Disney Parks Gingerbread-Cream Cheese Muffin Recipe

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Dining, Disney Parks

Looking to get into the holiday spirit any time of year? Disney has shared a gingerbread recipe that is sure to please everyone.

National Gingerbread Day is November 21, and we have a delicious recipe to celebrate the day and gear us up for the holiday season – Gingerbread-Cream Cheese Muffins!

Let’s face it, the scent and taste of freshly baked gingerbread screams HOLIDAY and this spiced gingerbread muffin with cream cheese filling is the perfect bundle of holiday goodness! Want to enjoy this gingerbread treat in our parks? Head on over to Isle of Java and Harambe Fruit Market at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park starting December 1 through January 2.

GINGERBREAD-CREAM CHEESE MUFFINS

Isle of Java and Harambe Fruit Market, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park
Makes 12

CREAM CHEESE FILLING

  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

GINGERBREAD MUFFINS

  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup canola oil (1/4 cup butter, softened, may be substituted)
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons molasses
  • 3 tablespoons honey
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • Reserved cream cheese filling

FOR CREAM CHEESE FILLING:

  1. Combine sugar and butter in bowl of electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment and beat on low speed until there are no lumps. Add cream cheese and mix on medium speed for 3 minutes, until smooth.
  2. Reduce speed to low. Add egg and lemon juice and mix until smooth.
  3. Refrigerate at least 2 hours, up to 3 days, until ready to use.

FOR GINGERBREAD-CREAM CHEESE MUFFINS:

  1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Prepare a muffin pan with 12 liners and set aside.
  2. Sift flour, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into medium bowl and set aside.
  3. Combine oil or butter, brown sugar, molasses, honey, and egg in bowl of electric mixer fitted with whisk attachment. Mix on medium speed until combined. Reduce speed to low and add buttermilk until incorporated.
  4. Add flour mixture and mix on low speed until combined. Scrape sides of mixer and mix an additional 30 seconds. Batter will be slightly lumpy.
  5. Scoop batter into prepared muffin pan, filling each cup 3/4 full.
  6. Place reserved cream cheese filling in piping bag fitted with large round tip. Insert piping tip into the center of each muffin, piping about 1 tablespoon into the center, then pipe a swirl around the top of the muffin.
  7. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until top of muffin is firm when touched.
  8. Cool before serving.

Note: Always use caution when handling sharp objects and hot contents. Please supervise children who are helping or nearby. This recipe has been converted from a larger quantity in the restaurant kitchens. The flavor profile may vary from the restaurant’s version.

Click here for a print-at-home version of this recipe.

‘Star Wars’ Officially Announces New Han Solo and Chewbacca Comics Series

Posted on by Mathew Corn Uncategorized

Via InsideTheMagic.net

Han Solo and Chewbacca are one of the most popular duos in cinema history. Starring in multiple movies across the Star Wars franchise, the characters will next appear in a brand new series from Marvel Comics, simply called “Han Solo & Chewbacca”.

Harrison Ford first brought Han Solo into the pop culture lexicon in George Lucas’ Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope (1977) alongside Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia Organa), and his on-screen sidekick, Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca). Han Solo and Chewbacca soon rose to fan-favorite status with their following appearances as part of the Rebel Alliance in Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Star Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi (1983), making up Lucas’ original trilogy.

star wars millennium falcon cockpit with (left to right) chewbacca, c-3po, princess leia, and han solo

The Indiana Jones actor was back as Han Solo with Mayhew sharing the role of the loveable Wookiee with Joonas Suotamo and Ian Whyte for Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens (2015) — the first movie in Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy’s Star Wars sequel trilogy. As well as returning cast members Hamill and Fisher, Ford and Mayhew were also joined by newcomers Daisy Ridley (Rey), Adam Driver (Ben Solo AKA Kylo Ren), Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron), and John Boyega (Finn).

han solo (left) and kylo ren (right)

With cameo appearances in the remainder of the sequel trilogy, it would be Alden Ehrenreich who delivered Han Solo’s origin story for the galaxy far, far away. Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018) had an underwhelming performance at the box office despite the movie’s stellar cast — which included Emilia Clarke (Qi’ra), Paul Bettany (Dryden Vos), Donald Glover (Lando Calrissian), and Woody Harrelson (Tobias Beckett) — and its setup of future events involving Maul (Ray Park) and his crime syndicate, Crimson Dawn.

Despite rumors that a new Han Solo project featuring 79-year-old Harrison Ford is in the works for the Star Wars universe, nothing involving the famous duo has been confirmed. Until now.

han solo

StarWars.com has revealed that a new series featuring the Millennium Falcon pilots will release next year:

Han Solo & Chewbacca, a new series from Marvel, will launch in March 2022, StarWars.com can exclusively reveal. Written by Marc Guggenheim and pencilled by David Messina, the monthly comic follows Han and Chewie a few years before the events of Star Wars: A New Hope, as the duo teams up with Greedo — in better times, apparently — on a heist for Jabba the Hutt.

