Disney's Riviera Resort Signature Cookies are loaded with chocolate, pistachios, walnuts, dried cherries, and oats. Make the famous Disney hotel cookies at home with this easy recipe!
I've been on a mission to bake as many famous chocolate chip cookies as I can get my hands on. From Levain Bakery and DoubleTree Hotel to Subway, Jacques Torres, and Disney's Grand Floridian Resort. Today I'm adding a new flavor to the list!
Of all the copycat recipes I've made, Disney's Riviera Resort Signature Cookies might be the most unique. At first glance, they look like an oversized chocolate chip cookie, but they're packed with ground oats, ground chocolate, pistachios, walnuts, dried cherries, and just a touch of molasses for incredible depth of flavor. The combination sounds unusual, but somehow it all works together to create one of the most memorable cookies you'll find at Walt Disney World. If you've had one at Primo Piatto and have been hoping to recreate it at home, this copycat recipe is for you.
Why I Love This Recipe
- Actual Disney's Riviera Resort: This recipe comes straight from Disney. I love that they have scaled down some of their popular recipes for home bakers.
- Loaded with incredible texture: Ground oats, chopped nuts, dried cherries, and mini chocolate chips create a cookie that's soft, chewy, slightly crunchy, and packed with flavor in every bite.
- A fun twist on chocolate chip cookies: If you're ready to try something beyond a classic chocolate chip cookie, these are a delicious place to start. Every ingredient adds another layer of flavor and texture.
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Tips & Tricks
- Use old-fashioned oats: Quick oats won't give you the same hearty texture. Blend old-fashioned oats until they're finely ground.
- Don't skip grinding the chocolate chips: It may sound unusual, but it distributes the chocolate throughout the dough and gives these cookies their signature flavor.
- Finely chop the mix-ins: Smaller pieces of pistachios, walnuts, and cherries are distributed evenly so every cookie has a little of everything.
- Let them cool: These cookies taste even better after about an hour. The flavors have time to meld together, and the texture becomes wonderfully chewy.
- Finish with flaky sea salt: Don't skip this step! The sea salt balances the sweetness and really brings out the chocolate.
Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour: Provides structure while keeping the cookies tender.
- Baking Soda & Baking Powder: Using both gives these cookies the perfect combination of lift, chewiness, and slightly crisp edges.
- Ground Old-Fashioned Oats: One of the signature ingredients! Blending the oats creates a smoother texture while still adding the flavor and heartiness of oatmeal.
- Ground Mini Chocolate Chips: Ground chocolate melts into the dough, creating rich chocolate flavor throughout every bite instead of just pockets of chocolate.
- Butter: Butter creates rich flavor and soft, chewy cookies.
- Brown Sugar: Adds moisture, chewiness, and a subtle caramel flavor.
- Granulated Sugar: Balances the brown sugar and helps create lightly crisp edges.
- Molasses: A small amount deepens the flavor and complements the brown sugar beautifully.
- Eggs: Bind everything together while adding richness.
- Vanilla Extract: Enhances all of the other flavors.
- Walnuts: Provide classic nutty flavor and crunch.
- Pistachios: One of the ingredients that makes these cookies unique. Their buttery flavor pairs perfectly with chocolate and cherries.
- Dried Cherries: The slight tartness balances the sweetness and adds a chewy texture.
- Mini Chocolate Chips: Mini chips distribute more evenly throughout the dough than regular chocolate chips.
- Flaky Sea Salt: A sprinkle on top before baking makes these cookies taste even more like the ones served at Disney's Riviera Resort.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How To Make Disney's Riviera Signature Cookies
Step 1: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
Step 2: Blend oats in a blender or food processor. Set aside. Blend chocolate chips in a blender or food processor. Set aside.
Step 3: Sift flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a large mixing bowl. Stir in ground oats and ground chocolate chips.
Step 4: In a separate bowl, cream butter, both sugars, and molasses with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat on low speed until fully incorporated. Add the vanilla and beat for 1 minute, scraping the bowl as needed.
Step 5: Add ⅓ of the flour mixture and beat on low speed until just mixed. Continue with the remaining flour. Mix in walnuts, pistachios, dried cherries, and mini
chocolate chips.
Step 6: Place six (¼ cup) balls of dough on a baking sheet. Flatten slightly and top with the desired amount of sea salt flakes.
Step 7: Bake for 12 minutes. Cool for 3-5 minutes before moving to wire racks. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Disney Riviera Cookies FAQs
They're oversized bakery-style cookies served at Primo Piatto, the quick-service restaurant at Disney's Riviera Resort. They're famous for their unique combination of chocolate, pistachios, walnuts, dried cherries, oats, and flaky sea salt.
Yes. The cookies will still be delicious, although the cherries add a pleasant tartness that balances the rich chocolate. Dried cranberries would also work well.
No. You can substitute additional walnuts or pecans if you prefer, but pistachios are one of the signature ingredients that make these cookies unique.
Grinding the oats creates a softer texture while still giving the cookies the flavor and heartiness of oatmeal cookies.
Ground chocolate melts into the dough and adds chocolate flavor throughout the cookie instead of only where the chocolate chips are located.
They have a similar hearty texture because both recipes use ground oats. However, the Riviera cookies are more complex thanks to the pistachios, dried cherries, and molasses.
More Disney Inspired Recipes to Make
If you enjoyed this recipe, don't miss my growing collection of Copycat Recipes! From famous restaurant dishes and luxury hotel cookies to bakery favorites and nostalgic grocery store treats, there's something for everyone.
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Disney's Riviera Signature Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 ¼ cup oats ground
- ¾ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips ground
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened (I used salted)
- 1 ¼ cups brown sugar packed
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup walnuts finely chopped
- 1 ¼ cup pistachios finely chopped
- 1 ¼ cup dried cherries finely chopped (5 oz. bag)
- 1 ¼ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
- sea salt flakes to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a large mixing bowl
- Stir in ground oats and ground chocolate chips; set aside.
- Cream butter, both sugars, and molasses in with an electric mixer until fluffy.
- Add eggs, one at a time, and beat on low speed until fully incorporated.
- Add vanilla and beat, scraping the bowl as needed, for 1 minute.
- Add ⅓ of the flour mixture and beat on low speed until just mixed. Continue with the remaining flour.
- Mix in walnuts, pistachios, dried cherries, and mini chocolate chips.
- Place six (¼ cup) balls of dough on a baking sheet. Flatten slightly and top with sea salt flakes.
- Bake for 12 minutes. Cool for 2 minutes before moving to wire racks. Repeat with the rest of the cookie dough.
Brandy says
Hi everyone! Brandy here, this is such a unique cookie recipe. Comes directly from Disney, I didn't make any changes. Enjoy.