber spatula. If too wet, add more cake crumbles. If too dry, add more frosting a small bit at a time.
Using a 1 ounce disher, scoop out cake mixture and form a tight ball. Push a lollipop stick halfway into the ball. Set aside in the cake pop stand, or make holes in the bottom of a shoe box and stick the cake pops in there. Repeat until all the mixture is gone.
Refrigerate at least one hour to firm up, or up to two days.

For the decoration:

Take out the cake pops and let warm up slightly at least 10 minutes.
Melt the orange and 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 15-20 seconds until melted and smooth. Use can alternatively use a double boiler for melting.
Next, holding the cake ball over the melted chocolate, use a spoon to ladle the chocolate over it, turning and pouring to get an even coat. Tap gently so excess chocolate drips off and air bubbles get released. Use a scribe to pop any bubbles that do not break.
Set them back in the cake pop holder and continue until all of the cake pops are coated.
Next, melt green and dark cocoa chocolates using the same method from above.
Transfer the green and dark cocoa candy melts to separate piping bags and cut a small tip off each bag.
Use the green to decorate green vines on each cake pop.
Then use the dark cocoa to pipe small stems on each pop. If making the caramel stems (similar in style to the cake pops found at Disneyland), melt caramel squares in the microwave in short bursts at half power until soft but not melted. Cool slightly and take small chunks of the caramel out with a toothpick and attach to the top of the cake pops, using wet fingers to mold the caramel into a stem.
Refrigerate at least an hour to set. Then enjoy!

Notes

Cake balls should not be too wet or too dry to hold their shape properly. If too wet, add more cake crumbles. If too dry, add more frosting a small bit at a time.
If cake balls are slipping off the sticks, dip lollipop stick tip in the melted chocolate and insert into cake ball. Refrigerate a few minutes to set.
If you do not pop the air bubbles, then moisture from the cake will seep out as the chocolate dries. If this happens, gently wipe away anything that has seeped out, and coat a second time in the melted chocolate.
Don’t let the green or chocolate candy melts get too hot or they will run when trying to pipe out decorations. Allow to cool a bit after melting for more set lines.

Haul-O-Ween Churros

October 28, 2019 by Elana Lepkowski Leave a Comment

Where can I find the original treat?

These treats can be found at the Cozy Cone Motel in DCA during Halloween Time.

One treat Disneyland is (mostly) good at transforming each season are their churros. When a new foodie guide is out, expect to see several variations and themes. For this Halloween season, there were a number of delicious options, but for today, I chose to recreate the Haul-O-Ween churro.

Now, it might look like a crazy concoction some child cooked up in their Fisher-Price kitchen, but believe me, this was surprisingly good. Even with its edible green slime, and cookie and candy decorations, this churro treat was not too sweet. The cookie crumb coating worked really well with the classic cinnamon-sugar churro flavor; just adding a hint of cocoa.

Now, with this post I’ve gone and updated the piping tip that I usually use to a larger, closed star style. This resulted in a thicker, wider churro that was able to hold on to more cookie crumbs. Despite the size, it fried up light and crisp and this might be my new favorite churro style. I’m going to write up a quick kitchen tip post soon comparing the two types of pastry tips so you can decide which way you’d like your churros. Expect that excerpt here when that drops.

Also, let’s discuss the edible green slime for a minute. The description for the treat lists it as icing but it didn’t really, well, taste like icing. In fact, it didn’t have too much of a taste except kinda sweet, but not too sweet, and so I just made the executive decision here to make a thin style pudding and use that to decorate, and also dip my churros in for a sauce. It worked just fine. (Maybe next time at the park I’ll just ask for a side of sauce and take it home when it’s a little mysterious like this…)

Once the churros have cooled slightly, kids can take over coating and decorating the treats. Give kids edible green slime and they are gonna have some fun. But don’t worry adults, you’ll have fun with this too.

As usual, we’ve got plenty of notes and tips following the recipe, so please check those out. Now let’s get ready to churrrrroooooooooo!

