Best Chocolate Indulgences Disney Style

Memories of visits to my grandmother’s house swirl around a certain candy dish that sat atop a large oak buffet and was always filled with Chocolate Stars or Sno-Caps.  As a young child that buffet seemed as tall as Mt. Everest and sneaking a morsel from that dish without getting caught was almost as challenging.

I must confess, in any shape or form,  I LOVE CHOCOLATE!! I crave it after almost every meal, and while I don’t consider myself a chocolate snob, I have learned that if you are going to endure the calories and subsequent excercise, the chocolate better be worth it.

To make sure that I wasn’t really missing out on something sinfully great and worth every calorie, I posed a question recently to several writing pals –  What is your favorite chocolate indulgence at the Disney Parks? 

My mouth was watering with anticipation and I was mentally calculating the future hours on the treadmill when the first response came and I am happy to share our compiled list:

• Ghirardelli Soda  Fountain & Chocolate Shop – Downtown Disney (map) –  serves up all the ice cream treats you could image, including the World Famous Hot Fudge Sundae slathered with home-made hot fudge sauce; or the Midnight Reverie made with two scoops of chocolate ice cream, dark hot fudge sauce, dark chocolate chips and whipped cream;  enjoy your treats here or purchase some chocolates to take home 
• Main Street Bakery, located on Main Street USA in Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort, features lots of chocolate choices among the many treats available  are Tollhouse Cookies and Tollhouse Ice Cream Sandwiches especially tasty when the cookies are still warm from the oven
• Who doesn’t love the graham cracker, marshmallow and chocolate treat, S’mores?  Around the campfire, shared with your pals Chip and Dale at their nightly sing-along at Disney World’s Ft. Wilderness Campground (map) they taste even better.  Can’t make it to the Wilderness?  Stop in at ’50′s Prime Time Cafe in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, where S’mores are on the dessert menu
• You will request a burial at sea after the to-die-for The Chocolate Wave served at Coral Reef in Epcot’s Living Seas with Nemo and Friends.  This warm chocolate cake, with creamy filling, topped with Grand Mariner Sauce and Raspberries 
• Guests at Disneyland Resort in California (map) can truly indulge in the Chocolate Cream Cake at Carnation Cafe.  With layers of chocolate sponge cake, carmel, chocolate ganache, and Bavarian Mousse is topped with chocolate blossoms and even a white chocolate castle.  If that is not enough, this caloric bonanza is floated in a cloud of whipped cream.
• Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen located at Downtown Disney District (map) serves up comfort on a plate with Double Chocolate Bread Pudding served with white and dark chocolate ganache.  This semi-sweet chocolate dessert is definitely worth the wait, however, as it takes 25 minutes to prepare.

The list of chocolate indulgences is almost endless, but, when pushed to declare that one favorite, it seems everyone agreed, our favorite chocolate Disney treat seems to be one that is shared with family and friends.

Hat tip to my friends at Orlando Travel Hotels, Off To Neverland Travel, and Out of The Blue, who shared their favorites with me.

Photo Selection: Flickr , WDW News