The Disney beignets (you know, the ones in the shape of Mickey Mouse) are so adorable, they can’t possibly be easy to make, right? Wrong. In fact, Disney just shared the coveted recipe online, meaning your weekend just got a bit more exciting…and probably a lot messier.
The company has been on a recipe sharing spree as of late. Some of the park’s fan-favorite menu items—including their famous churros, french toast, and cookie fries—are being shared on the Disney Parks Blog so fans stuck at home have something to do during to the coronavirus pandemic.
After patiently waiting for the Disney beignets recipe to drop, it’s finally here. The delicious treats, made from fried dough and covered with white powder, are usually served at Disney World and Disneyland. However, since both parks are closed indefinitely, you can keep the magic alive by experiencing the sugary goodness at home.
Though they look a little complicated to make, they really aren’t. All you need are the following simple ingredients for this recipe, which serves 10 large Mickey-shaped beignets or two dozen small beignets.
Ingredients:
Directions:
Sprinkle yeast over warm water in a small bowl, stirring to dissolve. Let stand for 5 minutes.
Combine sugar, shortening, salt, heavy cream, egg, flour and boiling water in a large bowl; stir in yeast mixture. With the dough hook attachment of an electric mixer on medium speed, mix the dough just until combined and smooth. Let dough rest for 30 minutes.
Roll to ¼-inch thickness and cut individual beignets with a Mickey Mouse-shaped cutter or cut into 2 ½ to 3-inch squares. 5. Cover with a towel and let dough rise until doubled in size in a warm, draft-free area, about 1 to 1 ½ hours.
Using caution, heat 3 inches of vegetable oil to 350°F 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. 7. Dust warm beignets with powdered sugar and serve immediately.
Don’t believe you can do it? Check out these Instagram posts:
Disney also recommends eating these while watching The Princess and the Frog on Disney+, so you’ll know where to find us until this quarantine is over.
Some former treats have lost their luster now that we’ve been in quarantine for over a month—re-watching a favorite TV show for the tenth time, the satisfaction of cleaning a sink full of dishes, the false comfort of sweatpants (just me?). But one thing that’s been just as wonderful, isolated or not, is chocolate chip cookies. Banana bread and sourdough are ubiquitous on Instagram, but in a time when so much is unknown, there’s no greater comfort than a dependable chocolate chip cookie recipe. With a simple list of ingredients (that does not include elusive yeast), cookies are a breeze to make. But mine also have a secret, and it works no matter which recipe of the gazillion or so available on the internet you like best.
This cookie’s G.O.A.T. status has been confirmed by the people who live in my building (regular recipients of my baked goods now that I can’t drop them at the office). My doorman said these CCCs were “the best thing he’s ever eaten.” My husband said he never wants to eat another cookie again. My neighbor was so wild with enthusiasm she could hardly maintain a six-foot distance. And it’s all thanks to one small edit. And I mean small.
Chocolate chip cookies are, in general, un-screw-up-able. But each of us has our favorite rendition, and for a long time, I used a tried-and-true recipe from baking guru, Dorie Greenspan. (Here’s the recipe that I use, an update on an older classic.) For years, I have followed Dorie’s instructions, sticking to the ingredients and steps without the slightest departure.
But when I braved the outside world to get groceries for the first time in weeks since the coronavirus slammed New York, the local Whole Foods was out of one of the most ingredients in Greenspan’s cookie—a 10-ounce bar of semisweet chocolate.
Dorie Greenspan asks that the bar be coarsely chopped because—as far as she, David Leite, everyone at Bon Appétit, and the old me was concerned—the more chocolate distributed throughout the cookies, the better. True chocolate chip cookie connoisseurs like Greenspan insist on chopped chocolate (as opposed to chips) for maximum melted chocolate goodness. I used to be one of them. Cookies, I felt, were mere vessels for shoveling bittersweet globs of chocolate into my mouth.