Haul-O-Ween Churros

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Author: Elana Lepkowski
Yield: 10–16 churros (depending on tip size) 1x

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Description

These delightfully fun classic cinnamon-sugar churros get the Oogie-Boogie treatment for Halloween with a cookie crumb coating, edible green slime, creme filled cookies, and candy toppings. A Disneyland-inspired treat.

Ingredients

Scale

Edible Green Slime:

1 package of vanilla instant pudding
milk or milk alternative per instructions on the box, plus 1/4 cup (see notes below)
1–2 drops of green food coloring (Americolor “Leaf Green” used here)

Churro:

1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
big pinch of salt
1 cup all purpose flour
2 eggs
vegetable oil for frying
12 creme filled cookies, like Oreos
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Additional Toppings:

candy corn
gummy worms
Oreo cookies, slightly crushed

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Instructions

For the green slime:

Make vanilla pudding according to instructions, adding in any additional milk to thin it out (see notes below).
Add in 1-2 drops of food coloring and stir well.
Chill, covered, in the refrigerator until ready to use.

For the churros:

First, line two half sized sheet pans with parchment, set aside. Mix together 1/2 cup of granulated sugar and cinnamon in a long shallow bowl or loaf pan, set aside.
Next, crush cookies in a ziplock bag with a rolling pin until finely ground. Alternatively, you can pulse in a food processor until a sand-like consistency forms. Set aside in a large, shallow bowl.
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 pour in all the flour at once. 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 (for thinner churros) or with a Ateco 847 closed star tip (for thicker churros) half full with batter (see notes below on filling pastry bags) and pipe 6-8″ 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. (Note below for frying immediately after making dough)
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 or spider. Wait until oil comes back to temperature before adding next batch. Thicker churros may need an additional minute to fully cook through.
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 cinnamon sugar, tapping off any excess. Then roll churro in the cookie crumbs, lightly pressing to adhere. Set churro aside. Repeat with all the churros.

Decoration:

Plate churros and top with edible green slime, candy corn, crushed Oreo pieces, and gummy worms.
Enjoy!

Notes

To make a thinner style pudding, add in about a 1/4 to 1/3 cup extra of milk or milk alternative to the pudding. This will make a more liquid sauce for the churro. Keep measurements the same if you want it thicker.
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 Mummy Macarons

October 21, 2019 by Elana Lepkowski 1 Comment

Mickey Mouse Mummy Macarons // magicaltreatsathome.com

Where can I find the original treat?

This treat can be found at the Jolly Holiday Bakery in Disneyland.

Need a spooky treat for a Halloween party? Well, these cookies and cream Mickey Mouse shaped Mummy Macarons would be a delicious addition to any cookie spread.

If the idea of French-style macarons scare you silly, don’t be afraid! You just need a gentle hand and these come together fairly easily. One tip I will have for making filled cookies like this, that need a top and a bottom, is that you should really use a stencil to map out how big to make them. Then they’ll all be uniform in size. Just remember to turn the parchment sheet over before you pipe them or you’ll get the outline on your cookies when you bake them (I speak from experience here. Whoops!).

These macarons are not overpoweringly sweet. I hold back on the sugar in the actual cookie part so that you taste more of the center filling. I feel like that gives the overall treat a nice balance. If you feel like this is not sweet enough for you, feel free to add another tablespoon of sugar into the mix.

Once these are baked, kids here can help fill and assemble them. An adult should help melt the candy melts, but since it only ever gets warm, not hot, small hands can hold the piping bag, or spoon, to help create the decorations.

BONUS: now you can create perfectly shaped Mickey macarons without a cookie cutter. Print out our 3″ Mickey Macaron template below and just slip under your parchment when piping! Easy!

3 inch mickey macaron template

1 file(s) 86.41 KB

Download

So let’s get in the kitchen and make these chewy, creamy, sweet treats for Halloween time! Boo to you!

