(November 27, 2007) Pastry chefs throughout Walt Disney World Resort make things a little sweeter with deliciously decorative displays and sugar shacks made of yummy ingredients during the winter holidays. These candy-decked dwellings adorn the lobbies at various Walt Disney World resort hotels beginning in November. On the menu this holiday season at Walt Disney World Resort:

Disney's Beach Club Resort
A fully detailed, life-sized carousel in the resort's lobby is created from a recipe that uses gingerbread, chocolate, sugar paste and tons of enthusiasm, energy and talent. Guests who wish to take home a treat of their own can buy small gingerbread houses from the Beach Club Marketplace. Pastry chefs give demonstrations on select days to provide guests with tips on creating a gingerbread invention at home.

Carousel fun fact: seven "Hidden Mickeys" can be found on the carousel.

Ingredient fun facts:
36 lbs. of honey
96 lbs. of bread flour
100 pints of eggs
10 lbs. of spices
10 quarts of simple syrup
100 lbs. of icing
50 lbs. of dark chocolate
10 quarts of egg whites
100 lbs. of confectioner sugar

Disney's Yacht Club Resort
The lobby of Disney's Yacht Club Resort becomes home to a delectable scene in motion: A miniature New England-style train races through a sugary rock mountain surrounded by a candy-coated model village in this don't-miss edible display. One lucky guest will be chosen daily to meet Chef Stefan Riemer for treats and a photo during "The Year of a Million Dreams" celebration at Walt Disney World Resort.

Disney's BoardWalk Inn
The lobby of Disney's BoardWalk Inn is a "Home for the Holidays" scene with an artfully crafted miniature train made of gingerbread and chocolate. Walt Disney World pastry chefs also create small souvenir gingerbread houses which are offered for sale at the BoardWalk Bakery.

Disney's Contemporary Resort
A holiday toy shop made of sugar and chocolate, featuring Pinocchio himself, is the sweet spot for guests to purchase treats and toys on the first floor of the tower building.

Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
Opening to guests Nov. 19 is a gingerbread house large enough that it doubles as a real bake shop in the Grand Floridian lobby. Featuring gingerbread using a classic Austrian recipe, the bake shop offers freshly baked items such as cookies and gingerbread ornaments. Other homemade items for sale include Stollen Bread, chocolate peppermint bark, lollipops and special Grand Floridian logo boxes filled with truffles. Demonstrations of how to decorate a gingerbread house take place in front of the Gingerbread House six days a week.

Gingerbread house fun fact: Chefs spend 400 hours baking the gingerbread and 160 hours decorating the house.

Structure Composition:
16 feet high
17 feet wide
> 1,000 board feet of trim
60 sheets of plywood
40 window panes
80 square feet of retail space
100 square feet of display
10,000 pieces of gingerbread used>

Gingerbread Ingredients:
1,050 lbs. honey
600 lbs. powdered sugar
35 lbs. spices
800 lbs. flour
140 pints egg whites
180 lbs. apricot glaze

American Adventure at Epcot
Santa's Gingerbread Bake Shop at Liberty Inn at American Adventure enchants guests of all ages. Guests peer inside the life-sized gingerbread house at goodies galore. The giant structure, made entirely of gingerbread, cookies and icing, features more than 800 pounds of sugar and more than 1,000 eggs. Inside the bake shop, Christmas cookies and hot and cold beverages, as well as souvenir gingerbread recipe cards, may be purchased. Opens in late November.

-- Posted December 4, 2007