Sooooo I just got back from Disneyland, and I am having some serious issues to adjusting back to the real world.
Instead of waking in the morning feeling like P.Diddy in my luxurious hotel room, I wake up looking like a hobo in my twin-sized bed with ripped plaid sheets. There isn’t anyone to restock miniature toiletries in my bathroom when I leave for a small period of time. And when I walk outside, I don’t see gigantic furry animal costumes, hear sounds of laughter and sparkles, or smell freshly fried beignets and irresistible churros. I just see my dead front yard and hear cars drive by, which is hardly glamorous. And there’s definitely no churro aroma, either.
I’m just trying to figure out whyyyyy I can’t live in the castle, ride Space Mountain all day or stuff my face with Monte Cristos. It seems kinda cruel that I must transition back to this cold, cutthroat real world when I was just riding roller coasters and my biggest issue of the day was deciding exactly which keychain to buy.
Oh, the cruelty of this world! There is a serious lack of magic in my neighborhood. And any rodents I see are not dressed in polka dotted dresses. I’m also pretty sure they’re rabid and don’t come from a land of smiles and giant mouse-shaped waffles.
Anyways, it’s been kinda rough as I struggle to navigate back into the real world, where calories count and happy music isn’t constantly humming around you. Especially since the day after I came home, I was greeted with a huge pile of bills waiting for me and my mom informing me that her work is dropping my vision and dental insurance. I mean, it would have been tooootally different if she handed me a stack of bills and mentioned that little diddy while I had mouse-ears on and was posing with Goofy, but noooooooo. Welcome back from paradise, Hayley — adulthood didn’t bother to take a vacation from being sucky!
Dammit, reality. I hate you.
While at Disneyland, I had the pleasure of attending a Disneyland Lunch which was sponsored by the TechMunch conference I was there for. At the lunch they had a Whoopie Pie Bar where you could choose your pies and fillings and the pastry chefs from Disneyland would happily fill and decorate them to order for you. It was such a neat idea, and for someone who usually resists red velvet, there was something super enticing about these freshly baked whoopies. So I ordered a red velvet one with classic cream cheese frosting and oh mah god, it was phenomenal! The pie was perfectly plush and chewy, the cream cheese filling delightfully luscious. In fact, it had me hankering for some more red velvet deliciousness, so when I got home I whipped these cookies up.
They’ll definitely be that security blanket when reality bites.
- 1 box red velvet cake mix
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup oil
- Splash vanilla extract
- ½ cup white chocolate chips
- ½ cup red velvet M&M's (available at Walmart as a Valentine's Day special -- see note if you cannot find these M&M's)
- Heart Sprinkles
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, silicone liners, or mist lightly with cooking spray; set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs, oil and vanilla extract with a rubber spatula until a soft dough forms. Stir the M&M's and white chocolate chips in by hand until combined.
- Using a cookie dough scoop, scoop Tablespoon-sized balls of cookie dough onto the prepared sheets, about 1" apart from another. Bake for approx. 8-10 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking time to ensure an even cooking process. Remove from the oven and while still hot, sprinkle the tops liberally with heart shaped sprinkles. Likewise, you could also roll the dough balls in sprinkles before baking, but I wanted the tops to be sprinkly.
- Cool for about 5 minutes on the baking sheets before transferring to wire racks to cool completely. Store airtight, at room temperature, up to a week.
Have a fantastical day!!
xo, Hayley
Elizabeth @ Confessions of a Baking Queen says
Ya, reality blows. These cookies would blow my mind in a good way, I posted Red Velvet cake mix cookies yesterday, so clearly we were on the same page after leaving TechMunch!!
Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust says
I wish I could have been there. I want a whoopee pie bar!!
Kayle (The Cooking Actress) says
I know exactly how you feel. Oh Disney withdrawal….you are cruel. Why can’t we just live there Hayley? Whyyyy??!
These cookies at least look cheerful and happy and pretty and tasty! You brought a little magic home with you 🙂
Faith @ Pixie Dust Kitchen says
Dude, I totally understand Post Disney Depression- I did the Disney College Program and I’m still crying about not being there anymore.
But oh my gahhhhsh these sound incredible! I need those red velvet M&M’s in my life!
Julianne @ Beyond Frosting says
HAHA! Rodents in polka dots dresses. You crack me up. Glad you had fun at the conference!
Nicole @ Young, Broke and Hungry says
Reality sucks, lets stuff our faces with these cookies.
Stacy | Wicked Good Kitchen says
Hayley, your cookies look phenomenally good! Chewy is definitely the way to go and I love the addition of m&ms. Glad you had a wicked time at the conference and Disney World. Yep, reality can really suck post-vacation. But, then there is the gift of these cookies. 🙂
Elizabeth Halle says
I NEED to try these.
Sophia @ NY Foodgasm says
These are uber cuteness to the max! Love the sprinkles too! Soooo adorable!
Janine (sugarkissed.net) says
Red velvet, chocolate chips, and sprinkles… everything you need for a little escape from the real world!
Zainab @ Blahnik Baker says
I feel your pain sister!!! Reality lacks magic but it holds these cookies so it can’t be all bad!!
Erin @ The Spiffy Cookie says
Oh wow I have not seen these red velvet M&Ms yet. Loving these cookies too, definitely magical.
Cyndi says
Can I just say that I love your blog!! Love the skulls and all the colors!! I am totally with you about being back to reality. It really does suck. There is actually a thing called vacation depression. I get it every time we come back home. But these cookies will make anyone feel better!! 🙂 They look delicious! 🙂
thedomesticrebel says
Then I DEFINITELY had vacation depression! Thanks for your sweet comment, Cyndi! xo!
Siv/MoonLight @ AWorldInMyOven says
Could you make these with a different cake mix you think (Im thinking brownies)? Or are the eggs and oil the ingredients for the cake mix? I’m dying to try these, but they don’t sell red velvet cake mixes over here.. 🙁
Renee @ Awesome on $20 says
Ugh! Being a grown up sucks. The best thing about being an adult is that no one can tell you that you can’t have a cookie. These look great!