Everyone knows that nothing beats a Mickey-shaped treat. 

Everyone also knows that $5 a treat (or whatever the going rate may be today) adds up. 

How does a saavy Disney-loving parent handle this? By making their own, at home or in the World! 

Mickey-shaped Marshmallow Crispy Treat

These treats are simple to make and easy to store, either at your home for a little magic or in your hotel fridge during your WDW stay. Marshmallow crispy treats are easy to make and with one fairly inexpensive investment—the Disney Parks Mouse Sandwich / Cookie Cutter.  I picked one up at the Emporium for about $8 during my last trip (you may be able to order one directly by calling 877-560-6477) or online from Amazon  or another retailer. There are other cookie/biscuit cutters but this one is very sturdy. You’ll also need either sturdy straws or popsicle sticks.

The recipie for marshmallow crispy treats can be customized easily to suit your gooey preferences, but the classic Rice Krispie recipe has the following ingredients: 

  • 3 tablespoons  butter  
  • 1 package (10 oz., about 40)  JET-PUFFED Marshmallows   OR  4 cups  JET-PUFFED Miniature Marshmallows  
  • 6 cups Kellogg’s® Rice Krispies® cereal

Melt the butter in a saucepan on low, add the marshmallows and stir till combined. Add in the cereal, stir till coated, and pressed into a deep pan that has been buttered on all sides or lined with wax paper. Not staying in a villa? Use a microwave—heat the butter and marshmallows for three minutes and stir till smooth instead of using the saucepan.

Variations my family has enjoyed include adding cocoa (traveling? Bring a packet of hot chocolate) and using Cheerios instead. For our next trip, I plan to use these as a breakfast treat each morning, so I’ll be adding in some almonds and dried fruit for SOME nutrition. You can also use almond or peanut butter and honey in lieu of the marshmallows and butter if you are either trying to cut refined sugars or add some protein. If you are very ambitious, you can dip your treats in chocolate or drizzle it on top! 

Once you’ve got the concoction in a lined pan, whip out your favorite mouse cutter, and go to town.  If you find it is too goey, pop them in a fridge for about 5 minutes. Not too long or they will be too hard to insert your stick/straw handle! You can usually get an additional head out of the scraps if you are willing to reshape them. 

Or you can devour the scraps as your rightful claim. That’s what I do.

I try to make enough at a time that I can grab them on the way out the door to the parks for several days, but not enough that when someone loses all self control and eats every remaining treat that we can’t make another batch 🙂

Ice Cream Sandwiches

You’ll need Ice cream, cookies, and a very cold refrigerator or freezer. 

If you are in a villa or recreating the magic at home, you can use your handy Mickey shaped cookie cutter to make your chocolate chip cookies in the shape of a Mickey. But if you are just looking for something delicious for the parks that you can construct in a regular resort room, you can pack some homemade or premade cookies. The WDW Resort Hotels that have Disney Vacation Club units attached (basically all the deluxe hotels) have marketplace-type mini grocers where you can buy pints of ice cream and cookies. I find a bit of foil or plastic wrap is handy to wrap these individually.  

You probably don’t need instructions, but just in case, take two cookies and set them flat bottom up. Scoop some ice cream (slightly softened) on to one of the cookies, place the other one with the flat side to the ice cream and gently press. Wrap and freeze/refrigerate or simply eat 🙂 These are easy to grab on the way out the door to an afternoon in the parks and can be customized to your favorite flavor combos (for example, oatmeal raisin and vanilla, or double chocolate chip and chocolate or peanut butter ice cream).  They can get you from lunch to dinner and may prevent impulse snack purchases.

Emily Honsa Hicks

Ohio