Mickey Mummy Macarons

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Author: Elana Lepkowski
Yield: 3 large Mickey Mummy Macarons 1x

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Description

Enjoy these cookies and cream filled Mickey Mouse Mummy Macarons this Halloween season, or any time of year! A Disneyland-inspired treat.

Ingredients

Scale

For the macarons:

90g (1 cup) almond flour
120g (1 cup) powdered sugar
70g egg whites, from about 2 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
40g (3 tablespoons) granulated sugar

For the filling:

35g egg whites, from about 1 large egg
1/3 cup (67 g) sugar
pinch salt
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
3–4 Oreo cookies, crumbled into fine pieces, divided
1 drop black food gel paste

Special Tools:

Mickey Mouse cutter

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Instructions

For the macarons:

First sift the almond flour, powdered sugar, and salt back and forth four times between two bowls using a mesh strainer. Set aside.
Line a baking sheet with parchment. Using a pencil, trace 6 Mickey Mouses uses the cutter as a guide, leaving at least an 1″ between shapes. Flip parchment over so that you can still see outlines, but the graphite will not transfer to macarons. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add in the egg white and whisk until slightly foamy. Add in the cream of tartar and whisk until soft peaks appear. Then slowly pour in the sugar. Whisk on high until stiff peaks form.
Sift a third of the dry mixture into the egg whites and fold until barely incorporated, about 10 turns. Repeat twice with remaining dry mix. Mix gently until all of the almond mixture has been absorbed and there are no visible lumps in batter.
Add batter into a piping bag and pipe shapes onto the parchment lined baking sheet. Let the batter sit about 1 hour.
Preheat your oven to 350°f. Place cookies in oven to bake, and then lower the temperature to 300°f. Cook for 17-18 minutes.
Let the macarons cool at least 20-30 minutes before decorating.

For the filling and decoration:

First make the Swiss cookies and cream buttercream frosting by stirring the egg whites, sugar, and salt together over a double boiler (or bowl set over simmering water on the stove), until temperature reaches 160°f.
Pour heated egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until glossy, soft peaks form.
When the bowl is cool to the touch, add the butter, one piece at a time, whipping between pieces to incorporate butter, but not fully mixing it in.
Next, add in vanilla extract and black food coloring. Whip everything on high until smooth.
Then, add in 2/3 of the Oreo cookie pieces and stir until well combined.
Place the frosting in a piping bag (with either a round tip attached, or just the tip of the bag cut off) and pipe filling onto bottom half of the macaron. *You may have leftover frosting. Storage instructions in notes below.
Sprinkle reserved cookie pieces on top of the frosting and lightly press the other macaron to top.
Next, melt the white 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.
Transfer to a piping bag with the tip cut off, or using a spoon, drizzle over the top of the macaron in a crisscross pattern.
Put two small dots of candy melts where you want the eyes and place the M&M’s there. Then make a small dot in the center of the M&M’s.
Let the macarons set for about 15-20 minutes then enjoy!

Notes

Sifting the almond flour and powdered sugar together is necessary for the absorption of oils and to prevent clumping of batter.
Any left over macaron batter can be piped into smaller cookies and baked off for 15 minutes.
Swiss buttercream heats the egg whites to 160°f to kill off any bacteria.
Leftover buttercream can be stored in the fridge up to two weeks, brought to room temperature, and whipped before using. It can also be stored in the freezer up to 3 months.
Macarons can be stored in the refrigerator up to one week. Let them sit 10-15 minutes to come to room temp before enjoying.

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!).

Mickey Mouse Pumpkin Cookies

October 7, 2019 by Elana Lepkowski 1 Comment

Mickey Mouse Pumpkin Cookie // magicaltreatsathome.com

Where can I find the original treat?

These treats can be found all over the Disneyland resort.

The start of the fall season is pretty much the start of cookie season for me. Sure, I’m baking the odd chocolate chip cookie for after school snacks every so often, but when I say “cookie season” I mean the decorated, complicated looking cookies. The ones that are given as gifts or swapped for other elaborately decorated cookies. However, just because a cookies looks complicated to make, doesn’t mean it is complicated. Like today’s treat: the Mickey Mouse Pumpkin Cookie.