Which is just one reason I’ve never been one to pick up mini chips—especially if they look like this package from Enjoy Life, which I at first mistook for a sugar substitute. But on that day, it was the only option left in the entire store, so I grabbed the minis and went home to immediately make Dorie’s never-failed-me-once cookies.
I was worried about what the slight change in chocolate would do to her masterpiece, but what came out was, hands down, the greatest-tasting cookies of all time. I prefer mine soft and chewy—as opposed to flat and crunchy (lookin’ at you, Tate’s)—and these were the softest, chewiest cookies the world (or, the residents of my apartment building) has ever seen.
I won’t pretend these mini-chip cookies are the ones that will be most popular on Instagram. There’s no slow-motion melt; no crags of chocolate poking out from bronzed dough. But I’m not baking for optics in quarantine and these are absolutely picture-perfect in terms of taste, texture, and pure goodness. With the mini chips, the cookies feel more balanced. You can better taste the insanely delicious dough that I’d eat without the chocolate (the coriander! the nutmeg!). Even the next day, having sat out on my counter uncovered, they were melt-in-your-mouth pillowy. (I know it’s not appropriate to leave dessert out uncovered, but sometimes the stress bake hits at 11 p.m. and you’re too lazy to put anything away afterward.)
Maybe it’s scientific baking nonsense that I don’t understand, but this teeny tiny tweak made all the difference to an already incredible cookie. I’ve thought long and hard about why, but in the end, it really doesn’t matter because it’s all about finding joy in the little things right now—and sometimes that means literally the littlest of things. For me, it’s 10 ounces of mini chocolate chips. When things go back to normal and I have access to all the “right” ingredients, will I go back to big bars of chocolate, or will I stick to the minis? Only time will tell. But, for right now, they’re the most perfect cookies I could possibly hope for.
Shanna Shipin is the commerce editor at Glamour. Follow her @shannashipin.
It can be hard to distinguish between the work week and the weekend in quarantine, but a luxurious brunch could make all the difference. Enter: Disney’s coveted French toast recipe. Thanks to a recent update to the Disney Parks Blog, the Chocolate, Peanut Butter, Banana French Toast previously available only at Disney’s PCH Grill at Disney Paradise Pier Hotel is now available to the rest of us.
Since the coronavirus pandemic shuttered Disney Parks, its properties have been sharing the secrets to some of their most beloved dishes. And this recipe is even easier than you might think. Here’s how to make it at home.
Ingredients (serves 4):
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, but we think you deserve it
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a 9×13-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 (or just mix well with a whisk!). 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.
This delicious baked French toast is the latest in a stream of recipes that Disney has made public, giving people at home a taste of the fun even as Disneyland, Disney World, and most of the brand’s other theme parks remain closed.
Disney parks are closed for the foreseeable future, but its kitchens are still spreading magic—this time with its hallmark recipe for extra-special grilled cheese, usually served at Woody’s Lunch Box at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
It’s the latest how-to in a series of beloved (and once secret) recipes that has circulated over the past few weeks, including Dole Whip, churros, and cookie fries.
And this one couldn’t come at a better time, because what sounds better than curling up on the couch with an ooey-gooey grilled cheese (tomato soup on the side) to watch a Disney classic from your youth? And if you’re thinking, “Duh, I know how to make a grilled cheese” the crew at Disney has some special hacks for you to make it even cheesier.
Here’s the recipe, which serves four people and includes the special spreads that make this sandwich unlike your average grilled cheese.
Ingredients:
Cream Cheese Spread
Garlic Spread
Grilled Three-Cheese Sandwich
Instructions:
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.
Disney’s Cookie Fries from the Beaches & Cream Soda Shop are arguably one of the park’s most fun, dunkable treats. Now, Disney is sharing the recipe for those of us social-distancing and staying at home.
In March, Disney made the decision to close its park doors amid the coronavirus pandemic. However, in an effort to lift spirits, the company has been releasing recipes for some of the most popular food items. From the famed Dole Whip to their sugary Churros, each delicious treat has been shockingly easy to make at home. Now, you can try your hand at making cookie fries, the perfect treat to dunk in chocolate, marshmallows, and more. Best of all, they are completely plant-based, meaning vegans and vegetarians can openly enjoy this sweet treat too.
