IS GIDEON’S BAKEHOUSE AT DISNEY SPRINGS WORTH THE WAIT?
If you have spent any time on forums or social media lately you have probably heard about Gideon’s Bakehouse in Disney Springs and the long lines for buying cookies there.
And if you are plannning a trip to Walt Disney World in Florida in the near future you may be wondering what all the hype is about and if it is worth your time to join the masses in lining up.
Well, I just went to Disney Springs for the Christmas Tree Stroll and checked Gideon’s Bakehouse out for you (well, and also for my sweet tooth). Read on for a detailed report of what it was like and whether I think it is worth the wait.
Where do you find Gideon’s Bakehouse?
Gideon’s Bakehouse is located in the middle of Disney Springs, Walt Disney World’s shopping and dining district. There is a second location at East End Market but as I was at Disney Springs anyway this was more convenient for me.
Once at Disney Springs you can check one of the maps (or your phone) or ask one of the employees to find the bakery. I headed towards Morimoto Asia on what used to be Pleasure Island and then walked around the block until I saw a long line.
Yikes! Are Gideon’s cookies worth standing in this long line?
What is the outside line like?
At around 11:30 am on a Wednesday after Thanksgiving the line stretched along most of the building. I was surprised as I didn’t expect it to be busy so early on a weekday.
On weekends/during busy times, Gideon’s Bakehouse opens a Virtual Queue. While this will probably mean that you have to wait several hours (up to 5!), you are free to walk around Disney Springs during that time.
As no Virtual Queue was offered when I got there I just joined the end of the line. Bakery employees gave out cute cards with the menu option. This is helpful to speed up the process once in store as there is plenty of time to figure out what to order.
I got this card when I joined the end of the line – even I was able to make up my mind by the time it was my turn
All in all, I probably waited about 30 minutes outside. During most of the year, that wait is probably quite unpleasant in the humid Florida heat but I was lucky. It was a crisp November day and the wait was about as pleasant as standing in a line can be.
Once you get to the front of the line, an employee at the door will ask how many are in your party and let you know when you can go inside. Just like on a Disney ride!
Access to the store is closely guarded
What is the store inside like?
I thought once you are through the door it will be your turn but – no! Inside the store, the line continued. It took me about 10 minutes to get to the front. This should pretty much be the same no matter how busy it is as only a set number of people can enter at a time.
The inside of the bakery is very cool indeed and worth a look. It had a spooky/cool/witchy vibe. Like a mix between Addams Family, Hogwarts, and the Haunted Mansion!
I loved the spooky/cozy atmosphere and those cakes are impressive
You will also walk by samples of the cookies (and cakes) that are being sold so you know what you will get.
I really appreciate that as I often don’t read descriptions properly or let my imagination take over so sometimes what I get is quite different from what I thought I was ordering.
A very helpful display – especially if you like me tend to skim over the description
What was the service like?
The service was great. Very friendly and efficient. They gave me a huge paper bag even though I just bought two cookies.
Based on this bag you might think I bought half the store but it was only two cookies – promise!
What can you buy at Gideon’s Bakehouse?
Their main product are of course cookies. In addition there are cakes, drinks, and some merchandise.
As for the cookies, you can choose between six different cookies as well as two seasonal cookies. In December, the seasonal cookies are called Kris Kringle (white chocolate/coffee) and Krampus (dark chocolate with mint).
In addition, they offer Coffee Crumb Cookies in the morning and Dark Coffee Cake Cookies in the evening until they sell out for the day. I believe the Coffee Crumb Cookies are their most popular product.
The cakes looked inviting and the slices were indeed huge. I decided to stick with the cookies though so can’t tell you anything about how the cakes taste.
I think these were the biggest cake slices I have ever seen
Finally, Gideon’s Bakehouse also offers some merchandise. I didn’t see it inside the store – I think you have to ask about it. As I had no intention to buy anything and didn’t want to hold up the long line I passed on checking what they have.
What were the cookies like?
I decided to buy two cookies and chose Coffee Cake (the most popular one) and Kris Kringle (a Christmas special).
They cost $6 (plus tax) each. A hefty price but given the size I didn’t think it was too bad (especially given the general prices at Disney Springs). The cookies are definitely the equal of at least two to three normal premium cookies.
Each cookie was wrapped in yellow paper and then put into an individual Gideons Bakehouse sleeve.
Each cookie is wrapped individually
Coffee Cake Cookie
The outside of this cookie was crisp and very buttery. The (soft) inside had swirls of cinnamon and sugar, reminiscent of a cinnamon bun.
Although sweet, the cookie wasn’t too sweet. All in all, I liked this cookie quite a bit and would recommend it as long as you like cinnamon/sugar/butter.
I would order this cookie again on a future visit.
The crumble on top of the Coffee Cake Cookie was sweet, crispy, and buttery
Kris Kringle Cookie
The official description of this seasonal cookie descrbes it as: “A complexly flavored White Chocolate Coffee Bean Cookie.”
Like all the cookies from Gideon’s Bakehouse it was huge and had an abundance of chips on the outside (and some mixed into the cookie itself). They do not skimp on ingredients here.
The chips had a unique flavor – a combination of coffee and white chocolate. In addition there was a lot of sugar sprinkled on the outside. I am not sure that was needed as the chips on their own were quite sweet. Also, I am a bit sensitive to textures and didn’t love the crunch of the sugar crystals.
I loved the taste of the toppings/chips but the cookie was extremely rich. It was so rich that I had to split it over several days (and even ended up throwing a small piece out).
Eating it seemed more like eating candy with a bit of cookie dough stuck on it than a normal cookie.
So even though the taste was great I probably wouldn’t buy the Kris Kringle again unless I had someone to split it with.
The cookie is huge – and there is so much topping on it!
What is special about these Gideon’s Bakehouse cookies?
Aside of the cool look of the store and the size of the cookies, there is indeed something different about these cookies.
While the outside is crisp/like a regular cookie, the inside resembles raw cookie dough.
The Gideon’s Bakehouse website assures me that the cookies are fully baked and pose no health risk (and given the number of people buying these without any adverse reactions I believe it). However, it feels close to eating the cookie dough straight out of the bowl.
I loved eating raw dough as a child but obviously don’t do so anymore. So this was a nice nod to nostalgia.
How much you enjoy the cookies from Gideons Bakehouse will depend somewhat on how you feel about cookie dough as opposed to regular cookies.
The cookie inside is surprisingly soft and chewy – almost like raw cookie dough
A couple of things to know
There are various rules/restrictions for your purchase. There is a limit of 6 cookies per person and of 2 each of the special edition cookies.
The cookies are huge though and do not keep very well so six cookies should be plenty!
Yes, they limit how many cookies you can buy
So IS Gideon’s Bakehouse worth the wait?
The Gideon Bakehouse cookies are different from any other cookies I have tried as the inside tastes closer to dough than cookies. The price seems reasonable considering the size and the generous use of ingredients.
Would I go there again on my next visit? It is not an absolute must for me but if the Virtual Queue is open (or the outside line is no more than 15 minutes) I would love to try some of the other cookie flavors (and get the Coffee Cake Cookie again).
Based on my visit I would recommend checking out Gideon’s Bakehouse at least once to see the cool interior and find out whether the cookies are to your taste. I am definitely glad I went!
Have you been to Gideon’s Bakehouse? What did you think? Do you have a favorite cookie there? Which one would you recommend for my second visit (sometime in the far future)?
