The Disneyland holiday decorations are up, and there are festive foods and drinks from various cultures at the annual Festival Foods Marketplace at California Adventure until January 7, 2018. Lucky for you, there are many holiday treats for you to munch on while waiting to ride California Screamin' before it closes down for the Pixar Pier renovations. Here are 12 delicious treats and desserts you can find during your trip to Disneyland and Disney California Adventure this holiday season.
1. Candy Cane Beignets - Mint Julep Bar in New Orleans Square
You can pick up the original Mickey-shaped beignets or these holiday ones dusted with crushed candy cane and powdered sugar. They come in packs of 3 or 6, so they are perfect for sharing. These pair well with a classic mint julep or hot chocolate.
2. Gingerbread Man Cookie and Chocolate Mousse Brownie - Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe on Main Street
The Jolly Holiday Bakery Cafe has a handful of seasonal sweets such as these, snowmen cookies, black forest cake, and Santa hat macarons. The chocolate mousse brownie was my personal favorite. Grab a warm hot chocolate or a cup of coffee to accompany a snack here.
3. Seasonal Rice Krispies and Cake Pops - Candy Palace on Main Street
At the Candy Palace, there are treats to satisfy everyone's sweet tooth from rice krispies to pineapple skewers. This is a great place to stop by at the end of your visit to Disneyland if you are too full because you can save most of these treats to eat the next day.
4. Chocolate Covered Caramel Apples - Candy Palace on Main Street
In a separate section of this shop, there is also an assortment of chocolate-covered caramel Granny Smith apples. They include this Minnie Mouse one and other designs such as Mickey Mouse, a blue winter snowflake, and Jack Skellington from The Nightmare Before Christmas. Like the other sweets at Candy Palace, these can be purchased at the end of your visit to eat the next day, since they can be difficult to eat at the parks. They also are great for cute gifts.
5. Gingerbread Funnel Cake Fries - Award Wieners in Hollywood Land
Upon receiving this loaded dessert, the Disney cast member told me that this was "the good stuff." And she was right. But it is very sweet, as you would expect for something topped with cinnamon sugar, caramel drizzle, glaze, gingerbread cookie crumbles, and whipped cream. It's a cool twist on funnel cake that makes it easy and fun to share with a group of people.
6. Chocolate Peppermint Candy Cane Shake - Flo's V8 Cafe
This shake is perfect for peppermint lovers. The base mostly tastes of vanilla, but there are small chunks of candy cane and Oreos mixed in to add some crunch. Even though it may be cold outside, you can sip on this shake indoors within the cozy, Route 66-inspired diner atmosphere.
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The following food items are from from the Festival Foods Marketplace kiosks spread throughout Disney California Adventure. The festival celebrates cultural holidays, including Christmas, Diwali, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa. There are 12 different kiosks that serve a variety of savory entrees and festive beverages. You can find the full menu online and in a Tasting Passport at the park, but here are some of the Marketplace's sweet options:
7. Warm Chocolate Float - Holiday Duets kiosk
The warm chocolate float is composed of two heaping scoops of vanilla ice cream, hot chocolate, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, and brownie crumbles. The hot chocolate may melt the ice cream quickly, but this makes it less watered down and more creamy. Plus, it's a more suitable drink to carry around in the cold.
8. Holiday Mickey and Minnie Cookies - Holiday Duets kiosk
These are decadent holiday sugar cookies topped with decorative icing and sprinkles. Admittedly, the appeal for these is mostly for pictures. There is also a Mickey Snowman Sugar Cookie Decorating Kit at the Treats for Santa kiosk that may be a more fun activity, especially for children.
9. Cookie Butter & Jelly Cheesecake - Holiday Duets kiosk
The cheesecakes here are quite small at 2 per serving, but they are the perfect size for tasting, because any more would be a bit overwhelming. There is very distinct cookie butter taste, and the smooth cheesecake and jelly filling is balanced by the crust.
10. Horchata Fudge - A Twist On Tradition kiosk
This block of fudge is smaller than the palm of your hand. You can see that it is packed with cinnamon and definitely tastes like horchata. It is very rich and dense, so it is great for snacking on throughout the day in little bites.
11. Frosty Frosé - A Twist On Tradition kiosk
As a frozen blue slushie in a fancy glass, this drink was such an eye-catcher. The Frosty Frosé is made with frozen rosé, Blue Curaçao, white cranberry Juice, and garnished with a mint sprig. Quite a small drink, but really refreshing and tasty.
12. Chocolate Yule Log - A Twist On Tradition kiosk
Lastly, we have a classic Christmas dessert--the Chocolate Yule Log. It is filled with candied chestnuts, clementine compote, chocolate ganache, and fluffy buttercream that tastes like coffee. You may be able to find these logs at the Plaza Inn in Disneyland, but this kiosk is the only place you will find them in Disney California Adventure!
Those were all of the desserts I was able to taste, but there are a few more notable items available to try at the Festival:
-White Chocolate-dipped Lingonberry Speculoos Cookie
-Sticky Toffee Pudding with Brandied Vanilla Sauce
-Holiday Eggnog Cocktail with Whipped Cream and Nutmeg
-Milk Chocolate-Candy Cane Pot de Crème
-Sweet Potato Pie
-White Hot Chocolate with House-made Cinnamon Marshmallow
At Disneyland, there is also a secret menu Peppermint Candy Cane Churro that is sold exclusively at a cart by Sleeping Beauty's Castle.
Hopefully, this gets you excited for your next visit to Disneyland, which will definitely be filled with amazing food.