Hopefully this will look much better than the ARC version as each recipe blends into the next and there is a disappointingly small number of recipe pictures so you will have to use your imagination or look it up online for a visual. In all honesty I would just stick with her blog, AshleyCrafted.com.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher, Adams Media, for the opportunity to read and give an honest review of this book.

What a fun cookbook. Just reading it made me hungry and needing a trip to Disney World! I had high expectations and this book did not disappoint. I was especially looking for Dole whip and School Buns from the Norway Pavilion at Epcot. Yes, they were there along with an assortment of recipes from Disneyland, Disney World, and California Adventure parks.

The photos included were good. The recipes were fairly simple and included ingredients easily obtained at your local grocery store. At the beginning, the author describes the kitchen tools and appliances you will need to make the recipes in the book.

At the beginning of each chapter was a park map so that you could see just where each item originated. The author includes fun facts about the parks, and the foods in the parks, making it more than just a cookbook. It is a bit of a park guide, as well. If you have been to a Disney Park or are planning a trip there, this book is for you.

If you’re a Disney-phile like me, then you just KNEW the moment you saw this book that you HAD to have it! The beautiful cover, in signature Disney navy accented in gold, just screams, “PICK ME”. Flipping over to the back side, you know right away you’re in good hands. Not only did author Ashley Craft grown up in Anaheim Hills right next door to California’s Disneyland, but she also had the amazing experience of not one, but two, internships at Florida’s Walt Disney World in her college years. We are GO FOR LAUNCH, people, with a tried and true Disney expert.

Now, if you’ve ever been to a Disney park, you know that the food is an attraction category all its own. If I lived a little closer, heck, I’d drop into Disney World just to eat! And, of course, my family and I have stacked up our short list of favorites. So, the true test for this Unofficial Disney Cookbook – did our faves make the cut? So, let’s dig in and find out!

The recipes are organized by Disney Park: the original Disneyland, which is followed by Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom; then we swing back to California with Disney’s California Adventure, the newest of the American Disney parks (it appears Craft has organized the parks from oldest to newest.)

Disneyland
• Craft hit the ball out of the park (ha ha) with her first theme park section. Perennial favorites that my family has been enjoying for almost 25 years made the list, such as the delicious Mint Julep and scrumptious Beignets from New Orleans Square.
• I was also pleased to see that popular Adventureland stop, Bengal Barbecue, made the list with its mouth-watering Tiger Tails. While I, myself, would have included Bengal Barbecue’s Chieftain Chicken Skewer, it was nice to see several skewers in the mix, with the Bengal Beef, Pork Belly, and Safari skewer options. Not to be outdone are the Jungle Julep and Hummus Trio.
• I’m not familiar with the Main Street’s Raspberry Rose Mickey Macarons or Fantasyland’s Matterhorn Macaroons, but they sound delectable and I can’t wait to try them!
• The volume does also include crowd pleasers like Main Street’s Churros, New Orlean’s Square’s Clam Chowder, and Critter Country’s Churro Funnel Cake.
• If you don’t see your Disneyland faves here, check out the Magic Kingdom section!

Magic Kingdom
• Beloved Disney Park favorites are well represented with offerings such as Dole Whip, the giant smoked Turkey Legs, and Caramel Apples. Fun fact: There are only two outlets in the world where you can buy the tropical Dole Whip, a dairy-free, pineapple-flavored, ice cream-like dessert, – a Disney park, and Dole’s home base at the historic Dole Plantation in Honolulu, Hawaii.
• Other tempting recipes being slapped onto my weekly menu as we speak are the Mickey Sugar Cookies, Cheshire Cat Tails (a puff pastry, vanilla pudding, and chocolate-chip dessert), Peter Pan Float (which sounds like a heartier version of an Italian Soda, but with ‘eggs to make you grow strong’), and the Maple Popcorn.

