Disney World's Most Popular Holiday Foods, Ranked

They say there's no place like home for the holidays. We say there's no place like Walt Disney World. Located in Central Florida, the four theme parks and dozens of resorts are transformed with a flurry of festive fun for the ultimate in holiday splendor. There's elaborate décor, live entertainment, and your favorite characters in their seasonal best garb. But, of course, here at Mashed, our reason for the season is the loads and loads of delicious yummies. Across the over 27,000 acres of property, all of your sugar plum fantasies can come true. There are dozens upon dozens of sweet and savory goodies that embrace our favorite time of year in each and every bite. From popular gingerbread cookies shaped like the mouse himself to inspired options like a peppermint cream cheese mousse, you can't go wrong.

Sadly, the above gingerbread man did NOT make the cut this year. He's on the naughty list after our EPCOT Holiday cookie stroll. But moving on. We set out on our calorie-heavy adventure to find the very best of the popular holiday food offerings at Disney World, and we weren't disappointed. Here are Disney World's most popular holiday foods, ranked.

We are sticking around Magic Kingdom Park not for any of their outstanding attractions or even fireworks but for another classic treat. There's perhaps nothing more American than a good old-fashioned ice cream sundae. Over at Auntie Gravity's Galactic Goodies, they are dishing out smoothies and floats year long, but during this holiday season, you can feast your fancies with the Christmas cookie sundae. This sundae sweetens the ante (pun intended) by combining what we know and love about sundaes with cookies. Cookie soft serve ice cream is loaded into a bowl and then topped with hot fudge and whipped cream. The festive addition of green and red holiday sprinkles takes this good looker and makes it a total holiday showstopper.

We love the combination of ingredients and this twist on the average sundae, but this dish ranks lower on our list because simply this is pretty standard store-bought-tasting ice cream. While there is nothing wrong with that, there are plenty of spots on property serving up gourmet, handcrafted ice cream, like L'Artisan des Glaces. Located at EPCOT, this artisanal French ice cream shop scoops absolutely delicious flavors year-round.

Without a doubt, no beverage is as synonymous with the holidays as hot chocolate. As the children are nestled all snug in their beds, we are huddled around the fireplace, plaid pajamas adorned, sipping on a cup of the warm and oh-so-soul-soothing beverage. At Disney, they bring this classic beverage to the next level — so much so that the Ancient Mayans who invented the drink would certainly be baffled with its current form.

Throughout Disney's Hollywood Studios, you can sip on frozen salted caramel hot chocolate. It's a mouthful to say and to drink. They combine frozen hot chocolate mix with a salted caramel beverage syrup for the ultimate in holiday mashups. The creation is blended to perfection and then topped with marshmallows and chocolate syrup. You can even throw in some black cherry bourbon into the mix because 'tis the season, as they say.

The frozen drink works well in the humid tundra that is Florida, but we still prefer the classic hot variety. Salted caramel serves as the star of the show here, with its flavors being quite prominent. With the addition of cherry-flavored bourbon, it adds another bold flavor to the mix, and frankly, there's just a lot going on. This one does have the potential to be great, but we'd prefer an unflavored bourbon.

Disney's Hollywood Studios encompasses a long bygone era of the city of angels through immersive experiences and attractions. It is also home to some of our favorite sweets, like the luscious grapefruit cake from the Hollywood Brown Derby and the downright iconic, fan-favorite carrot cake cookie. It is only fitting that they would make a near-perfect execution of one of America's most beloved baked products. During the holidays, guests can take delight in the red velvet whoopie pie at both the Backlot Express and Trolley Car Café. Two round pieces of red velvet cake are stuffed with cream cheese frosting. Red and green sprinkles adorn the icing as powdered sugar is lightly placed on top, almost like a drizzling of snow.

This may not be winning any superlatives for the "best dessert ever," but it is done so well it is worthy of the position on our list. The cake portion is light, fluffy, and incredibly moist — basically, everything we want from a cake. The cream cheese frosting acted as the perfect accompaniment, offering just the right level of denseness. This is a straightforward, sharable dessert that's perfect for your entire family.

