Happy weekend, friends! Disneyland and Disney California Adventure reopened yesterday, and things just seem a little brighter on the Disney side of things, don’t they? It’s amazing when you stop to think that the parks were closed for over a year. I can’t express how very excited I am for the cast members and guests alike; just watching all of the moments of joy unfold on social media in the past 24 hours has been so much fun.
As I’ve mentioned in the past, when I finally got to visit Disneyland in 2018, I rolled onto property with a list of snacks to try. We all do that, right?! Food is indeed one of my love languages, and I had no idea when I would be able to return to Walt’s park, so I was taking this snack list incredibly seriously. Disneyland has a long had an incredibly strong snack game; in my mind, stronger in many regards than that of Walt Disney World. Don’t get me wrong; I love Walt Disney World and many of the snacks therein, but Disneyland brings their “A” snack game every time.
Case in point: the S’mores Donut from Disneyland Hotel’s Coffee House. I enjoyed that amazing doughnut before our room was even ready to check in to. Oh Disneyland, I love how much you love your snacks.
It only seems right that today’s Saturday Snacks recipe would be one from the center and source of all Disney joy this weekend: Disneyland Park. Today’s snack can be found at Fantasyland’s Maurice’s Treats, and, for some reason, it was not on my 2018 Disneyland snack list. I remember standing in front of Maurice’s Treats with my husband knowing that those strawberry twists were supposed to be amazing, but when I was faced with all of the other snack decisions, the twists didn’t make the cut. No offense to Maurice or his treats; there were just so many yummy things to try and only so much stomach space.
How great is it that we get to invite a bit of Disneyland magic into our very own kitchens this weekend? I’m so excited that the Disneyland chefs included the recipe for the strawberry twists in Kitchen Magic with Mickey: Favorite Recipes from the Disney Parks and Cruise Ships years ago. While Maurice’s Treats did not reopen with the park yesterday, you and I can savor some of the strawberry yumminess this weekend with very little prep and very few ingredients. Sounds like a win-win to me!
In order to make the strawberry twists, you and I will need a box of frozen puff pastry. You’ll find the boxes of puff pastry hanging out near the pies in your grocery store’s frozen section.
To begin the prep for the recipe, you’ll want to take the two sheets of puff pastry out of the box and allow them to thaw on your counter for about 30 minutes. The recipe notes that we can also thaw them overnight in the refrigerator, but if you’re in a hurry to get those snacks into your mouth, the countertop will do. You’ll also need a cup of fresh strawberries, a quarter cup of fresh lemon juice (two lemons will do the trick), a cup of sugar, and a bit of powdered sugar to top the whole thing off.
Once you have your strawberries scrubbed up, slice them and toss one cup of them into a saucepan.
Squeeze those lemons and add in a quarter cup of the fresh lemon juice, along with one cup of granulated sugar into the saucepan. Turn the heat to medium, and if you have a potato masher on hand, mash the strawberries until they’re softened and the sugar completely dissolves.
If you don’t have a potato masher on hand, a whisk will do. I speak from personal experience. My potato masher is likely in a box in my garage. Bless its heart.
Once the berries have softened, turn the heat up to high and bring the whole thing to a full, rolling boil. Keep boiling the mixture for about five minutes, and make sure to keep stirring it as it boils.
Once the mixture becomes nice and thick, take it off of the heat and allow it to cool to room temperature. You may not realize it (I didn’t), but we’ve just made a homemade strawberry jam of sorts. How fun is that?!
Now it’s time to turn our attention to the puff pastry side of things. We need to get rid of the creases in the puff pastry and also thin it out just a bit, so lightly dust the surface of the puff pastry (and a surface) with a bit of flour and roll to smooth out those creases.
We’re going to need to be able to move that puff pastry, so I decided to transfer it onto a baking pan covered with a floured sheet of parchment paper. The recipe suggests using a cutting board, so if you’ve got one handy, that might be a great solution.
Once the strawberry mixture has cooled to room temperature, we can spread it out all over that first sheet of puff pastry. Now here’s the thing: the recipe calls for us to only use 1/3 of a cup of that glorious strawberry jam-like mixture that we’ve made. Only a third of a cup. Needless to say, I deemed that 1/3 of a cup just would not be enough. It would be a crying shame to let all that strawberry filling go to waste, wouldn’t it? That’s not how we roll here at Saturday Snacks, and after consulting the internets, I discovered that those who have made the recipe before me have also come up to the same conclusion. So, you do you.
