Do you enjoy eating sweets? Does the sound of a velvety-smooth chocolate cookie entice your taste buds? How about the sound of an aromatic, moist vanilla pound cake with marshmallow buttercream? These and many more are some of the delicious treats you can find at Disney Springs. But, where? In Gideon’s Bakehouse, of course!
What is Gideon’s Bakehouse, why should lovers of sweet things visit, and are there any winter exclusive treats being offered? These questions will be answered throughout this informative article. Let’s get started!
Mission and Background
The name “Gideon” is unique and the bakery’s creator, Steve Lewis, had an even more unique reason for choosing the name. According to Lewis, he purchased “what he thought was an antique cookbook” from the late 19th century. The book contained writings and doodles from a boy, named Gideon (written at the back of the book) who had dreams of being a baker. So, Lewis decided to pay homage to this child by using his name for the bakehouse. His store is adorned with antiques and Victorian era décor, that mimic the style of the original book.
Steve Lewis’ mission was very simple yet complicated to master: “create an extraordinary chocolate chip cookie.” After fifteen years of hard work and dedication, Lewis found the perfect recipe to make an almost half-pound, fully baked, chocolate chunk cookie. From then on, his creativity flourished, and he started making more cookie flavors. He even added cake to his addition of sweets to sell.
In October of 2016, Gideon’s Bakehouse opened its first physical shop in Central Florida’s food hall, “with one employee” and $800 as the budget. From there, it went on to receive recognition, awards, and love from many people. So, to meet demands, in 2020, Gideon’s opened in Disney Springs! Steve Lewis, the owner, and creator of the franchise, along with Michael Reyes, who draws for Gideon’s brand, as well as Kelsey Barrett, captain of Lewis’ other bakery, have worked arduously to make Gideon’s what it is today.
Why It’s Perfect For Those Who Love Sweets
So, why should YOU visit? Simple; if you enjoy sweet desserts, this place should be on your agenda. Gideon’s offers a plethora of cookies and cakes (even merch!) that range in different flavors. For example, some of the cookie flavors are: 1) The Original chocolate chip (the OG, a classic and my favorite), 2) Banana bread chocolate chip, 3) Pistachio toffee chocolate chip, 4) Peanut butter crunch, 5) Triple chocolate chip (chocolate-lovers paradise), 6) Cookies & Cream, 7) Coffee cake cookie, 8) Dark coffee cake cookie and finally Gideon’s bites (small bite-size versions of a chosen cookie flavor, $12). These are the current flavors available in Disney Springs, as we speak. However, there are more flavors that become available with each season.
Moving on, we make it to the cake flavors. Please keep in mind that, “cake slice selections rotate daily.” Gideon’s Bakehouse website writes this in all caps, just so guests can be aware. Also, some flavors can only be found seasonally. However, these are some flavors of cake slices you may find: Carrot cake, Cookie butter buttercream cake, Valentina’s cake (red velvet cake with cookies & cream buttercream), Chocolate chip marshmallow cake, Chocolate churro cake, PB & Jelly Cake (interesting…), Golden Oreo Cake, Peanut butter-cup cake, Chocolate everything cake, Birthday cake, Key lime pie cake, Andes Mint cake, Salted caramel cake, Cookies & cream cake and Original red velvet cake. (these flavors have all been taken from the Gideon’s Bakehouse main website). You have so many options to choose from, so please give these scrumptious baked goods a try!
DRINKS: Gideon’s Bakehouse in Disney Springs also offers nitro cold brews, all vegan and gluten-free, for coffee lovers ($6 each). The flavors include Peanut Butter, Cookies & Cream, Pumpkin chai, and a seasonal limited-edition flavor that changes every month.
Seasonal Offerings
As mentioned previously, Gideon’s Bakehouse offer seasonal treats that are only available for a specific time and for specific months. So, if you are interested in a Key Lime chocolate chip cookie, or cake slice, these will be available in August. However, for the month of December these are the new offerings:
- Kris Kringle’s cookie- white chocolate cookie with caramel, coconut, vanilla, and hints of coffee beans.
- Cookie Vom Krampus- cookie with 5 kinds of chocolate chips and Andes mints.
- The Kris Kringle Cake – a three layered vanilla cake slice with marshmallow, coconut, and vanilla buttercream.
- The Krampus Cake – red velvet cake slice with mint chocolate cream cheese frosting.
- Rainbow Crunch cake- three layered vanilla confetti cake slice with marshmallow buttercream and wait for it… rainbow crumbs intermixed with the buttercream, which makes it a decadent, crunchy cake (My favorite! I love the texture).
What to Know Before You Visit
The Disney Springs location opens at 10 am, however, I recommend getting there an hour or 30 minutes before, because the line gets long! If the line does get long, the physical line turns into a virtual queue, so sign up in person so you can leave the line and come back when you receive a return text on your phone (for international visitors, they tell them a physical time to return). There is a 7 cookie per person limit in the store. They also offer a “hot, cookie hour,” so if you arrive at 2-3 pm or 7-8 pm you can get a hot cookie with ice cream ($10), yum! You cannot preorder at the Disney Springs location, and Gideon’s Bakehouse does not deliver or ship their treats.
Throughout this article, we discovered Gideon’s Bakehouse origin/background, the delightful treats they offer, as well as the seasonal desserts available for those visiting during the winter season. If you love sweet things, as do I, this is a must-do for your next Disney trip. I highly recommend you try the original chocolate chip cookie since it inspired Steve Lewis to build his cookie empire. All in all, dear reader, I hope you come soon so you too can understand why the line is always so long!
Written by
Maria Mora
For as long as Maria can remember, there was always a Disney movie playing in her house. Whether it was The Little Mermaid, Dumbo, or Tarzan, she became enthralled with all things Disney. She has visited the Disney Parks over 100 times and on different continents! Her love of Disney goes hand in hand with her love of reading, which has motivated her through the years to become a zealous writer. She hopes that whatever she does helps her community. After all, with a little faith, trust, and pixie dust, anything is possible!