EPCOT is having a bit of a moment on our list, but it is all for good reason: Some of the best holiday eats you will find at Walt Disney World happen to be at their award-winning food and drink festival. This next one is a bit of a sleeper hit and probably not what you were expecting on our list of holiday foods. As we mentioned, the festival is a celebration of diverse cultures, and one of our favorite holiday kitchens year after year continues to be L'Chaim. Embracing the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, you can sample delicious bites alongside a gorgeous Menorah and take in a performance from one of the festival storytellers.

While their smoked salmon potato latke is a knockout, our savory item of choice here is their pastrami on rye. Sounds straightforward? Well, sort of. This slider is piled high with incredibly fresh pastrami that's so good you will swear you are at a top deli in New York City. As if the meat weren't enough, it is topped with a tangy, albeit slightly spicy deli mustard and absolutely delicious — like the best ever — house-made pickles. We do wish the rye was slightly fresher on our visit, but otherwise, this baby may have cracked the top three.

Sometimes simple is best, and that couldn't ring more true than for the iconic holiday dessert that is the gingerbread cookie. You know it, you love it, and during the holidays, you just can't get enough of it. The nutty flavor of the gingerbread makes for the ultimate treat, and when it's soft and fresh, it is Christmas perfection. At Disney, they do things a little differently. Gingerbread is big business here. In fact, you can visit many of their resort hotels to see larger-than-life edible gingerbread houses that double as works of art. They are truly a sight to be seen.

While we are resort-hopping to get a glimpse of these incredible structures, you can find us nibbling on a Mickey-shaped gingerbread cookie. Found throughout the parks, resorts, and even across the country at Disneyland, this treat is utterly adorable and a longtime family tradition for many who visit annually. Luckily, this is much more than just a beautiful cookie — it is also incredibly delicious. The cookie is sturdy but incredibly soft and fresh with notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, and, of course, gingerbread shining through. It offers that right amount of chew you want from a gingerbread. Bravo!

As we crack the top four on our holiday treats adventure, we have reached true perfection in vision and execution. Disney's Animal Kingdom may be home to all of our favorite creatures, but it also offers up some of the most interesting, globally inspired bites in all of Walt Disney World. Many flock to Pandora — The World of Avatar for the atmosphere and e-ticket attractions, but we head there for the food, specifically Satu'li Canteen. This place will take everything you thought you knew about quick-service theme park food and utterly smash it. Their slow-roasted and wood-grilled meat creations serve as some of our favorite foods on property. Go there now — you're welcome in advance.

It's no surprise then that their holiday offering would be a total winner. The peppermint cream cheese mousse is both delicate and delicious. This dish features a white chocolate peppermint cream cheese mousse topped with a peppermint sauce and chocolate cookie crumbles. The plating is perfection even with the deconstructed nature of the dish. All ingredients work in harmony, and the peppermint flavor isn't too overbearing. Don't let the white chocolate in the title turn you away, as this dessert was not one bit too sweet. It was creamy, full of flavor, decadent, and almost refreshing.

When we are looking to feel a little holly and a whole lotta jolly at Walt Disney World, we head to one of the property's OG resorts, Disney's Polynesian Village Resort. For the ultimate in escapism, the resort embraces the vibes of the Southern Pacific with tropical palm décor and sights and sip of the seashore. Trader Sam's Grog Grotto is the East Coast outpost of the popular Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar. They are serving up well-balanced, classic tiki-style drinks in an immersive and interactive atmosphere. For the holidays, we can not get enough of the appropriately named Mele Kaliki Mai Tai — try saying that three times after having one.

The cocktail is expertly crafted by a skipper (of course) with rum, allspice dram, cranberry juice, orgeat, cinnamon, and a splash of freshly squeezed lime juice. It is booze-forward (a must for the holidays) and perfectly balances sugar, spice, and everything nice, as any good tiki drink should.

Pro tip: It can get pretty hectic inside, so we prefer the cozy and calming outdoor terrace. Here, you can sip on your libations in style next to the flickering lights of tiki torches set to the soothing sounds of a guitar player. Magic Kingdom's Cinderella Castle in the background further sets the scene for utter joy at the most magical place on earth.