Disneyland makes more money on food than anything else. Or at least that’s what someone told me once, but I would totally believe it. I’m not going to eat at all of the restaurants for this blog (unless you want to open up a donation fund for me to eat everywhere), but I am addicted to Disneyland snacks. Well, two really–their popcorn and churros.
Popcorn and Churros are sold from carts conveniently labeled “Popcorn” and “Churros.” Your very first introduction to Disneyland snacks are the popcorn and churro carts on Main Street. After that you will find them scattered throughout the park.
Now, all popcorn is made of corn, fat, and salt, so it shouldn’t be any big surprise that Disneyland popcorn is also made from corn, fat, and salt. However, Disneyland has perfected this snack treat without even making you add your own artificial butter flavoring (which I love, but would be messy at Disneyland). The Disneyland popcorn carts have a large receptacle for popcorn:

You will be shocked to hear that this is where the popcorn comes from
And then the second area is the cash register hidden by a cute little miniature popcorn turner thingy. Well, it would be cute if it didn’t have a clown. Clowns freak me out. Fortunately, these little clowns are trapped behind glass cranking away at their popcorn thingies in perpetuity.

Push, little slave clown--PUSH!
The popcorn cart by the Matterhorn has a little Abominable Snowman instead of a clown. Now THAT is cute.
This past trip to the park, I decided to get a churro to show you all. Churros are awesome. First I had to find a churro cart. Fortunately my friend Kelli knew exactly where one was–this was on the way to Small World.

Hi Kelli!!
The various popcorn and churro carts are subtley decorated to blend in with their location. This churro cart, being near Small World, had very Small World-like styling

It's a churro after all, it's a churro after all...
I should probably take a moment to mention that the churro and popcorn carts all have a little annexed cooler with beverages available at the low low price of a million dollars a bottle (or whatever). Here’s a good tip from Shelby–bring your own water bottle.
ANYway, the churros at Disneyland (I was horrified to find that they were different at the Mouse-in-Law) are frozen, and then they stack them up on one of those heater conveyer belts, like when you were in college eating dorm food and they had the toaster death trap that you put your piece of bread on and then waited a bit and hoped it came out on the bottom in some sort of edible condition? Like that. Except there’s no risk with Disneyland churros, since the little piece of heating machinery is pretty much made precisely to heat up frozen Disneyland churros.
So the toaster thingy heats it up, and the outside of the churro gets this nice crisp that can only come from fried foods that aren’t good for you. Once it comes out of the heater, the cast member drops it into a bin of cinnamon sugar and rolls it around. If you’re me, you ask them to give it a second roll before they hand it to you.

Pour some sugar on me
The thing that horrified me at the Mouse-in-Law was that their churros are not heated fresh before your eyes, and they’re not hand-dipped in the cinnamony-sugary goodness. They’re pre-heated and pre-dipped. I was so disappointed I almost cried. Theo ate it though. He’s not as picky as I am.
Anyway, then they wrap your delicious churro in a piece of paper and off you go! Delightfully crunchy on the outside, deliciously chewy in the middle, hot and sugary. And if you’re with Theo, you will hear an endless litany of “bite? bite? bite? bite?” until you can physically prove that the churro is gone and there are no more bites to be had.

Oh yeah, come to mama
Seriously, if you ever visit Disneyland, you have to try a churro. I will buy you a churro at Disneyland. If I am not with you at Disneyland, I will Paypal you the money to buy a churro for yourself when you are there.
The churro cart cast member was very nice to me so I’m putting her picture here.

Thanks for the churro!
Happy snacking!
Tell your friends about this awesome post!
Like this:
Like Loading...
Related
Another amazing blog……. You are seriously one of the funniest writers of our time…….. I snorted when I read your captions for your photos, especially Pour some sugar on me, and Come to Mama………… thanks for the laughs 🙂
Looking forward to my next churro…………..
About a million years ago they had some delightful strawberry sugar you could get instead of cinnamon. I do not like cinnamon, so this pleased me greatly. I am not sure I have ever forgiven Disneyland for discontinuing the strawberry sugar.
Then again, no one seems to remember this but me…but I swear I’m not making it up.
You’re not making it up, Tia! They had apple cinnamon too. You could get regular cinnamon and sugar, strawberry, which tasted like Froot Loops, and apple cinnamon. I don’t know how long they had that for, but I had one in 2001.
I LIVE for the holiday cast party when the churros are half price. I always get (and eat) two for dinner that night.
Hey Shelby, I can put you in touch with someone who knows EXACTLY how Disneyland popcorn is made.
I thought the recipe was a big secret 😦 Why do you have to spoil the magic?
I am ashamed to admit to you that I have never eaten a churro or popcorn at the Magic Kingdom. I promise to correct that on my next visit to either park.
Guess what! The churros at the Costco in WA are almost as good, like 99.99% as good, as the ones at Dland. AND they are Costco size! Another reason to visit the PGs!
In the summer, on the path to Critter Country, sometimes there’s a special popcorn cart that sells honey caramel corn. It is sooooooooo good. I never saw it last summer so it may have been the victim of budget cuts. But oh my god, i don’t even like popcorn but I would do almost anything for a bucket of that honey caramel corn.
Pingback: Mothers in the Mouseland « My Year With The Mouse
During Mardi Gras week, they added purple, green and gold colored sugar sprinkles to the churros served in the New Orleans area of D-land. I swear they tasted even better. No time to take a picture as my kid practically inhales those things.
I don’t like churros. But, everyone keeps telling me that is because I haven’t tried the right ones. I’m headed to D-land later this week, so I think it may be time to try one there.
I have had their popcorn — it IS truly amazing!
Pingback: Search Engine Roundup « My Year With The Mouse
Pingback: Disney’s Let The Memories Begin Tour (can’t come to Disney? Let Disney come to you!) « My Year With The Mouse
Pingback: Search Engine Roundup « My Year With The Mouse
Pingback: My Year With The Mouse
Pingback: Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor (Plus A Contest!) « My Year With The Mouse
Pingback: MYWTM Greatest Hits « My Year With The Mouse
Pingback: Answers!! « My Year With The Mouse
I had to share this, as Churro’s are what sold my fiance on Disneyland in the first place.

OMG, that is FABULOUS!! Can I put it on the blog??? LOVE IT! 😆 Maybe I’ll do a “churro love” post–send me your churro shots!!!
Pingback: Which Is Better, Disneyland Or Walt Disney World? « My Year With The Mouse
Pingback: What I Learned From MYWTM That Made My Visit Awesome (A Guest Post Of Sorts) « My Year With The Mouse