Put as much of that glorious strawberry mixture as you’d like to you on that puff pastry. Sure, some of it will ooze out during the baking process, but we’ll take a glass half-full approach to this. Think of all the wonderful strawberry yumminess that will be inside of your strawberry twists. We’ll focus on the positive.
It’s now time to roll the second sheet of puff pastry out in the same fashion that we did the first, making sure that all the creases are nice and smooth. Once that second sheet is ready to roll (pun intended), place it on top of the first layer of puff pastry and press down very gently. Give it a trim along the edges if it’s a bit larger than the first layer.
You can now place your flat puff pastry sheets into the refrigerator to chill out for 15 minutes.
And while that puff pastry is in the refrigerator, be sure to toast a piece of bread and slather the rest of that strawberry mixture all over it. And gobble down every morsel. I can attest that this is the perfect use for that leftover jam. Dear me, that’s so good. And, while you’re waiting for the bread to toast, preheat the oven to 400°.
Once 15 minutes is up, pull your puff pastry out of the fridge and grab your nearest ruler. Cut the puff pastry into one and a half inch wide strips.
Line a fresh baking sheet with parchment paper and twist each puff pastry strip three times and place it on the baking sheet. It’s okay if it’s not perfectly twisted; those twists are going to be so good regardless. Eyes on the prize.
Place the baking sheet with your twisted puff pastry strips into the oven and bake them for 20 to 22 minutes or until the twists are puffed and golden brown.
Friends, what emerged from my oven, I’m convinced, would’ve made Maurice very proud. Golden brown, fluffy and flaky with strawberry mixture sandwiched in between each twist; these things looked amazing.
Before you go burning your tongue on a fresh-out-of-the-oven strawberry twist, be sure to let them cool for 10 minutes or so. And, because these twists are also just a bit fancy, you and I get to sprinkle them with a little bit of powdered sugar before gobbling them up.
They were everything I wanted them to be. Really and truly. They were easy to make, without anything hugely stressful involved at all. It’s a perfect snack for the weekend, and the payoff is huge. Yes, there was some strawberry mixture that oozed out during the baking process, but I cut that away and simply enjoyed the twists for what they were: crispy, warm, and so, so good.
Of course, if you want a bit of over-the-top strawberry flavor, feel free to dunk a strawberry twist or two in any leftover strawberry jam mixture that you have hanging around.
These would be the perfect treat to make on a movie night (perhaps Beauty and the Beast?) or with the kids on a weekend afternoon or completely all by yourself on a Saturday morning in the kitchen. I was so glad that I finally tried to make these, and I can’t wait to try the real thing the next time that I’m in Disneyland.
Disneyland cast members, we raise our strawberry twists in your honor. May your reopening weekend be everything that you want it to be and more. Thank you for making the magic and for not losing hope while you waited for these special moments to finally occur.
Friends, what Disney treats have you been dreaming of recently? Have you tried to re-create any in your own kitchen? If so, please let me know down in the comment section.
May you and I both channel just a bit of the magic of Disneyland this weekend in whatever we have on our to-do list, whether it be running errands, cooking dinner, or cleaning the bathroom. There’s magic to be found in all of it, isn’t there? Have a great weekend, everyone! Thanks so much for reading.
PS If you’re new to Saturday Snacks, we are so glad to have you here! Click here to catch up on our Disney snack adventures so far.
Ready to make Maurice’s yummy Strawberry Twists? The recipe is below:
Strawberry Twists from Maurice’s Treats in Disneyland Park
Makes six
- 1 cup sliced fresh strawberries
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- One (17 3/10 ounce) box frozen puff pastry, thawed (two sheets)
- Powdered sugar, for garnish
- Combine strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice in a small saucepan over medium heat. Mash mixture with a potato masher until the berries are softened and sugar dissolves.
- Increase heat to high and bring the mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil, stirring often to prevent mixture from sticking to pan, until thick, about five minutes. Cool to room temperature.
- Place one sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured, movable, flat surface, such as a lightweight cutting board. Lightly dust surface of pastry with flour and roll to smooth creases.
- Spread pastry sheet with 1/3 cup of the strawberry mixture. (Refrigerate any remaining strawberry mixture for up to five days.)
- Roll second sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured surface to smooth creases; placed on top of first seat and press down gently.
- Place filled puff pastry in refrigerator for 15 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or A nonstick silicone mat.
- Using a ruler as a guide, cut pastry into one and a half inch strips. Carefully pick up strips and place on baking sheet, twisting three times before laying down.
- Bake 20 to 22 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown. Cool 10 minutes and finished with a dusting of powdered sugar.