Epcot
• Ahhh, Epcot – if Disney holds the gold standard for theme parks, then Epcot holds the triple crown! It’s hard to pick a favorite when it comes to Epcot, because there are just so many great options. Not to mention the annual Food & Wine Festival where Disney really takes it up a notch – or three!
• Some my family’s favorites come from the Canada area of Epcot, in the form of the beer cheese soup from Le Cellier and the beaver tails (like an elephant ear – we like it topped with chocolate-hazelnut spread!) occasionally offered at seasonal food stands. I don’t see those in the cookbook, but with so many options available, I can only imagine the difficult task Craft had in narrowing this volume down to a mere 240 pages. I am thrilled, and you will be too, to see pages for France’s Macaron Ice Cream Sandwiches and Crepes, and Germany’s Caramel Corn from the Karamell-Kuche (German for Caramel Kitchen), all three of which my family can personally attest are absolutely mouth-watering as well as addictive!
• On my “must try” list are Craft’s recipes for the Caramel-Chocolate Pineapple Spears, Caramel Pecan Bars (Sensing a theme yet? Epcot is a veritable caramel-lovers paradise!), and of course the Coconut Popsicles.
• Fun fact: Epcot stands for “Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow”, which was Walt Disney’s name for the park, which he sadly didn’t get to see visualized. Disney passed away in 1966, while Epcot did not open until 16 years later in 1982.

Other Disney Parks
• While there certainly is much room for debate, in my family’s minds, Disney’s Hollywood Studios (DHS), Animal Kingdom (AK), and California Adventure (DCA) have never really been known for their food, unlike their Disneyland, Magic Kingdom, and Epcot counterparts, so I’ll review these three together.
• That said, DCA has recently stepped it up in recent years, with efforts such as bringing in celebrated chefs. And this reviewer does in fact believe it appropriate to include a section for each park, as the cookbook wouldn’t be complete without it. So, I was enthused to dive in and see what intriguing options Craft includes for her readers.
• I was glad to see a top favorite, Candy Apples, in the DHS section, along with the Frozen Chocolate Covered Bananas. Every child’s dream Mickey Waffles enter in the AK section, as well as Mickey Ice Cream Sandwiches and Bars (kiddos and grown-ups alike can’t get enough of Mickey-shaped food!). DCA brings us Pumpkin Spice Churros, Chili-Lime Corn on the Cob, and Bavarian Pretzels.

All of this! And more!!!
• A very handy feature is a section on The Disney Cook’s Essentials, a valuable grouping of the tools of the cooking trade, Disney style, for your home kitchen.
• One of my absolute favorites about this book, though – and I’m sure it will be one of your as well – is the tales, anecdotes, and interesting factoids sprinkles throughout the book like pixie dust. In fact, this is what really makes this book special, as each recipe is thoughtfully headed with a small tale relating to the recipe you are about to read – truly a treat that will whisk you off to that Disney magic in a jiff!

Conclusion
With 240 pages, numerous full-color, full-page illustrations, and even maps of the park marked with the location of each of the tasty treats, this is sure to be a treasured volume in your kitchen cookbook library for years to come.

The Unofficial Disney Parks Cookbook releases November 10, 2020 from Adams Media, a division of Simon & Schuster. A big thank you to Ashley Craft, Adams Media, and NetGalley for providing a complimentary copy of this publication in exchange for this honest review.

#AshleyCraft
#AdamsMedia
#SimonAndSchuster
#NetGalley

What a lovely idea ! It is like "Madeleine de Proust", food reminds us very quickly of nice memories, laugters, music, and fun. So, going throught the book , the recipes, the explanations about the parks, just contributes to bring a festive mood. I had great pleasure discovering all the recipes, and will give as a gift the Unoffical Disney parks cookbook.
I received a copy from NetGalley, all opinions are mine.

With COVID keeping Disneyland closed at the moment and Disney World being too far away for a quick trip, this book is just what the doctor ordered to give us that little piece of Disney magic. From Mickey pretzels to beignets, Dole whips to Bengal skewers, the author thought of (almost) everything. I’m secretly hoping for a sequel with Blue Bayou Gumbo, mmm mmm! This is our new go to cookbook for when we need some happiness in our day!

