Delightful Disney recipes to try at home

While we wait for Disneyland to reopen, the theme park has gifted us its Dole Whip recipe to tide us over. (Singing birds not required.) As it turns out, you can make the tropical, fruity  dessert—a frosty dairy-free treat with a vanilla-pineapple swirl—with just a handful of ingredients and a blender. 

What' you'll need: 

• 1 large scoop of vanilla ice cream
• 4 ounces of pineapple juice
• 2 cups of frozen pineapple
• 1 blender
• 1 star-tipped piping bag

How to make it: 

• Add the ingredients to a blender.
• Blend until smooth.
• Pour the contents into the piping bag, then gently squeeze through the star tip in a circular, swirled motion until the cup is filled.
• Garnish with cherries (or rum for moms and dads and 21+ guardians)

Now you can laissez les bons temps rouler with Disney’s most famous New Orleans-inspired sweets. Whether you’re partial to Disneyland’s New Orleans Square or Walt Disney World’s Port Orleans, the beignets are undeniably one of the most iconic treats in either park. The glorious deep-fried doughnuts arrive hot in the bag, a fluffy, pillowy dough on the inside and a lightly crisped shell on the exterior, and they all get coated with a quick toss in powdered sugar for finger-licking perfection. (We can almost hear the brass bands now.) 

What you'll need: 

• ½ teaspoon dry yeast
• ¼ cup warm water
• ¼ cup sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 1 egg
• 4 cups all purpose flour
• ½ cup boiling water
• Vegetable oil for frying
• Powdered sugar for coating

How to make it: 

• In a small bowl, sprinkle yeast over warm water, stirring to dissolve. Let stand 5 minutes.
• Combine sugar, shortening, salt, heavy cream, egg, flour and boiling water in a large mixing bowl; stir in yeast mixture.
• With the dough hook attachment of an electric mixer on medium speed, mix dough just until combined and smooth. Let dough rest 30 minutes.
• Roll to ¼-inch thickness and cut individual beignets with a Mickey Mouse-shaped cutter or cut into 2½- to 3-inch squares.
• Cover with a towel and let dough rise until doubled in size in a warm, draft-free area, about 1 to 1½ hours.
• Using caution, heat 3 inches of vegetable oil to 350° in a deep, heavy pot over medium-high heat.
• Fry beignets until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes, turning as soon as they brown on one side. Remove with tongs and place on paper towels to drain.
• Dust warm beignets with powdered sugar and serve immediately.

Today we’re dealing you the grade-A, real-deal good stuff: Disney World’s chocolate chip cookie recipe. It’s for the same confection sold at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa in Orlando.

What you'll need: 

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks butter), softened
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 12-ounce bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

How to make it:

• Preheat oven to 330°F.
• Sift flour, baking soda and salt into a large bowl and set aside.
• Combine butter, brown sugar and powdered sugar in a separate bowl and cream with an electric mixer until fluffy.
• With the mixer running, add eggs, one at a time, then add vanilla. Mix until combined, scraping sides of bowl.
• Slowly add flour mixture, scraping sides of the bowl. Stir in chocolate chips.
• Scoop 1 tablespoon dough for medium cookies and 2 tablespoons for large onto an un-greased baking sheet.
• Bake until lightly golden, 10 to 12 minutes for medium cookies, 12 to 14 minutes for large.

It could be weeks or months before the gates to the happiest place on earth reopen, but at least we can now get a taste of Disneyland in our own homes.  Sure, we’re all about the rollercoasters and other movie-themed attractions—which you can ride digitally—but one of the things we miss most about Disneyland is the food: Thankfully, Disney did us a solid and released its sought-after recipe for one of the parks’ most iconic eats: the churro, in bite form. 

What' you'll need: 

• 1 cup water
• 8 tablespoons butter
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided
• 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 3 eggs
• 1 ½ cups vegetable or canola oil
• ½ cup sugar 

How to make it:  

• Combine water, butter, salt, and ¼ teaspoon cinnamon in 1 ½-quart saucepan over medium heat. Bring pot to rolling boil.
• Reduce heat to low.
• Add flour and stir vigorously until mix forms a ball. Remove from heat and let rest for 5–7 min.
• Add eggs, one at a time, and stir until combined. Set aside.
• Heat oil in medium skillet or 1-quart saucepan over medium-high heat or until temperature reaches 350˚.
• Spoon dough into piping bag fitted with large star tip. Pipe 1-inch strip of dough over saucepan, cut with knife, and drop into hot oil. Repeat until churro bites fill saucepan with room to fry. 
• Fry churro bites until golden brown. Remove with slotted spoon or mesh spider strainer.
• Drain churro bites on paper towel.
• Mix sugar and ½ teaspoon cinnamon in medium bowl. Toss in churro bites until coated. Place on serving plate and serve with favorite dipping sauce. 