Chewbacca and Han Solo

Speaking to the writer, Marc Guggenheim, it is confirmed how this new Star Wars project will tackle the cinematic space smuggler and how he has always bordered the line between cynic and hopeless romantic:

You might think that that inner conflict didn’t present itself until the end of Episode IV, when Han returns to help Luke destroy the Death Star, but it’s already on full display at the end of Solo: A Star Wars Story, which, of course, predates Episode IV. So one of the things I’ve been playing with is the tension between the “hopeless romantic” Han reveals himself to be at the end of Solo and the hard-bitten cynic we meet in Episode IV. To be very reductive about it, I’ve searched for opportunities to force Han to choose between his lesser and greater angels.

han and greedo mos eisley cantina

Guggenheim continues to tease what’s to come from the series:

In the first issue, Jabba the Hutt gives them what should be an easy job: Steal something and bring it back to him. But the job turns out to be anything but easy as everything that can go wrong promptly does.

He also comments on how he plans to leave each issue with a cliffhanger and that the last page of issue one “will have people talking”. If there’s one thing that Star Wars is good at is getting people talking. We have seen time and time again, Lucasfilm’s leading franchise draw polarizing opinions such as with the release of Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi (2017) from director Rian Johnson.

rey the last jedi on ahch-to

This will be the first-ever Han Solo and Chewbacca series and promises to expand on the “animosity” between Solo and Greedo, as well as introduce new characters such as a Marshal — a “corporate equivalent of a bounty hunter”. Star Wars has continued to explore the wider galaxy surrounding its movies and TV shows with comic series’ like “War of the Bounty Hunters” and “Darth Vader”.

In terms of live-action, next to debut in the Star Wars saga is The Book of Boba Fett from showrunner Robert Rodriguez and starring Temuera Morrison (Boba Fett) and Ming-Na Wen (Fennec Shand).

Celebrate the Holidays with Stunning Gingerbread Displays at Disney World Resorts

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Resorts

One of our favorite holiday traditions is to visit the Gingerbread Displays at Walt Disney World resorts! This year’s displays include some 50th-anniversary touches.

The most wonderful time of the year wouldn’t be complete without something sweet, and the incredibly talented pastry teams at Walt Disney World Resort have added some extra sugar and spice and a little 50th Anniversary celebration magic to the festivities with this year’s gingerbread displays!

Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa gingerbread house (open now – Jan. 1)

The pastry team at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa pulled out all the stops this year. From the gingerbread shingles and custom hand-painted character windows to elaborate EARidescent landscapes and handcrafted sugar flowers, the team put thought and care into the tiniest, holly jolly details.

“We know the gingerbread displays mean so much to our guests,” Pastry Chef Assistant John Dettman said. “This year, our team wanted our guests to be immersed in the 50th Anniversary celebration. We incorporated EARidescent hues into our hand painted character windows and Pastry Chef Assistant Fabiola Vidal Vazquez even applied cocoa butter EARidescent airbrush to our landscape plants and flowers.”

Disney’s Beach Club Resort gingerbread carousel (open now – Jan. 2)

Guests are in for a treat at Disney’s Beach Club Resort! The gingerbread carousel’s theme changes each year and this year, the pasty team took inspiration from Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” and cast members created five detailed horses depicting some of their favorite animated characters.

From concept and design to confectionary creation and assembly, our pastry cast members brought creative storytelling to life.

“The gingerbread display is a team effort,” Jesse Rodriguez, a Pastry Chef Assistant, said. “We all pitch ideas and add our own elements and talents to create something special for our guests. We have so much fun and see first-hand how much the guests enjoy what we’ve created.”

The carousel also includes a special nod to the 50th Anniversary celebration, featuring handmade EARidescent snowflakes that line the carousel topper and shimmering mini ornaments.

The American Adventure gingerbread display at EPCOT (open now – Dec. 30)

The American Adventure at EPCOT features not one, but three gingerbread constructions: the Lincoln Memorial, The American Adventure, and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. Look for a Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary celebration plaque as part of these displays.

“Our gingerbread displays are very detailed, and we are as accurate as we can be to the original structures they are based on,” Pastry Chef Assistant Agueda Vasquez said. “It’s just so great to see the guests’ faces when they walk into the room and admire the amount of time and detail we put into these tiny structures.”

Looking for more holiday fun? Check out the lobby at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge to see the new gingerbread baby giraffe.

