Down To Disney

When I say I love food, it’s nothing compared to my OBSESSION with dessert. Give me anything with chocolate, especially mousse, which Disney World thankfully feeds into. In my humble foodie opinion, Hollywood Studios has the poorest selection of desserts, although some are quite popular. Here is an overview of 8 quick-service options I tried from worst to best:

8. Oga’s Obsession

Found at Oga’s Cantina under “Provision without Alcohol,” this Petri dish containing a blue gelatin-like substance is quite interesting to behold. Based on the description from the menu, I was expecting to receive a drink; it consists of Minute Maid premium lemonade, cotton candy flavor, blueberry popping pearls, and a bursting dried fruit mixture. It is very akin to Jell-O, however, and the cotton candy taste was not that prominent. The hard candy, essentially Pop Rocks, was the primary sensation. I was not the biggest fan of this treat and only wanted to have a few bites, but I’ll give it some points for presentation and theming.

7. Wookiee Cookie

Surprisingly, this cookie is not available in Galaxy’s Edge (I walked to the Millennium Falcon for the perfect picture). It is served at the Backlot Express, located right next to Star Tours. As a super popular choice of dessert in the park, my ranking of it comes down to personal preference. Oatmeal cookies are definitely necessary for the Chewbacca aesthetic, I just find them a bit plain. The milk chocolate sash on top is adorable and a nice touch, but my biggest complaint is the lack of frosting. I understand that since you are eating it as a sandwich you don’t want to have frosting flying everywhere when you squish the cookies together to take a bite, yet it would really enhance the flavor and dessert as a whole for me.

6. Carrot Cake Whoopie Pie

My take on this sweet goes hand-in-hand with my previous one: it needs more frosting, even more than the Wookiee Cookie does as you can tell from the picture. Stationed at the Trolley Car Café, this is a skip if you are not enthusiastic about carrot cake or long lines, as this is also the home of Hollywood Studios’ Starbucks. No matter the time of day, the coffee-lovers are packing in to get a much-needed energy boost. I’ll brave the chaos every once in a while to find hidden merch and snacks like this one. Once you get your hands on it, eat it right away before the Florida heat makes it soft and sticky to enjoy that ideal carrot cake consistency. The frosting is tasty, I just think there needs to be more of it for a better cake-to-frosting ratio.

5. POG Gelato

This is a great option if you are not only looking to cool off, but chill in a less crowded area for a minute or two. On your way to Muppet Vision 3D (honestly one of my least-favorite Disney attractions, sorry Muppet fans), you will find the charming Grand Avenue Gelato Cart serving a variety of delicious flavors. I chose to highlight this one due to its uniqueness and refreshing taste during the perpetually high temperatures. It is a combination of passion fruit, orange, and guava, hence the abbreviation POG, and is perfectly sweet. When I first tried this flavor, it was the Flavor of the Day, and it has since become a permanent addition. Since I’m in the mood for something chocolatey 99% of the time, I don’t splurge on this dessert too often although it is delicious.

4. Enchanted Rose

Look how beautiful this is! I almost, almost didn’t want to eat it. I ordered this mousse (I warned you about my strong feelings for this type of dessert) from Catalina Eddie’s on Sunset Boulevard, although you have to keep an eye out for when it’s available as it’s unfortunately not a fixed confection item. It is usually on the menu in the spring and summer months. There are so many parts to this rose: the mousse itself is a mix of dark chocolate, blackcurrant, and morello cherry flavors, topped with whipped cookies ‘n cream fluff and gilded chocolate-covered cacao nibs, all on a shortbread cookie. Wow. I’m not a big cherry lover, and I don’t recommend it if you dislike them, but it was balanced with the right amount of chocolate for me to rank it high on the list.

3. Lightsaber Churro

I really hate to hit you with a second inconsistently offered item, but sprinkles are my kryptonite. Disney churros are amazing and classic to begin with, so adding more sugar and tossing them in a cute cardboard holder makes them even better. Not pictured is the chocolate dipping sauce that I always suggest grabbing. I’m personally more of a Jedi girl which is why I went with the blue lightsaber instead of the red. Again, I didn’t buy it in Galaxy’s Edge, rather at the stand across from the Grand Avenue Gelato Cart right outside of the Muppets Courtyard. This sweet might be as high on my list as it is because I enjoyed it on May 4th, as in May the 4th Be With You, and let me tell you, Star Wars Day in Hollywood Studios is a WILD experience. These exclusive churros have also been offered on the premiere days of some of the new Disney + Star Wars series, so you may not have to hold out for the month of May for your chance to try these for yourself.

2. Jack-Jack’s Num Num Cookie

There is so much hype surrounding these cookies, and for good reason. I wasn’t able to try one until my very last day on my Disney College Program; they are located in Pixar Place, a section in the park that didn’t reopen until mid-May, and I’m so glad it did. It not only hosts the Neighborhood Bakery, the home of this sought-after sweet, but the meet and greets for Sully, Frozone, Edna Mode and Mr. and Mrs. Incredible. Chocolate chips are arguably the most famous and widespread of cookies, so it is hard for any single one to stand out (albeit most people will say their mom’s, whether they will admit it truthfully or against their will). This one is discernibly thicker than the others I’ve tried, and was unique in that it was served in a cupcake liner. I was lucky enough to be given a warm, fresh one, and it was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside with the chocolate chips perfectly melting in my mouth. As you make your way to Toy Story Land, the smell will be too tantalizing to resist.

1. Mint-Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

Not only is this cheesecake my favorite dessert in Hollywood Studios, this entire meal is one of my favorites in all of Walt Disney World. My infatuation with anything buffalo chicken flavored is probably even more intense than my love for mousse. ABC Commissary is the place to be for this meal: it is centrally located and hosts a ton of seating in its huge building. I can’t resist the Buffalo Chicken Grilled Cheese Sandwich, yet this perfectly-sized cheesecake is a great addition to any of their other choices. On top of the chocolate crust sits chocolate cheesecake with dark chocolate ganache, mint-chocolate chip whipped cream, and a piece of white chocolate with the ABC logo (definitely not the most Disney-themed or adorably decorated sweet we have seen by far, but the taste makes up for that). I am a mint-chocolate chip connoisseur and it is certainly a distinct flavor that not everyone enjoys, however the whipped cream can easily be spooned off and the cheesecake itself would still be delicious. It’s absolutely worth a try!

Let me know your Hollywood Studios dessert picks!