Actually, this isn’t complicated AT ALL. You just need to do a little cookie puzzle piece action and melt a little chocolate. I think you all can handle that! I saw somewhere online that you could actually buy a Mickey Mouse pumpkin cookie cutter, but I figured that if you bake holiday time cookies, chances are you already have a pumpkin cutter, and a circle cutter, so I opted to just try it this way at home. Check out the photos in the recipe for examples of how I attached the ears to the pumpkin cut outs.

Now, the cookie at the parks is SO almond flavored, and I love almond extract, but I decided here to dial it back just a bit in case you wanted it not so overpowering; feel free to add more extract though if that’s your thing. The parks seem to work a lot with chocolate for decoration, so the piping here is with candy melts. I’m sure you could also sub royal icing as well.

EXTRA EXTRA: if you really wanted these cookies to be more… PSL like, you could also add in a tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice mix to the dry ingredients here.

Ok, grab those cookie cutters and let’s get baking!

Mickey Mouse Pumpkin Cookies

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Author: Elana Lepkowski
Yield: 5–8 Mickey Mouse Pumpkin Cookies 1x

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Description

Almond laced sugar cookies, shaped like the iconic Mickey Mouse pumpkin, are perfect for fall! A Disneyland-inspired treat.

Ingredients

Scale

For the cookies:

2 cups (240 g) all purpose flour
2–1/2 tablespoons arrowroot powder (or cornstarch)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (114 g) unsalted butter
1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
orange food coloring

For the decoration:

3–4 ounces yellow candy melts
1–2 ounces green candy melts

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Instructions

For the cookies:

Sift the flour, arrowroot powder, and salt in a large bowl.
In your stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together. Add the eggs while mixer is going. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add vanilla and almond extracts and mix to combine.
Add in 4-6 drops of orange food coloring. Mix again to combine.
Pour in the flour mixture and mix until everything is well incorporated, scrape down the sides a few times.
Put the dough in a plastic bag, roll it out to fill the bag, and then chill it in the refrigerator at least 20 minutes or up to two days.
Preheat oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment.
 Once the dough is chilled, place it on a rolling mat, sprinkle with flour and roll out with a rolling pin.
Cut pumpkin shapes out, and then two circles for each pumpkin. Using the circle cutter, cut half circles in the sides of the pumpkin to attach the ears. Gently press the circles into the half moon indentations to connect. Re-roll any extra dough for more cookies if necessary.
Place them on a non-stick baking sheet and, using a scribe, draw pumpkin lines on the pumpkin.
Bake for 12 minutes and let cool before decorating.

For the decorations:

Melt the yellow 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. Pour melted chocolate into a piping bag with a small amount of the tip cut off.
Draw on the eyes, nose, and smile, using a scribe to smooth out any lines or bumps in the chocolate. If chocolate starts to harden too soon, microwave bag for an additional 5-10 seconds.
Next melt the green chocolate in the same manner as above. Draw on the green stems for the cookies.
Set aside to cool and let the chocolate harden, up to 30 minutes, and enjoy!

Notes

Dough can be refrigerated up to two days and frozen up to three months.
Dough can be made in larger batches and colored after it’s been brought to room temperature by kneading color in (use gloves!).
You can also bake off the leaf/football shapes that get created when removing the dough to attach for ears. Just bake a few minutes less than the larger cookies. I made mine into a few small leaf cookies.
By not including a leavening agent in, these cookies do not puff up or expand while cooking.
Cookies can be kept at room temperature in an air tight container up to one week.

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Where can I find the original treat?

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Where can I find the original treat?

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Where can I find the original treat?

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Where can I find the original treat?

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Where can I find the original treat?

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Where can I find the original treat?

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Ingredients

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Where can I find the original treat?

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Ingredients

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Where can I find the original treat?

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Ingredients

Instructions

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Where can I find the original treat?

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Ingredients

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