This is a fun Disney hack cookbook for those who love the Disney park foods but want to make them at home. I really was hoping for photos of every recipe and more detailed instructions to make them look like the parks' versions. There are photos of maybe 1/3 of the recipes. They tend towards sweets and are very unhealthy for the most part (lots of sugar, frying, artificial ingredients, etc.) but most people who want Disney food aren't looking for health foods. Some require purchasing things like Mickey shaped cookie cutters and waffle irons to make them look authentic. I was hoping there would be more recipes for kids on special diets like gluten free as I've heard Disney is pretty good about that these days, but there were very few other than standard things like dole whip (a frozen drink of mostly sugar, water and pineapple juice). I was also hoping for nutritional information but there is none.

I lived in California as a kid and my mother and I used to save up all year to visit Disneyland once a year. I haven't been back since and we could never afford the food back then anyway, so none of these foods are really sentimental to me. Without more photos or a reason to make something this junky, I'm not sure I'd really feel the need to make these for my kids. Those like the author who grew up on these treats and moved away may really appreciate it.

I read a digital ARC of this book for review.

I LOVE THIS COOKBOOK!!! Thank you netgalley for this treat. I am going to purchase the hardcover now!! This cookbook has ALL the yummy treats offered by Disney Parks. I’m from California and it’s great to dabble on what the Florida Parks have as well!! Love this!!

As a "Disney person" I was so grateful for this book. Though I still need to try a lot of the recipes, it was just so wonderful to see the broad range of recipes available. (Some of the ones I was particularly excited to see were the Ronto Wraps and Jack-Jack's Num Num Cookies!)

Each recipe is organized by the park in which they are sold, with map included at the start of each section. They also include a brief write-up for each recipe either with a history of the dish, a cooking tip or fun fact about the food.

Plus, there are lots of substitution options given, which is nice for those with food restrictions.

You can really tell how much the author loves the parks and the food and everything Disney, and I'm just so glad I now know how to make Blue Milk! Haha

Some of the recipes were pretty exciting, like the classic dole whip. However, a lot were incredibly general -- there isn't much special about a corn dog, no matter where I get it, even at Disney.

Such a great fun recipe book for lovers of Disney! These recipes do a fantastic rendition of the parks food. It's almost like being back at Disney Parks. I highly recommend for when you start getting withdrawals from Disney and need a little pick me up to hold you over until your next visit!!

Fantastic cookbook! I am a BIG fan of the Disney parks and my family goes often, so to have a cookbook with recreations of our favorite foods is wonderful. I like the mix of sweet and savory recipes along with the easy to follow recipes. I already know I'll be purchasing several copies for my Disney loving friends for Christmas.

Big Disney fan here and this cookbook is terrific!! Just what I needed until I can get back to the parks! Thank you for the great recipes. Would be a great present for Disney fans, however, anyone would love these recipes. It's happiness all wrapped up in a book.

First you are treated to some nostalgia as the author grew up 15 minutes from Disneyland in California and she tells you what the park was like then, its early history and which food is associated with which attractions and characters.
Then you are given examples of cooking tools and substitutes to prepare you for making these delicious treats - this is not a healthy treat book, so be prepared for a wild, sweet ride!
Churros are the first offering, you will need flour, sugar, salt and oil. You will need to go through several steps, such as mixing, using a piping bag, and boiling the churros in oil - follow the directions carefully!
The Raspberry Rose Mickey Macaroons you will need to study the directions carefully to make sure that you follow the steps exactly, as you will be blending, mixing meringue, piping the macaroon mixture and baking.
The Bengal Barbecue uses different types of vinegars, beef and brown sugar to create tasty skewers on a grill.
Jungle Juleps use pineapple, orange and grape juice in a blender to create a flavorful drink in a few minutes!
There are several flavorful and easy to prepare Hummus recipes that use black beans, lime juice, paprika, chick peas, and tahini in a blender to tingle your tastebuds.
The Beignets recipe is for New Orleans Square in Disneyland, and the recipe uses flour, eggs, confectioners sugar and oil to create flavorful doughnuts using a standing mixer and a heavy flat bottomed pan to fry the dough mixture. Have fun!
The Mickey Sugar cookies contain flour, sugar, butter,eggs,baking powder and salt and they are easy to make with a stand mixer and Mickey Mouse cookie cutters!
Peter Pan Floats are made with eggs, sugar, lemon juice, heavy cream and soda that is cooked, strained and then frozen in an ice cream machine for a tasty cool treat!
There are so many good recipes you will have to buy the book for yourself, you will feel like you are at Disneyland or Disney World as you munch and slurp away!

