We begin our series of reviews of the marketplaces at the Epcot International Festival of the Holidays with the Cookie Nook, located inside what is being called The Festive Center, which is the Odyssey building perched between Future World and World Showcase.

Here’s the menu:

• Warm Apple Fritter –  with Cinnamon Ice Cream and Warm Caramel Sauce – $4.75
• Snowflake Sugar Cookie – $4.00
• Snickerdoodle Cookie – Sugar Cookie rolled in Cinnamon Sugar – $3.50
• Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookie – $3.50
• Gingersnap Cookie  – with Cream Cheese Icing and Cranberry Jam – $4.50
• Sachertorte – Chocolate Cake with Apricot Jam and Dark Chocolate Glaze – $4.75
• Decorated Gingerbread Cookie – $4.00
• Holiday Tree Sugar Cookie – $4.00
• Chocolate Chunk Cookie – $3.00
• Brew Hub Pumpkin Spice Dunkelweiss, Lakeland, Florida – $4.25
• Playalinda Brewing Company Sparkling Christmas Coffee Blonde, Titusville, Florida – $4.25
• Central 28 Beer Company Joy From the World Holiday Dubble, DeBary, Florida – $4.25
• Cranberry Sprite Punch with Pear Vodka – $9.00
• Holiday Beer Flight – $9.00
• Specialty Red Wine – $6.00
• Specialty White Wine – $6.00
• Florida Orange Groves Sparkling Cranberry Wine – $6.00
• Nestlé Chocolate Delights Hot Cocoa with Crème de Menthe – $8.00
• Nestlé Chocolate Delights Hot Cocoa (non-alcoholic) – $3.00

The Cookie Nook is a rather pleasant place to enjoy a snack while watching classic cartoons, including Mickey’s Christmas Carol in its entirety.

OK, let’s go item by item…

Warm Apple Fritter –  with Cinnamon Ice Cream and Warm Caramel Sauce – $4.75

This was fantastic. The warm apple fritter went perfectly with the cinnamon ice cream and caramel sauce. I’ll look to have this again before the festival is over.

Snowflake Sugar Cookie – $4.00

These are nothing special, but I love sugar cookies, so personally I would order this again. No one else in the party was impressed with this, and I get it, but I still think it is enjoyable.

Snickerdoodle Cookie – Sugar Cookie rolled in Cinnamon Sugar – $3.50

The snickerdoodle was fairly flavorless and is not worth a buy. I don’t even know what else to say about it, that’s how bland it was.

Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookie – $3.50

If you like peppermint, then get this. If you don’t, then do not. It was pretty good, offering a rich chocolate flavor offset nicely by the peppermint twist.

Gingersnap Cookie  – with Cream Cheese Icing and Cranberry Jam – $4.50

A nice departure from the other cookies, this has a nice-sized dollop of sweet cream cheese icing which really elevated the ginger flavor of the cookie. This is worth a try if you are interested.

Sachertorte – Chocolate Cake with Apricot Jam and Dark Chocolate Glaze – $4.75

If you really love chocolate cake, then this dessert is all you. It’s really fantastic for what it is, but it is probably no different from something you can make at home or even buy at the store.

Decorated Gingerbread Cookie – $4.00

I appreciate that this is decorated after you order it and it is very good for a gingerbread cookie. If you are really craving a gingerbread man, this will do the trick.

Holiday Tree Sugar Cookie – $4.00

Again, no one but me seemed excited about this, but I love these kind of cookie at this time of year. I enjoyed this one so much that I took the remaining half home and enjoyed it there. It’s nothing special, but sometimes you just want a sugar cookie, right?

Chocolate Chunk Cookie – $3.00

Speaking of unremarkable, this is the usual Disney counter service chocolate chip cookie, so unless your kids are screaming that they want one, I would stay away from this.

Holiday Beer Flight – $9.00, Brew Hub Pumpkin Spice Dunkelweiss – $4.25, Playalinda Brewing Company Sparkling Christmas Coffee Blonde,  – $4.25, Central 28 Beer Company Joy From the World Holiday Dubble – $4.25

An enjoyable beer flight with three unique enough flavors that it is worth a try if you enjoy such things. We really liked two out of the three, which is usually the case with these Festival beer flights.

Cranberry Sprite Punch with Pear Vodka – $9.00

 

There’s noting particularly special about this, but Cranberry Sprite mixes really well with alcohol. This is probably something you could make at home, but it hits the spot and feels pretty festive. It looks like it would be super sweet, but it really wasn’t, which is probably why I enjoyed it so much.

Florida Orange Groves Sparkling Cranberry Wine – $6.00

If you want to pair a wine with your cookies, this is probably what you want. According to Josh of EasyWDW.com, it is light, sweet, and tart with every sip, and I would agree.

 

Tom Corless