If you’re like me – you’re wishing you were getting packed and ready to head to Walt Disney World to enjoy the autumn air, fall décor, and Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party – or maybe you’re one of the lucky ones who is going to celebrate the fall season at WDW? Either way, there are plenty of ways to infuse some Disney into your autumn festivities at home (whether you are headed to Disney soon or just wanting to remind yourself how much you love Disney!). Here are some great Disney DIY Fall Recipes:
Mickey Pumpkin Whoopie Pies – Adorable and delicious!
What you’ll need
Mixing bowls
Whisk
Electric mixer
Wooden spoon
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup cooked pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pastry bag with 3/4-inch or so opening (or large plastic food storage bag with a lower corner snipped)
Baking sheets
Parchment paper
Cooling rack
Cream cheese frosting (homemade or store bought)
How to make it
-Heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and salt.
-In a second mixing bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar together until creamy. Beat in the egg, pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract.
-Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Then spoon the batter into the pastry bag.
-For the Mickey faces, pipe 2.5-inch blobs of batter on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, spacing them evenly apart. Remember, you need two for each whoopie pie. Use a clean fingertip to gently flatten the blobs into uniform circles, as shown. Tip: dipping your fingertip in water periodically will keep the batter from sticking to it.
-Pipe small ear blobs at the top of each batter face, keeping them as close in size as possible. Again, use a wet fingertip to flatten them, as shown.
-Bake the Mickey pumpkin cakes until they spring back when you press down on the center (about 8 to 10 minutes). Let them cool on the baking sheet slightly before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
-Spoon cream cheese frosting into a pastry bag.
-Pair up the baked pumpkin cakes, matching the shapes and sizes as best you can. Working with one pair at a time, turn one of the cakes face down and pipe moderate mounds of frosting on the face and ears. Top the frosted cake with its match and gently press down to spread the filling and hold the whoopie pie together. Store leftover whoopie pies in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Rapunzel’s Squash and Hazelnut Soup – Fall is the perfect time to whip up a warm soup – and what better than to use a seasonal ingredient like butternut squash?
What you’ll need
2 lb butternut squash, seeded and cut into 6 sections
1 lb parsnips, peeled and roughly chopped
1 green apple, peeled, cored, and quartered
1 medium brown onion, thinly sliced
4 cups of chicken stock, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon cumin
3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
Salt and white pepper to taste
1 cup raw hazelnuts (for topping)
How to make it
For Soup:
Preheat oven to 400° F
-Line a baking dish with parchment paper and drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil on top.
-Arrange butternut squash in the baking dish, skin side up. Scatter chopped parsnip and apple quarters around the squash. Top with a few sprigs of fresh thyme. Pour a quarter cup of water into the baking dish.
-Bake uncovered for 45-50 minutes, or until a knife slides easily through the skin of the squash.
-Remove the baking dish from the oven and throw away the sprigs of thyme. Set aside to cool.
-Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan over medium low heat. Add thinly sliced onion and half a teaspoon of salt to the pan and sauté slowly about 10 minutes, or until the onions are soft and translucent, but not browned. Turn off the heat.
-When squash is cool enough to handle, use a paring knife to peel the skin from the butternut squash, discarding the skins. Place the peeled squash into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse into a smooth purée, about 20 seconds. Pour purée into a large stockpot or Dutch oven.
-Place roasted parsnips, apple and sautéed onion into the bowl of the food processor. Add 1 cup of the chicken stock. Purée 20-30 seconds, or until smooth. If the purée is too dry, thin it using an additional half cup of chicken stock.
Note: Do not fill a food processor more than half full with hot liquids. Doing so could result in the top or bottom of the food processor bowl blowing off due to pressure.
-Add puréed parsnip and onion mixture to the squash in the stockpot. Add the remaining chicken stock to the pot and raise the heat to medium high. Bring soup to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer.
-While soup is simmering add a half teaspoon of ground cumin, as well as salt and white pepper to taste. Before serving, stir in a half cup of heavy cream.
To Roast Hazelnuts:
Preheat oven to 275° F
-Place 1 cup of raw Hazelnuts on a parchment lined baking sheet.
-Bake for 25 – 30 minutes, or until the hazelnut skins burst.
-Remove from oven and let cool. When cool enough to handle, roll hazelnuts between paper towels to remove skins. Place skinless hazelnuts into a small plastic bag and crush using a rolling pin.
Serve soup in bowls or insulated cups and top with the crushed roasted hazelnuts.
This soup is not only a great fall recipe – but it also work work perfectly for a Tangled theme party/movie night too!
Check out plenty more Fall craft and recipe ideas here, and for those of you who are especially into anything PUMPKIN this time of year (like I am!) – then check out these Must try pumpkin dessert recipes. And as always, stay tuned here on Chip and Co for more Disney Recipes and the latest in everything DISNEY!
