Tag Archives: Walt Disney World Snacks

Walt Disney World Snacking – 2017 Edition

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There have been quite a few snack posts through the years here at Living a Disney Life.  There’s a good reason for that…Snacking around the World is an important part of a Disney vacation!  There are awesome tasty treats everywhere you go.  Let’s talk about a couple of this year’s new favorites and, of course, reliable old standbys.

Walt Disney World Snacking – 2017 Edition

New to us this year (If you’re on a Disney Dining Plan, these are one snack credit each.)

Salted Caramel Cupcake from Karamell-Kuche in Epcot’s Germany Pavilion.  It’s a beautiful and delicious choice for cupcake fans.  Moist, tender cake and wonderfully flavorful frosting.  If you’re like me and don’t have a sweet tooth, it’s a great snack to share.

Chocolate-filled Beignets from Les Halles Boulangerie-Patisserie in Epcot’s France Pavilion.  These were the perfect mix of traditional beignets (fluffy and coated in powdered sugar) with the added bonus of a not-too-sweet chocolate filling.  Delightful!

Perennial Favorites

Of course most of you are already familiar with the classics:  Mickey Shaped Pretzels, Citrus Swirls (or Dole Whips if you prefer), Churros, Popcorn and Mickey Premium Ice Cream Bars.  These are, without a doubt, “the usuals” for us.

There are a few slightly less universally popular, but worthy repeat snacks for our family…

Yak and Yeti Local Food Cafes’ Eggroll – If we’re in Animal Kingdom and anywhere near Expedition Everest, I’m detouring into the queue for Yak and Yeti’s quick service counter.  The eggrolls come in single or double servings and are not only a great bargain, but are really fresh and delicious.  As a savory snack fan, these are currently my favorite.

Sweet Spells Carrot Cake Cookie – We will always miss the Writer’s Stop in Disney’s Hollywood Studios which was closed to make way for new construction.  That special shop may be gone, but at least one of its best offerings lives on.  The Carrot Cake Cookie (big enough to share) puts a slice of carrot cake in a convenient sandwich form.  It’s huge!  I’ve never eaten one all by myself.

Refreshment Port Croissant Donut – Take into consideration that this type of treat is not one we normally crave, thus it’s a special vacation sweet!  Flakey, cinnamon/sugar-coated and warm, fresh from the oven(fryer?), if you’re headed into World Showcase towards Canada, grab one of these and see for yourself how yummy they are.

Candied Almonds – They seem to be available in several places now, but my personal favorite place to snag a paper cone of these tasty morsels is at a snack cart in Animal Kingdom.  They’re warm and crunchy, sweet and delicious.  These?  I’m not sharing.

Karamell-Kuche Caramel Corn or really anything else on the menu.  While the Salted Caramel Cupcake (mentioned above) was new to us, the offerings in this place are always tempting!  If you’ve never taken the time to check out this sweet shop in the Germany Pavilion, please take a minute to step inside.  While the Caramel Corn does need to be eaten on day of purchase (trust me, it is absolutely best when fresh), there are so many treats (I’m partial to a simple salted caramel square) can be purchased for later.

Still in Epcot – There’s a Gelato Cart in the Italy Pavilion that serves the Gelato Affogato we’ve loved since the very first bite.  It also has the added bonus of being one of the cutest-looking snacks in the World.

Have you recently discovered a new Walt Disney World snack?  Do you have a favorite not mentioned here?  What is it and where can we find it?  Our next Disney vacation is right around the corner.

 

Favorite Disney Snacks – Churro!

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Disney churro fans, this post is for you.  I’ve only recently joined your ranks, but am proud to count myself among you as a lover of this deceptively simple yet delicious and popular snack food.

Favorite Disney Snacks – Churro!

RM-ChurroLet’s go back in time a bit to the beginning, shall we?  The churro’s origins, while not exactly shrouded in mystery, are a bit controversial.  One story has the churro born of Portuguese sailors and the discovery of a certain recipe in China for a food called Youtaio (fried flour stick).  The Chinese, being very secretive with their cooking methods during this time, left the sailors to figure out the precise cooking technique on their own – their efforts resulting in the very first churros.

The second prominent story (and my personal favorite) holds that churros were invented by pastry-craving nomadic Spanish shepherds.  Pining for baked goods, these clever shepherds – who, according to this version of history, were tending Churra sheep, invented a sort of bread stick that could easily be prepared and fried over a campfire.  These bread sticks were often rolled in cinnamon sugar and their shape was said to resemble the horn of their beloved livestock, the Churra.Churro-DHS

It wasn’t until later that the standard churro preparation changed to have the churro batter extruded into hot oil through a star shaped tip which creates the crunchy on the outside / tender on the inside texture we now adore.  These snacks caught on and became so popular, they made their way to the New World with Spanish explorers and are still a staple of Spanish street foods – especially for breakfast (dipped in chocolate).

