10 Best Treats You Can Make with a Mickey Cookie Cutter

We received free products in our celebration kit, from Disney Parks and Mom Select in order to host the #DisneySide @Home Celebration. The opinions expressed here are our own.

Photo credit: Walt Disney World

Everything is better when it's Mickey shaped, right?

As a part of my #DisneySide @ Home Celebration party kit, I received a package of Mickey shaped cookie cutters. 

Available for purchase at Amazon.com

I immediately started thinking about all of the treats I could make using these cutters. Here is a round-up of some of the best ones.

10. Mickey Sandwiches- This is something we did for our son's Mickey Farm Party. The cutter can be used to cut shapes out of the bread. You could also use it to cut your cold cuts into Mickey heads as well. Another spin on this idea would be to make Mickey grilled cheese.

9. Mickey Brownies- Simply make a pan of brownies, wait for them to cool and then cut your shapes!


8. Mickey Fruit- Your kids will be more likely to eat their fruit when it's shaped like Mickey! I love this fruit display from Yummy Tecture. Perfect for any celebration!

7. Mini Mickey Pizzas- This idea would make a great appetizer or kid-friendly dinner. Roll out your dough and cut out your shapes. Top with sauce and cheese and bake. 


6. Mickey Shaped Breakfast- Use your cutter as a template to make pancakes, french toast or even eggs!

http://merryweatherscottage.blogspot.jp/2013/08/diy-first-day-of-school-mickey.html

5. Mickey Sugar Cookies- This one is a no-brainer. 

http://thediva-dish.com/uncategorized/minnie-mouse-2nd-birthday/

But there are so many things you can do with your cookies once you bake them like...


4. Mickey Ice Cream Sandwiches- Soften some ice cream and sandwich it between two sugar cookies. If you really want to get fancy, you can dip the sides in sprinkles. Yummy!

3. DIY Mickey cookie decorating kit- One of my daughter's favorite desserts to order at Disney is the Decorate Your Own Cookie dessert. It comes with a sugar cookie, sprinkles, M&Ms and frosting. You could easily do this at home using Mickey shaped sugar cookies.

Bella decorates her own cookie at Sanaa.

2.  Mickey Rice Krispie Treats- One of our favorite Disney snacks is the Mickey Rice Krispie treats from Goofy's Candy Company. 

Use your cutter to make shapes in a pan of rice krispy treats.  Dip them in chocolate, sprinkle on candy and you can have this delicious treat at home.

1.  Mickey Ice Cream Bars- Yes! You can make Mickey Ice Cream Bars at home! I know because we did! 

Using your cutter as a template, you can shape softened ice cream into Mickey shapes. 

Did I leave anything out? What can you do with a Mickey cookie cutter?



We received free products in our celebration kit, from Disney Parks and Mom Select in order to host the #DisneySide @Home Celebration. The opinions expressed here are our own.

Play N Dine at Hollywood & Vine

Our favorite way to start a day off at Walt Disney World is with a character breakfast. We've done them all and one of our favorites is one that doesn't get a lot of hype.  We tried the Play N Dine at Hollywood & Vine two years ago and loved it so much that we went back on our latest visit to WDW! 

The Play N Dine Character Breakfast is at the Hollywood & Vine restaurant, located inside Disney Hollywood Studios.  Our kids are big fans of Disney Junior, and this experience gives them a chance to meet some characters they wouldn't see anywhere else in the parks.

Jake from "Jake and the Neverland Pirates"

Special Agent Oso

Handy Manny

June from "Little Einsteins"

Admittedly, a couple of the biggest stars of Disney Junior aren't here.  But Doc McStuffins and Sofia the First have made their way into the Disney Junior Live on Stage show recently, so who knows, perhaps one or both might work their way into the rotation at the Play N Dine as well in the future.

The Spread:

Hollywood & Vine serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, all buffet style.  Characters are only present during breakfast and lunch.  We had dinner here years ago and weren't impressed. Therefore, our expectations for breakfast were low, and we ended up being pleasantly surprised the first time, and pleased to see that the quality and offerings were still as good as we remembered on this last visit.

Bagels and Croissants

Fruits and Yogurt

Bananas and Apples

Muffins and Pastries

Potato Casserole, Sliced Ham, and Frittata

Build Your Own Breakfast Burrito and Corn Beef Hash

Cheese Grits, Sausage Patties, and Oatmeal

Oatmeal Toppings

Bacon, Scrambled Eggs, Chicken Sausage, Biscuits and Gravy

Omelette Station

Kids Station: Mickey Waffles, Pancakes, Tater Tots, Strawberry and Cherry Sauces, Ketchup

Cereals

Our plates looked like this:

The classic American offerings were all pretty good.  Lisa really liked the potato casserole, saying it reminded her of the hashbrown casserole from the Cracker Barrel.  I liked the Corn Beef Hash.  It was similar to the Corn Beef Hash served at Tusker House, and it was a nice change of pace from the usual breakfast choices.

The Fun

The best part about this breakfast is the entertainment.  Each character meal we've attended has something special that they do.  At Chef Mickey's you swing your napkins in the air, and at 'Ohana and Crystal Palace they do a parade around the restaurant.  If you are there long enough, you may even do these things twice.

At Play N Dine, you'll experience something different for each show that's represented.  Cast Members invite everyone to participate in singing songs and dancing, and the characters join in as well.  

Here's a clip of one of our favorite Disney Junior songs to sing a long with at home, Play N Dine style.

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So, there you have it.  Unique Characters, Good Food, and Great Fun!  If you want our opinion on a good Character Breakfast, don't overlook the Play N Dine at Hollywood & Vine!

What do you think of dining with Disney Junior characters?  Let us know in the comments below!

13 Disney Nights of Halloween- #3- Tasty Tuesday: Spiced Pumpkin Waffle Sundae

Not making it to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party this year? You can have one of the extra special treats served at the party right at home! 

When you attend Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, they offer some special treats to help get you in the Halloween spirit. Here's a look at the menu from the party guide.

photo courtesy of Disney Food Blog

The one treat that immediately caught my attention was the Spiced Pumpkin Waffle Sundae. 

Picture courtesy of Disney Food Blog

It is simply a spiced pumpkin waffle topped with vanilla soft serve and pixie-dusted with powdered sugar and Halloween sprinkles. Not only does it sound delicious, but I knew it was a treat I could easily replicate at home. Want to know how to make one?

As luck would have it, I found the perfect recipe for spiced pumpkin waffles in my Pancakes and Waffles cookbook. 

First, whip up a batch of waffles (recipe to follow). 

Top your waffles with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream. Swirl on some whipped cream and sprinkle on some festive sprinkles. I just so happened to have bat shaped sprinkles in my pantry, so I used those along with some orange and black nonpareils. 

And voila! 

We might not be making it to the party, but we can sure treat ourselves to some delicious dessert!

Spiced Pumpkin Waffles- adapted from Pancakes and Waffles
serves 3-4, makes 6-8 waffles

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 eggs
1/4 firmly packed brown sugar
8 oz roasted pumpkin flesh, fresh or canned
1 2/3 cups milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
freshly grated zest of 1 orange

Sift the flour, baking powder. baking soda, cinnamon,nutmeg, ginger, salt and pepper into a large bowl. Put the eggs, sugar, pumpkin, milk, butter and zest into a second bowl and beat well. Gently fold in the flour mixture.

Depending on the size of the waffle iron, spoon about 1/4-1/2 cup pf the batter into the preheated compartments.  Cook until crisp, 4-5 minutes.