This is a lovely little book that would be a perfect gift for fans of Disney! I was hoping for some recipes from some of the non-US parks too, so that I could try to make something I've tasted for accuracy, but even though that wasn't the case, I really enjoyed the variety of treats and snacks available here. The book is peppered with tidbits of history alongside the recipes, which were fun to read, and I liked that each section had a map so you could see where in the park they were sold - it helped to add to the sense of authenticity. It's well-presented, with nice bright colours, and would be a great addition to a Disney-lover's kitchen!

I am not a huge Disney girl, however, I want to eat everything in this book (and probably will do, lets be honest). All the recipes are set out so well and are so easy to follow, and everything looks so beautiful. I would recommend this to anyone, however, if you have a Disney fan in your life this is definitely the book for them!

Not only is this a great cookbook, but it's almost like a walk through Disney parks. Organized by the different parks with diagrams of where some of the eateries are. Lots of great recipes, easy and complicated and in between, with fun facts or information about the recipes. Although not every recipe has photos, the book is laid out very beautifully. This is definitely a book I want to keep with my recipes to try new things!

2020 has not been a kind year and there are a lot of things that we have had to leave behind while we protect our health. While Walt Disney World Reopened this past Summer, entrance is limited and not everyone is willing to travel to get there. What’s the next thing to being there? Enjoying your favorite treats at home until you can get back to the parks in person again!

This books is chock full of many of the goodies you have been craving. From Churros to Dole Whip to Pretzels to Macarons. You can get your fix while waiting for your chance to get back to the parks.

There are a few Disney lovers in our family who will be getting this book for Christmas! I just wish there were more pictures of the finished treats.

Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced copy of this cookbook!

I was so excited to get early access to this cookbook! Being a big disneyland fan, season pass holder, I was excited to find some of my favorite food items listed in this book. I can't wait to replicate some of the desserts, especially the churros, sugar cookies and macaroons! The illustrations and visuals throughout the book are great! A fun cookbook and would make for a great gift for a Disney lover!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing this ARC. As a veteran of uncountable trips to Walt Disney World, I enjoyed reading this cookbook (Full disclosure, I haven’t made any of the recipes yet). The recipes look perfect, both in my experience of eating these items at the parks and even a few for which I have the official Disney recipe from the chef. Overall, a great addition to your cookbook collection for any Disney fan.

A fun way to experience the Disney Parks from home at a time when we need that option more than ever.

If you’re a parks regular or semi-regular, this cookbook is part fun nostalgia trip, and part opportunity to finally answer the frequent question we ask about our favorite park foods:

Just what exactly is in this stuff?

Dole whips feel like the obvious example here, but there are many others in the book that fit the bill.

It’s a good selection, hitting the majority of the most popular park treats and curated nicely for a variety of items from each of the Florida and California parks.

The book is of course gorgeous and colorful and thus extremely on brand for Disney, the visual highlight being the delightful park maps showing where each of the items featured for that park’s recipes are located on the grounds.

The photography beautifully done, though I wish the author had chosen to either include a photo of every item or had made different choices about which items were photographed.

I know what a churro looks like, as do most people. But unless you’ve actually tried them at the park, you likely have no idea what the Disney chefs mean by Troll Horns or what makes a float specifically a Peter Pan float. If space/cost was an issue, smaller photos in order to include more items would have been more than fine.

In all, a treat both to read and cook from. I think I’ll try the Grey Stuff next. I’ve heard it’s delicious.