I’ve heard that in much of the United States, churros can be found at state fairs, local carnivals and amusement parks – not true in our neck of the woods.  We get elephant ears, roasted corn, candied apples, cotton candy, funnel cakes, and a staggering variety of deep fried foods like Snickers, Twinkies, and the like.  Until a couple of years ago, I’d heard many Disney fans wax poetic about churros, but thought they looked rather plain and boring compared to the other awesome Disney snacks I love.  I realized, though, that to be a well-educated, trusted and faithful sharer-of-all-things-Disney, I’d have to broaden my snack experience…so I purchased my first churro.  It was at the Frontierland churro stand in Magic Kingdom and I remember it well.  Since that day, churros have become one of my favorite Disney vacation foods.

First of all, the churro is highly portable.  Easy to eat while walking, very compact and neat, churros do not melt, crumble, or spill.  Perfect for being not-too-sweet, but still tasty and satisfying, a warm churro is practically the definition of comfort food.  The texture is wonderful and while easy to consume is neither too chewy nor too fluffy.  Clean-up’s a breeze – just dust a little residual cinnamon sugar off your fingers and chin.

Interesting churro tidbit – When enjoying Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen earlier this year, we noticed many similarities between this amusement park and Disney parks at home.  This included many of the same snack choices…including churros!Tivoli-Churros

Churro fans!  Raise your hands!!!  Tell me your favorite churro moments – where’s your favorite churro stand?  When do you most like to enjoy this snack?  What makes the churro one of your favorite Disney vacation foods?

Walt Disney World – Six Days, Seven Snacks

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Caramel Apples in EpcotI’ve got a small dilemma and I need your help.  My ODPS (Obsessive Disney Planning Syndrome – it’s not a rare condition, I’m told) has kicked into overdrive now that we’re under the 30 day mark.  I’ve been listening to you here in the blog’s comments and out there on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other Disney blogs – everyone has a favorite Disney food…I’ve been meticulously planning my vacation snacks based on all this info-gathering.  I’ve also got an item on my Disney New Years Resolution list I need to cross off.  I’ve allowed myself a $50 snack budget – here’s my problem…I’ve planned out 7 snacks over 6 days and still have a little money left over!  I KNOW, right?  Who would have thought it possible?  Oh, not to worry, I’m planning on splitting these snacks with The Fam so there aren’t any unanticipated consequences which might result in my vacation wardrobe becoming…shall we say ill-fitting.DSCN2519

So, I’m going to list the snacks in my plan, their price, and where they can be purchased.  Your mission, should you choose to accept it, will be to recommend additional snacks I can add to the list with the $13.29 I have left over.

Here we go:

1. Mickey Premium Ice Cream Bar $3.75 – can be purchased at any park.  I know, why waste a snack on an ice cream bar – plain old vanilla dipped in chocolate…it’s my favorite snack and I have to have one, that’s why.

2. Sweet and Spicy Chicken Waffle Sandwich $7.19 – Sleepy Hollow in Magic Kingdom’s Liberty Square.  Sure, if I count it as a meal (and don’t share!), I can save the 7 bucks for other options…and that might happen, but as of now, we’re all planning on taking a taste and group voting on this highly praised food item.

Dole Whip courtesy of the Disney Dream Girls

Photo Credit: The Disney Dream Girls

3. Dole Whip $3.79 – Aloha Isle in Magic Kingdom’s Adventureland.  Going with the traditional version of this incredibly popular snack food that I have never tasted…shocking, I know.

4. and 5. Side by side, head on comparison of the new and allegedly amazing Cronut (officially called Croissant Doughnut) $4.49 and my beloved Chocolate Croissant $2.99 – both at Epcot.  The Cronut is available at the Refreshment Port and the Croissant at Sunshine Seasons.  Will the new snack on the block be able to hold its own against the tried and true perennial favorite?  We shall see.

6. Churros $3.75 – Magic Kingdom, Frontierland Churro Cart.  Nah, I’ve never had these either – Sunshine Season's Chocolate Croissantgo ahead and set that shocked gasp free!  It’s the missing sweet tooth…but I’m going to give them a try and see if I will join the legions of churro lovers everywhere.

7. Empanadas de Queso $10.75 – La Cantina de San Angel, Epcot’s World Showcase, Mexico Pavilion.  Another meal disguising as a snack, but we can all have a taste and do that group voting thing again.  The Mexico Pavilion will just not get the family’s vote for a meal, but in the interest of research, I’m sure I’ll have no shortage of taste volunteers.  I like Mexican food – the others would rather dine elsewhere.  My friend Heather from over at one of my favorite Disney blogs, Disney for Five+, swears these empanadas are a not-to-be-missed culinary masterpiece and I believe her!

So, here I sit…$36.71 down, $13.29 to spare.  What should I add?  If you’re thinking adult beverage, that’s an entirely different list with a separate budget!

Shout it out, now…don’t leave me hanging.   Tweet me if you have to…. @life_of_green.