Disney’s Riviera Signature Cookies are packed with chocolate, walnuts, pistachios, and dried cherries—the same cookies served at the resort.
Watch our step-by-step video
I’ve been on a mission to recreate famous chocolate chip cookies—from copycat Levain cookies to popular hotel and bakery recipes. The Disney Grand Floridian cookies are a fan favorite, but the Riviera Signature Cookie is different and memorable. These cookies combine ground oats and ground chocolate with nuts and dried cherries for a layered, complex flavor. If you enjoy DoubleTree-style cookies, you’ll likely appreciate this version too.
Disney’s Riviera Signature Cookies
What makes these cookies stand out is the mix of textures and flavors: ground oats for a gentler oat presence, ground mini chocolate chips to spread chocolate flavor throughout the dough, molasses for depth, tart dried cherries, and two kinds of nuts—pistachios and walnuts. Feel free to adapt the mix-ins if you prefer, but the combination below recreates the cookies served at Prima Piatto in Disney’s Riviera Resort.
What Sets These Signature Cookies Apart
Ground oats: Grinding the oats before adding them gives you oat flavor and nutrition with a smoother texture that integrates nicely into the dough.
Ground chocolate: Blending mini chocolate chips into a powder spreads chocolate flavor through every bite, rather than relying only on visible chips.
Pistachios and walnuts: Pistachios bring bright, distinctive flavor and a hint of saltiness if you use lightly salted nuts. Walnuts add earthy richness. If you choose salted pistachios, reduce or omit the dough’s salt and finish with a little flaked sea salt on top for contrast.
Dried cherries: Tart dried cherries deliver brightness that balances the chocolate and nuts. If cherries aren’t your thing, swap them for raisins or omit them entirely.
Molasses: A tablespoon of molasses deepens the cookie’s flavor and adds a warm, caramel-like note.
Riviera Resort Signature Cookie Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt (reduce to ½ teaspoon if using salted butter and salted pistachios)
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 ¼ cups oats, ground
- ¾ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, ground
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature (salted butter can be used; adjust salt accordingly)
- 1 ¼ cups packed brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup walnuts, finely chopped
- 1 ¼ cups pistachios, finely chopped
- 1 ¼ cups dried cherries, finely chopped (about a 5 oz. bag)
- 1 ¼ cups mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Sea salt flakes, to taste
How to Make Disney’s Riviera Resort Cookies
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a blender or food processor, grind the oats until fine and set aside. Grind ¾ cup of mini chocolate chips until they form a powder and set aside.
Sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a large bowl. Stir in the ground oats and ground chocolate chips.
In a separate bowl, cream the butter with the brown and granulated sugars and the molasses using an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating on low until incorporated. Add the vanilla and beat for another minute, scraping the bowl as needed.
Mix in one-third of the flour mixture on low speed until just combined, then add the remaining flour mixture. Fold in the chopped walnuts, pistachios, dried cherries, and the remaining 1 ¼ cups mini chocolate chips.
Scoop six ¼-cup balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Flatten each slightly and sprinkle with flaked sea salt to taste.
Bake for 12 minutes, then cool on the baking sheet for 3–5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Repeat with the remaining dough.
For best flavor and texture, let the cookies sit for an hour after baking so they cool and the flavors meld with the sea salt. Stored in an airtight container, they stay fresh for 2–3 days; you can warm them briefly in the microwave to soften if needed.
Disney’s Riviera Signature Cookies Recipe (Printable)
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 cups oats, ground
- ¾ cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips, ground
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ¼ cups packed brown sugar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup walnuts, finely chopped
- 1 ¼ cups pistachios, finely chopped
- 1 ¼ cups dried cherries, finely chopped
- 1 ¼ cups mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Sea salt flakes, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Grind the oats and ¾ cup mini chocolate chips in a food processor; set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Stir in the ground oats and ground chocolate.
- Cream the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and molasses until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs one at a time, beating on low until incorporated. Add vanilla and beat for 1 minute.
- Add one-third of the flour mixture and mix on low until just combined. Add the remaining flour mixture and mix until just combined.
- Fold in walnuts, pistachios, dried cherries, and the remaining mini chocolate chips.
- Scoop six ¼-cup portions onto the baking sheet, flatten slightly, and sprinkle with sea salt flakes.
- Bake 12 minutes. Cool 3–5 minutes on the sheet, then transfer to a wire rack. Repeat with remaining dough.
Notes
Disney’s tip: For a thinner, crispier cookie, preheat the oven to 375°F and bake 7 minutes, then reduce to 350°F and bake an additional 3 minutes.
Brandy’s note: I used salted butter and lightly salted pistachios and a 5-ounce bag of dried cherries. The cookies tasted best after sitting for an hour so the flavors could meld. Store in an airtight container for 2–3 days or wrap individually to keep fresh. Reheat briefly in the microwave to soften.
Nutrition
Calories: 275 kcal per cookie (approximate)