After trying three recipes from the Unofficial Disney Parks cookbook, I can definitely say it's the most magical cookbook I own

In addition to epic rides, long lines, and cherished characters, Disney Park properties are known for their food.

Treats like turkey legs, Mickey pretzels, Dole Whips, and churros are part of the lore of visiting the parks.

As an avid baker and a Disney sing-along expert, I've always been intrigued with recreating some of the iconic dishes at home.

Disney has only released scattered recipes through the years, and while a cookbook is coming out in February from the brand, you can an Unofficial Disney Parks Cookbook immediately and for under $15.

You'll find signature dishes from all of Disney's destinations: Disneyland, Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney's Hollywood Studios, Disney's Animal Kingdom, and Disney California Adventure.

Though some recipes are more inspired by Disney than actual recreations from the parks, the book itself is like a culinary guide. Plus, it has beloved standards like Mickey Mouse cupcakes, Dole Whip, and more. 

The cookbook takes you through each property's most popular dishes and includes a map showing you where the dishes are in the park. Each recipe has a blurb, describing how the dish came to Disney or how the recipe in this book evolved from the original.

I decided to give the cookbook a try, recreating three iconic recipes from the parks: Mickey pretzels, churros, and The Grey Stuff.

First of all, Lumier was right — the Grey Stuff is delicious.

The infamous Grey Stuff from Beauty and the Beast's "Be Our Guest" is served in the Magic Kingdom at the popular Fantasyland restaurant. Since the actual dish from the song is ambiguous, Disney took creative liberty to make a sweet, pudding dessert based on the lyrics. 

The unofficial version is almost identical to the one from Disney's blog — the only change is that the Disney recipe uses chocolate and vanilla pudding to get that brown-grey color, while the unofficial one relies on cookie crumbs. Whichever way you get there, the Grey Stuff happens to be delightful. It's very sweet, but the chocolate and cookie crumbs cut through the sugar and add some texture.

Unfortunately, I did not do Mickey Mouse much justice in pretzel form.

There is no shortage of Mickey Mouse shaped foods at Disney parks. You can find pretzel Mickey at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Who can say no to a warm, soft pretzel?

It was surprisingly easy to make the pretzel dough, and the cooking method (boiling the pretzels before baking) was well explained. However, shaping the dough was a challenge. The main issue was scoring the eye and mouth lines, and then sliding the now stretched out dough into the boiling water without folding in on itself. 

The pretzels tasted great, with the right balance of sweet and salty with a bit of chewiness, so I think you could improvise the shape with this recipe. If you're going for Mickey, I recommend simplifying the design. Focus on the shape of the ears and leave the delicate scoring to the Disney professionals.

If you can't make it to Spain, you can always get churros at Disney. However, I must report that they are tricky to make at home.

In 2020, Disney released its churro recipe, and though Disney has since taken it off its blog, you can still find the recipe online. The recipe in this book is not exactly the same as the Disney original — it takes out the butter and eggs, resulting in a stiffer dough that is harder to pipe. 

The recipe also calls for a large star tip, to give the signature ridges, but doesn't give an exact measurement. If the churros are too thick, you'll end up with a brown exterior and a raw interior.  Plus, deep frying is always tricky. You'll definitely need a good kitchen thermometer to attempt this recipe.

I think this recipe benefits from experience. After attempting it once, I had a way better sense of how thick the churros should be and that I really needed a pastry bag to handle the firm dough. 

The bottom line

As a cookbook, this one leaves a little to be desired, but as a piece of Disney merchandise, it's a home run. This could be a food guide for your next Disney vacation or a way to make magic right at home.