999 Happy Haunts at Disneyland
The vibrant streets of Disneyland are decked out with purple banners, cobwebs, shadows and more, as a spooky spell was cast onto both Disneyland and California Adventure park. Starting Sept. 7, Disneyland boasted both classic and new Halloween-themed treats; the newest items will remain on the menus until Oct. 31, Halloween night.
Many fan-favorite food stops such as Jolly Holiday, Red Rose Tavern, Award Wieners, Smokejumpers Grill and Cozy Cone Motel feature season specialties. There are also 10 locations to find different flavored churros, with six new and unique flavors.
We followed our food cravings to test out a handful of themed desserts offered this season at Disneyland, ranging from funnel cakes to hand pies and even drinks.
- Pumpkin spice churro with cream cheese frosting
Score: 5/5
The pumpkin spice churro itself boasted a unique twist compared to other Halloween-edition churro treats. The churro surely did not disappoint, as it reminded us of fall. Served warm with cream cheese frosting, it reminded us of a cinnamon roll.
- Spiced Bundt Cake
Score: 5/5
Perhaps our favorite treat of the day, this bundt cake was a perfect combination of fall spices and sweet cream cheese frosting, along with an extra swirl of whipped cream and a candied orange peel. Its price of $5.79 may be overwhelming, but one cake is more than enough to share with at least three other friends. The cake itself has a soft texture, further complementing the other toppings of the cake effortlessly, creating a perfect fall treat that melts in your mouth.
- Pumpkin Spice Funnel Cake Fries
Score: 4.5/5
The pumpkin spice funnel cake fries tasted similar to a pumpkin pie. The fries are served with whipped cream and edible ghost-shaped glitter on top. The cake itself is tasty, and the cream only adds to the rich flavor of this unique melt-in-your-mouth delicacy. The combination of the design, taste and shareable size added up to another favorite treat of the day. We were a bit disappointed when we received the treat cold; we were hoping for a warmer plate of fries, but since we ordered this item in advance through the mobile app, it may have been sitting and had time to cool down for a while.
- Mickey Bat Cookie
Score: 4/5
The cookie had a great design that kids would enjoy. Overall, we thought that the way the cookie was baked was the definite star of the show. With a clear Mickey Mouse face at the center and a chocolate base behind the face to create bat wings, the color contrasts definitely caught our attention, enticing us to eat the cookie. While the cookie was not completely terrible, it had a relatively plain taste, which was a bit disappointing.
- Graveyard Cupcake
Score: 3.5/5
The cupcake tasted like a basic chocolate cupcake, which was underwhelming; we expected more for its high price of $6.99. The cupcake does come with a tasty raspberry filling, which greatly contributed a deep and rich flavor. The presentation of this cupcake, such as the white chocolate gravestone, was definitely a unique addition to the cupcake, which we all agreed was the only thing that set this delicacy apart. There are many more fall-themed options at the parks that are more worth the price, such as the spiced bundt cake.
- Sweet Potato Hand Pie
Score: 3/5
The dessert was not terrible, but we found it too dry for our taste, and the sweet potato flavor was faint. Although we enjoyed the addition of the toasted marshmallows on top of the hand pie, we were not completely impressed. While the size and taste was reasonable for the price of $4.99, there was not much filling inside of the pie and the crust was very flakey, resulting in an overall dry taste.
- Green Spell Lemonade
Score: 2/5
Although we looked forward to this drink the most, it definitely disappointed. While the idea behind this new drink was innovative, the combination of the sour lemonade with red, raspberry syrup and popping boba was definitely too overwhelming for us. The combined elements had an ineffective result with far too many bursts of flavor, leaving us with puckered faces and a craving for savory snacks.
Your donation will support the student journalists of Portola High School. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.
Julia Kim is your 2019-20 Opinion Editor, continuing her fourth - and last - year on the Pilot! Outside of journalism, you can find her at the dance studio,...
Aneska Smith is the 2018-19 Photo Editor for the Portola Pilot. She is excited to bring her love for photography to the newspaper! In her free time, she...