We can't make it to the Beaches & Cream Soda Shop at Disney's Beach Club Resort any time soon, but fortunately, we can indulge in one of its best treats: cookie fries. The plant-based snack is simply supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! 

What' you'll need: 

• 2 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup plus one tablespoon plant-based margarine, softened
• 7 tablespoons warm water
• 5 tablespoons liquid egg substitute
• 1 tablespoon molasses
• 1/2 cup dairy-free mini chocolate chips

How to make it:  

• Combine flour, powdered sugar, and plant-based margarine in bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until smooth. 
• In small bowl, combine warm water and egg substitute. Add egg substitute and molasses to mixer. Mix on medium speed until smooth. 
• Fold in chocolate chips. 
• Place in an 8×8-inch pan and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 
• Preheat oven to 325°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. 
• Cut into 32 strips that are 1/4-inch wide and 4 inches long. Place 16 strips on each baking sheet. 
• Bake for 20-22 minutes, until crunchy.
• Serve with your favorite plant-based chocolate, strawberry, and marshmallow dipping sauces.

The Grilled Three-Cheese Sandwich from Woody’s Lunch Box at Disney’s Hollywood Studios certainly makes for a lovely lunch! Read on to learn how to recreate the cheesy goodness! 

What you'll need: 

Cream Cheese Spread

• 1/2 cup cream cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded Double Gloucester or cheddar 
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

Garlic Spread

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

Grilled Three-Cheese Sandwich

• 8 slices of artisan bread
• 8 cheddar cheese slices
• 8 provolone slices

How to make it: 

For Cream Cheese Spread:

• Combine cream cheese, Double Gloucester or cheddar, heavy cream, and salt in food processor. Blend until smooth. Set aside.

For Garlic Spread:

• Combine mayonnaise, garlic, and salt in small bowl and stir until blended. Set aside.

For Grilled Three-Cheese Sandwich:

• Lay out artisan bread slices on parchment paper or large cutting board.
• Place 2 slices of cheddar on 4 of the bread slices. Place 2 slices of provolone on remaining bread slices. 
• Equally spoon cream cheese spread on slices with provolone. Gently smooth cream cheese spread over each slice.
• Press cheddar side and provolone side together.
• Heat a large skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes, until hot. 
• Brush both sides of the sandwiches with garlic spread. 
• Grill sandwiches for 2 minutes on each side, until cheese is melted and bread is golden brown. 

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so it's only right to start it with Disney. Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Banana French Toast is definitely the way to go. 

 What you'll need: 

• 8 thick slices day-old challah bread
• 2 ripe bananas
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 6 eggs, lightly beaten
• 3/4 cup low-fat chocolate milk
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Chocolate syrup and powdered sugar, optional

How to prepare it: 

• Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a 9x13x2-inch baking pan with nonstick spray. Set aside. 
• Cut bread into 1-inch cubes and place in a large bowl. Slice bananas into 1/2-inch slices, and add to bowl. Stir in chocolate chips.
• Combine peanut butter, eggs, chocolate milk, cinnamon, and salt in a blender. Process until smooth.
• Pour egg mixture over bread mixture. Stir gently until bread cubes have absorbed egg mixture.
• Pour mixture into prepared baking pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until top is golden brown.
• Before serving, drizzle with chocolate syrup and dust with powdered sugar, if desired. 

Self-isolating king Luke Skywalker knows a thing or two about blue milk. But before you chart a course to live on a remote island, find a bantha who’ll lend you some of its milk and throw some back straight from the source, we’ve got a better idea: Just use this official Star Wars recipe to make some at home. 

What you'll need: 

• 2 cups rice milk (or milk of your choice)
• 2 teaspoons arrowroot powder
• 1 blue butterfly pea tea bag
• 1 inch fresh ginger root, thinly sliced
• pinch of ground cardamom
• pinch of ground mace
• 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar, to taste

How to make it:  

• In a small saucepan, whisk together the milk and arrowroot powder. Place over medium-low heat.
• Add the remaining ingredients to the pan and combine, whisking occasionally, until steaming.
• Let mixture steep about 5 minutes, until it is a rich blue color and smells strongly of spice.
• Remove from heat and strain into a mug. Enjoy right away.