Where else but Disney do you get to create such incredible culinary magic for so many to enjoy? If this sounds like your jam, Disney is always looking for great culinary talent to join the team.

Congratulations and thank you to the culinary teams across Walt Disney World Resort that played a role in creating delicious holiday magic this year.

One Disney Park Will Not Be Allowing UK Travelers in This Christmas

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks

Millions of people travel during the holidays. Whether they travel by car, bus, train, or plane, it seems that everyone is going somewhere to celebrate and everyone has their plans set, and for tens of thousands of people, those plans include a visit to a Disney Park. Unfortunately, for some people who were planning on visiting Disneyland Paris this Christmas, they will have to make other arrangements.

Disneyland Christmas

Due to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus, France has shut down its borders to those traveling from the United Kingdom — which includes Guests from England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland — unless there is a “compelling reason” to enter the country. That means that any Guests from the UK who were planning on visiting Disneyland Paris this Christmas or New Year’s will have to change their plans.

Per a report from CNN:

According to the French government, a compelling reason to travel could include working in the health or research sector, being a top-tier athlete, being an exchange student, or traveling due to the the death or grave illness of a relative.Vacation or work-related travel is banned. French and EU nationals, as well as residents in France, are exempt from the new rule.However, all those traveling from the UK to France, whether they’re vaccinated or non-vaccinated, must also show a negative PCR or lateral flow test taken within 24 hours.The travelers must also quarantine upon arrival in France for 48 hours, as they await a negative PCR test result. Travelers will have to register their place of isolation on a digital platform.The prime minister’s office said that checks will be carried out by French authorities to enforce quarantines.UK Transport Minister Grant Shapps confirmed via Twitter that hauliers traveling across the Channel will remain exempt from these new rules.

Omicron is the newest variant taking hold in the world’s fight against COVID-19. While studies have shown that it appears to be less severe amongst those who are vaccinated, it is still highly contagious. Omicron is spreading as the world still struggles to get a handle on the Delta variant that became the main variant of the virus earlier this year.

Disney World Is Extending Early Theme Park Entry For All Hotel Guests

Posted on by Mathew Corn Animal Kingdom, Disney Parks, Disney Resorts, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom

Christmas is one of the merriest and most magical times of the year, and spending the holidays at Walt Disney World can add an extra sprinkling of pixie dust to Guests’ festive celebrations. The holidays are a very busy time of year at The Most Magical Place on Earth, so a lot of Guests try to get to the Parks early in order to get the most out of their day.

As a perk for staying at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel, Guests are allowed to get into a theme park of their choice — as long as they have a reservation to that Park — up to 30 minutes before the theme park opens for non-hotel Guests. However, for this holiday season, Disney has decided to spread even more holiday cheer to Guests and has announced that they are extending early theme park entry from 30 minutes to one hour!

The Walt Disney World website currently reads:

As part of The World’s Most Magical Celebration, Guests staying at Disney Resort hotels and select other hotels can take advantage of a 30-minute early entry into Walt Disney World theme parks every day.

As we continue to celebrate the holiday season, from Sunday, December 19, 2021 to Monday, January 3, 2022, the early theme park entry benefit will be extended from 30 minutes to 60 minutes for Guests staying at Disney Resort hotels and select other hotels.

Valid theme park admission, park reservation and Resort ID are required.

Guests staying at the following hotels can take part in the extended early morning theme park hours:

  • Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort
  • Disney’s All-Star Music Resort
  • Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort
  • Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
  • Disney’s Pop Century Resort
  • The Campsites at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort
  • Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
  • Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
  • Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter
  • Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside
  • The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort
  • Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
  • Disney’s Beach Club Resort
  • Disney’s BoardWalk Inn
  • Disney’s Contemporary Resort
  • Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
  • Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
  • Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
  • Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
  • Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
  • Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
  • Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
  • Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Jambo House
  • Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas – Kidani Village
  • Disney’s Beach Club Villas
  • Disney’s BoardWalk Villas
  • Disney’s Old Key West Resort
  • Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows
  • Disney’s Riviera Resort
  • Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
  • The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
  • Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel
  • Walt Disney World Swan Hotel
  • Walt Disney World Swan Reserve
  • Shades of Green® on Walt Disney World® Resort
  • B Resort & Spa Lake Buena Vista
  • DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Orlando
  • Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace
  • Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista
  • Holiday Inn Orlando
  • Wyndham Garden Lake Buena Vista
  • Wyndham Lake Buena Vista
  • Four Seasons Resort Orlando
  • Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek
  • Waldorf Astoria Orlando

Extended theme park evening hours still only apply to Guests staying at Walt Disney World Deluxe hotels and other select hotels on Disney property. Extended evening hours typically happen on Mondays and Wednesdays and are currently only happening at Magic Kingdom Park and EPCOT.