The Must-Try Treats at Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party This Year
Long before the first wave of arrivals makes its way down Main Street U.S.A. each morning, the action inside the sparkling new pastry kitchen at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom is already cranked up to a twelve. Down below the impossibly popular Be Our Guest restaurant, a team of talented chefs not only tends to the flagship park's daily dessert needs, they're also hard at work on one of the most important aspects of the annual festivals that draw even larger crowds here, which is—of course—the treats.
This weekend, the highly-anticipated event, the one that reminds us that the holidays are just around the corner now, kicks off with a bang, a not-so-scary bang, mind you, and of course we are speaking about the annual Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party 2018.
From the Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular to the Happy HallowWishes Fireworks Show, the cheerfully spooky happening takes over Disney's Magic Kingdom on a slew of scheduled nights between now and October 31, beginning at 7 p.m. All very entertaining, yes, quite right, but for plenty of attendees, one of the highlights of the event every year is quite easily the food, much of it only available during the special ticketed event, and all of it scattered around the park for you to chase after, like you're on some delicious scavenger hunt.
Hungry for something spooky and delicious? We managed to sneak into the secret pastry kitchen for a preview of the dessert line-up at this year's Halloween do, and a lot of them are, well, scary good. Here, take a look.
The Not-So-Poison Apple Cupcake
An oversized spiced apple cupcake is the vehicle for this gigantic (and very delicious) treat, a signature item at this year's event. The fun begins with a healthy portion of soft pecan praline, scooped on top, followed by fat rings of buttercream. Now nearly double the original height, on goes a half-dome of red buttercream with a mirror glaze surface, courtesy of a little bit of red lustre spray. A handful of cracked red candy shards goes around the perimeter, like so much delicious-looking broken glass, and on top goes a bit of white icing and a licorice stem, for effect. This hilarious (but also rather elegant-looking) creation will be available every day between now and October 31. Main Street Bakery
Maleficent Dessert
Ladies and gentlemen, fire up your social media, because this thing was born to go viral. Here's how it all goes down—there's a black waffle cone, see, and then there's bright green soft-serve, lime-flavored. That'd be enough on its own, right? Add to that a stylish dusting of candy sugar and a pair of chocolate Maleficent horns, and you've got yourself not only a very good looking dessert, but a pretty tasty one, as well. Like the cupcake, this one's kind of a big deal—you'll find the cone available every day until the end of October. Storybook Treats
Candy Corn Milkshake
The polarizing seasonal treat is a central player at this year's event, and while an orange and white twirl of soft serve (yes, Candy Corn-flavored) in a cone might be enough for some, for others, only this very orange dessert will do, because who doesn't need a healthy portion of traffic cone-colored sugary goodness, to get their night off to a great start? As if that weren't sufficient, this one comes with a large, also orange, Mickey-shaped marshmallow for garnish, as well as a puffy cloud of cotton candy on top. It's madness. We're loving the ride. Both the soft serve and the milkshake are available daily. Auntie Gravity's Galactic Goodies
Madame Leota Dessert
Hands up, everybody who loves a classic tart. This tribute dessert, celebrating the Haunted Mansion's most high-profile resident, might be classically constructed, however that's about where the similarity ends. Filled with a toasted marshmallow pastry crème in a rather shocking blue-green color, because you knew this wasn't going to stay normal for long, this creation is topped off with crispy pearls, and the Madame herself, resting below a half-dome of clear hard candy. Get it? That's an edible crystal ball. Available during party nights only. Liberty Square Market
Jack Skellington Cake Push Pop
Can you believe it's been 25 years since the friendly skeleton made his first appearance on the big screen? Celebrate a quarter century of having The Nightmare Before Christmas in our lives with this layered treat, perfect for walking around a theme park—there's chocolate cake, vanilla buttercream icing, chocolate pearls (both white and dark), as well as a smattering of dark chocolate curls. Essentially, it's a nicely decorated cupcake in a tube, and that's absolutely fine by us. Oh, and of course there's Jack on top, made from white chocolate. This one's also available on party nights only. Sleepy Hollow
Zero Waffle Sundae
This delicious homage to Jack Skellington's ghost-dog is perhaps one of the best desserts on the table this year, but you'll need to wait until October 1 to try it, and even then, it will only be available on party nights. Worth the effort, however, because who doesn't love pumpkin waffles and vanilla ice cream? Not the most photogenic dessert in the line-up, sure, and while a patissier might chase us out of the shop with a crème brulee torch for saying so, when it comes to desserts, looks aren't always everything. Sleepy Hollow