“The plant-based cookie fries are unique and yummy treat to end your meal with,” Disney explained in a blog post. “Similar to biscotti, these chocolate chip cookie sticks come with several plant-based dipping sauces: marshmallow cream, chocolate, and strawberry.”
The Disney recipe makes 32 cookie fries, though you may want to double (or triple) it because they are just that good.
Here are all the ingredients 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
Combine flour, powdered sugar, and plant-based margarine in bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until smooth. (Note: You could do this step by hand if need be.)
In a small bowl, combine warm water and egg substitute. Add egg substitute and molasses to your 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.
Disney notes that egg substitutes can react a little differently in sugar and flour. If your dough is too sticky the Mouse House suggests adding one additional tablespoon of powdered sugar at a time until it resembles the texture of traditional cookie dough. But really, even if they are a little off from the real thing they’re still going to be delicious.
In our new series That Thing I Always Cook, women you admire offer up the story behind their go-to recipe—something we could all use right now. Next up: actress Uzo Aduba—who can currently be seen taking on the historic role of Congresswoman Shirley Chisolm in FX on Hulu’s new miniseries, Mrs. America—shares how to make her beloved Nigerian Red Stew. It’s not the quickest dish to make, but rather one that requires time and patience. Perfect for quarantine, perhaps?
After starring in seven seasons of Netflix’s Orange is the New Black, Uzo Aduba is used to doing interviews. But it’s not typical that the Emmy winner gets to speak on the record about her favorite recipes. “I love to cook, and rarely do I get to talk about Nigerian cooking,” she says from her Brooklyn apartment. Aduba was born in Boston to Nigerian parents, and grew up in a home brimming with Nigerian food and culture. “It was a very traditional household in terms of language, dress, and culture, and food played a big part.” That food included Red Stew, a Nigerian dish that Aduba describes as similar to spaghetti sauce, but heartier and more savory.
Aduba learned to cook from her mother, who regularly manned meals for the family. “With five kids, my mom wasn’t making 900 dishes a night—we were going to get one thing, and it was going to be a Nigerian dish.” The actress started cooking by observing her mom, graduated to the task of chopping tomatoes and peppers, and then, as she got older and taller, won the honor of overseeing the pot, which helped hone her instincts about the dishes they prepared.
“My mom can smell a dish and know if it’s ready—she doesn’t even need to taste it. She could just look and tell if the tomatoes needed to cook more or the color wasn’t quite where it needed to be. That’s a very African way [of cooking]. I used to not know what she meant, but now I can smell all the flavor blended together,” she says.
While Aduba cooks food of every cuisine, vegetable-heavy Nigerian food is a must for her. “I grew up on it, so I have to have it. It’s a part of my staple [diet].”
Aduba’s recipe for Red Stew has never been written down—it’s been perfected by the actress and her mother over the years—so she’s is sharing the hearty tomato, red pepper and onion sauce with Glamour from memory. “If you’re looking to try Nigerian food, whether you have an adventurous spirit or you’re a little more tame, this is the dish. I’ve never met a person in my life who didn’t like red stew and rice,” she says.
But make sure you have freezer space, Aduba warns. “I’m sure there are people who know how to make a serving for four or two, but we don’t really cook like that—we cook in bulk,” she says with a laugh. “Most Nigerians I knew growing up were cooking for a lot of people. In my house alone, we were cooking for seven.” Aduba herself makes the dish every two to three months, because, “no joke, that’s how much will be left over,” she says. Below, Uzo’s beloved recipe, in her own words.
Uzo Aduba’s Red Stew
Servings:
“Makes…a lot”
Ingredients
8 red bell peppers (5 loosely chopped for blending, 3 chopped to bite size pieces)
6 tomatoes, chopped
8 white onions (5 loosely chopped for blending, 3 sliced and cut into thirds)
