It wouldn’t be the holiday season without trying a few new cookie recipes and scarfing down a couple of seasonal favorites. For me, the Hazelnut Linzer Cookie with Raspberry Jam and Mickey-shaped Almond Black and White Cookie will always be on the list. And this year was no different as Nicole and I embarked on the Holiday Cookie Stroll at EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays presented by AdventHealth.
Grab your festival passport because this sweet stroll has 13 cookies to choose from with seasonal beverages available at each Holiday Kitchen.
How the Holiday Cookie Stroll Works
You’ve just entered EPCOT, and you’re ready to eat cookies all around the world — what should you do first? Grab a festival passport. It is the key to your stroll and on page 36, you’ll find a list of 13 delicious cookies that are available for this experience. The following page is where the stamps happen. With each cookie you purchase, you’ll receive the corresponding cookie stamp in the fun cookie cutouts.
By purchasing five cookies, your stamped page will be complete, and you will receive a fun surprise treat from the Holiday Sweets & Treats signifying that you completed the stroll. And trust me, if you enjoy baking your own holiday cookies at home, this one is perfect for you!
Now let’s begin…
New! Ginger-Molasses Cookie with Cream Cheese Icing
Our first stop of the stroll was the Ginger-Molasses Cookie with Cream Cheese Icing within CommuniCore Hall. Starting off strong with the perfect balance of spice and sweet, this new cookie is chewy and coated with a decadent amount of cream cheese icing.
Location: Experimental Prototype Cookies of Tomorrow (CommuniCore Hall)
Cookie Category and Recipe: Drop Cookie
This was just one of the three cookies available. If you tend to gravitate toward cookies with less icing, you’ll also find these options at the same Holiday Kitchen:
- New! Prototype Cookie: Sugar Cookie with Orange-Cranberry Icing and Dark Chocolate
- Salted Caramel Spaceship Earth Cookie
Our Suggested Pairing
Nicole suggested the Ivanhoe Park Brewing Co. Frosted Gingerbread White Stout to increase the gingerbread and molasses flavors, and she was spot on because the brewing company says this seasonal pale is meant to be paired with holiday desserts like gingerbread cookies.
Cinnamon-Spiced Chocolate Crinkle Cookie
If you love chocolate, the Cinnamon-Spiced Chocolate Crinkle Cookie is the one for you. This rich crinkle cookie tastes like you’re biting into a brownie that’s been dusted with cinnamon.
Location: Nochebuena Cocina (between World Showcase and the Imagination! Pavilion)
Cookie Category and Recipe: Drop Cookie
Nicole noted how it’s very soft when you first bite into the cookie, and you’re met with a fudgy center that’s perfect for those who like chocolate.
Bake Disney's Holiday Cookies at Home
- All of the cookies mentioned in this story were recently featured in Cooking Up the Magic on the Disney Parks Blog. Check it out and grab the recipe for your favorite cookie!
Our Suggested Pairing
The Ponche Navideño is a warm non-alcoholic Christmas punch. This drink brings the tropics and the holiday together with apples, pears, guava, oranges, dried hibiscus, brown sugar, tamarind, cinnamon sticks, and cloves.
Hazelnut Linzer Cookie with Raspberry Jam
Now making our way around the World Showcase, the Linzer Cookie is a classic at the festival for a reason. This buttery, melt-in-your-mouth magic is enhanced with a spread of raspberry jam. And this year, you’ll notice the cookie has a new shape for its center cutout – the one and only, Mickey Mouse.
Location: Bavaria Holiday Kitchen (Germany Pavilion)
Cookie Category and Recipe: Cut-Out Cookie
Nicole also shared that it was a nice contrast after trying the Cinnamon-Spiced Chocolate Crinkle Cookie because the jam has a bright, tangy taste compared to the intense chocolate.
Our Suggested Pairing
We paired this shortbread cookie with Glühwein, a house-made hot spiced wine. This drink is wonderful on a chillier day and will make you feel like you’ve been transported into a Christmas market. These two together feel like a warm hug on a cold December day and will bring holiday cheer as you continue your stroll to the next stop.
New! Mickey-shaped Almond Black and White Cookie
This cookie has a soft, cake-like texture and is now in the shape of Mickey Mouse. Split down the middle, it features both vanilla and chocolate fondant icing.
Location: L’Chaim! Holiday Kitchen (between Morocco and France Pavilions)
Cookie Category: Drop Cookie
The great debate between Nicole and I was which side should be eaten first. Nicole prefers chocolate first, but I have to disagree. I hope you all try this one and let us know which side is your favorite because there is now a Disney Parks Blog divide.
However, there was one thing we both agreed on. The first bite must be the ears. We don’t make the rules; that’s just how it’s meant to be – like how you wouldn’t start a sandwich with a bite in the middle.
Our Suggested Pairing
We paired this one with an additional Mickey-shaped Almond Black and White Cookie. Just one cookie wasn’t enough!
New! Maple Leaf Shortbread Cookie with Maple Buttercream
Brand new to the festival this year, we had to include the Maple Leaf Shortbread Cookie with Maple Buttercream on our list. This cookie features maple buttercream and has a nice sweet to salty ratio with the sea salt flakes on top.
Location: Yukon Holiday Kitchen (Canada Pavilion)
Cookie Category and Recipe: Shortbread Cookie
Our Suggested Pairing
We decided to double the maple by selecting the Playalinda Brewing Co. Maple Cookie Blonde Ale as our pairing for this cookie. These two together created the ultimate nutty, caramel experience we were looking for and might have been our favorite surprise pairing from the entire outing.
Bonus Stop for the Coffee-Mocha Cookie
By now you might be slowing down, so why not add a boost of energy with a Coffee-Mocha Cookie topped with coffee-infused buttercream, cocoa nibs, and chocolate-covered espresso beans.
Location: Mele Kalikimaka Holiday Kitchen (Between World Showcase and the Imagination! Pavilion)
Cookie Category and Recipe: Drop Cookie
Our Suggested Pairing
Instead of grabbing a beverage here, we decided to walk over to Holiday Sweets & Treats for our final pairing. They had a Festive Flight featuring Hot Cocoa by Joffrey’s that was screaming our names. Perfect for a group, you can taste three different hot cocoas including:
- Christmas Sugar Cookie Hot Cocoa topped with whipped cream and sprinkles
- Gingerbread Hot Cocoa topped with whipped cream and a gingerbread garnish
- Cookie Butter Hot Cocoa topped with whipped cream and speculoos spice
Holiday Cookie Stroll Prize
Congratulations! You made it to the end of the stroll with a bonus cookie or two. If you also decided to wrap up your stroll with the Festive Flight like me and Nicole, then you’re already in the right place.
At Holiday Sweets & Treats, show your festival passport with the five completed stamps to the cast member at the redemption window to claim your victory.
Find Even More Sweetness This Season at EPCOT
The Holiday Cookie Stroll is just the start of your holiday celebration at the 2025 EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays. While you’re strolling through and trying cookies, be sure to check your festival passport and our 2025 EPCOT Festival of the Holidays Foodie Guide for even more holiday celebrations, traditions, and dishes from around the globe, now through December 30.
