Gargoyles, a moody atmosphere and handmade, half-pound cookies — welcome to Gideon's Bakehouse! Located in Disney Springs and across from Wine Bar George, Gideon's Bakehouse always serves something special. From mouth-watering chocolate chip cookies to cake slices to cold brews and limited-time offerings, there's something on the menu for every age (and taste bud). Hop along with us as we explore one of the most in-demand bakehouses in Walt Disney World!
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Overview of Gideon's Bakehouse
The history of Gideon's Bakehouse sounds like something straight out of a movie — and it all began with a name, a dream, a doodle and a cookbook.
Steve Lewis, the visionary behind Gideon's Bakehouse, saw the name Gideon inscribed in what he thought to be an antique cookbook from the late 1800s, aka the Victorian era. In addition to the name, countless notes and doodles were on the sides of the pages. Steve was inspired by this, naming his new bakehouse after the faceless Gideon and displaying art and Victorian-era decor on the shelves.
It's this decor that helps Gideon's Bakehouse stand out. When you step inside, crooked floor-to-ceiling shelves greet you. They almost look like they're alive! Antique books and other oddities fill the bookshelves. The cake and cookie display cases are glass and provide the only real lighting source in an otherwise eerie and dimly lit shop. Creepy art collections, including those most notably from Mr. Eyes, take over the walls.
Artwork and strange paintings aside, let's get to what we really love most about Gideon's Bakehouse: the cookies! Each cookie is nearly half a pound! These are great to share, and both Tad and Lily (and their sweet tooths) ask for some during every visit. Did you know it takes the bakers about 20 hours to prepare a single cookie? Talk about artistry!
That's the thing about Gideon's Bakehouse: It's an artistic experience. Not only are the cookies moist and delicious, but they are part of a larger story. When you visit Gideon's Bakehouse, you're not visiting any ordinary bakery. No, you're stepping into a bakeshop crafted by whimsy! They've truly mastered the art of storytelling here.
Visiting Gideon's Bakehouse, Including Virtual Queue Info
Over the years, Gideon's Bakehouse has been named the Best Cookies in Orlando (among other accolades). As such, you can expect the lines here to get rather long. Don't worry, though; looks are usually deceiving in this case.
Though the line can reach Morimoto Asia (and beyond), we've rarely waited more than 30-40 minutes to enter if visiting anytime between Tuesday and Thursday. However, when the line gets too long, Gideon's Bakehouse opens up a virtual queue (VQ). You can expect to see a VQ on Fridays, the weekends and during holidays. When available, the VQ may open up precisely at 10 a.m., when Disney Springs also officially opens to guests. However, remember that the virtual queue solely depends on crowd levels, so it might pop up at any time throughout the day. In our experience (and as stated directly from Gideon's Bakehouse), virtual queues are most common during the evenings between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. A cast member is outside to help and direct you if you have any questions!
To join the VQ, speak with the cast member outside. They're usually standing near the front door. After giving them your phone number, they'll text you when it's time to get back in line. It's best for crowd control if you return within 15 minutes. But if you can't make your return window, don't stress — they'll still let you in.
The Menu at Gideon's Bakehouse
- Original Chocolate Chip — Variety of chocolate chips and vanilla (Tad’s fave!)
- Peanut Butter Crunch — Cookie dough made almost entirely of peanut butter and topped with candied peanuts (Lily’s fave!)
- Cookies & Cream — A vanilla bean cookie with chunks of Double Stuff Oreo cookies
- Triple Chocolate Chip — Features five types of chocolate, including Ghiradelli and Callebaut
- Pistachio Toffee Chocolate Chip — Features chocolate chips, toffee and lightly salted pistachios (My fave!)
- Gideon's Bites — A nearly half-pound cookie split into four pieces so you can sample four cookies simultaneously. Mixing and matching are available.
- Coffee Cake — A vanilla bean cookie filled with cinnamon strudel and topped with double-baked butter crumbs
- Dark Coffee Cake — A coffee cake cookie with a chocolate base (Leap’s fave! Only available at Disney Springs)
- Banana Bread Chocolate Chip — A vanilla bean cookie blended with real bananas, dark and semi-sweet chocolate, candied walnuts and banana chips
- Carrot Cake (limited) — A carrot-based cookie covered with candied pecans and drizzled with carrot cream cheese glaze
Because Gideon's Bakehouse offers limited-time options, you can expect to see these cookies throughout the year:
- Maple Walnut Chocolate Chip — A chocolate chip cookie mixed with maple syrup, candied walnuts and topped with cinnamon nutmeg sugar
- The Eternal Flame — Features five flavors of chocolate and laced with ancho, cayenne, cherry and cinnamon spice mix, topped wth chocolate-covered cherries
- Eternal Flameless — A chocolate cookie with mild housemade ancho and cinnamon spice mix topped with white chocolate chips and chocolate-covered cherries
- Key Lime Chocolate Chip — A vanilla bean cookie infused with Florida Key Lime Juice, covered with chocolate chips and key lime pie crumbs.
- (Feb.) Strawberry Delight — Strawberry dough made from housemade strawberry puree, laced with dark chocolate and topped with strawberry-infused sugar. This cookie is usually only available for a few days. In 2025, it was available from Feb. 8 to Feb. 14.
- (March) Raspberry Dark Coffee Cake — A raspberry triple chocolate chip cookie layered with raspberry jam, topped with raspberry sugar and crunch butter crumbs. This cookie is only available one week in March to raise awareness for Lubee Bat Conservancy in Gainesville, FL.
- Peanut Butter Cold Brew Cookie — A peanut butter cookie mixed with ground decaf espresso and topped with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and Reese's Pieces
- Coffee Toffee Chocolate Chip — A vanilla bean cookie filled and topped with toffee, chocolate and ground coffee beans from Lineage Coffee Roasting
- White Chocolate Caramel Macadamia Nut — Baked with salted caramel and topped with a macadamia nut crumble
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Swirl — A blend of triple chocolate and peanut butter cookie dough, topped with chocolate chips, peanut butter chips and candied peanuts
- Cookie Butter Butterscotch Cookie — A cookie baked with "Gideon's secrets," Biscoff Cookie Butter and butterscotch chips, topped with crushed Biscoff cookies
- Coconut Caramel — A classic chocolate chip cookie infused with coconut cream and homemade salted caramel, topped with shaved toasted coconut
- Orange Pecan Chocolate Chip — A vanilla bean cookie infused with orange essence and dark chocolate, covered with a candied orange peel and pecan pralines
- The Rocky Road — A triple chocolate cookie topped with dark and semi-sweet chocolates with candied almonds mixed in and topped with marshmallow
- The Sea Turtle Cookie — A cookie featuring premium chocolate, homemade caramel and whole candied pecans, topped with sea salt
- (Oct.) The Frankenstein — A chocolate cookie filled with chocolate pieces and Double Stuff Oreos, topped with M&Ms
- (Oct.) Bride of Frankenstein — A cookie featuring white chocolate, Golden Oreos and M&Ms
- (Nov.) Chocolate Churro Cookie — A chocolate cookie filled with cinnamon sugar, cayenne and ancho, and layered with dulce de leche. It is usually only available for a few days at the beginning of November to celebrate the Day of the Dead.
- (Nov.) Pumpkin Bread Chocolate Crumb — A cookie filled with real pumpkin, Gideon's House Pumpkin Spice Blend and chocolate, topped with pumpkin butter crumbs
- (Dec.) Cookie Vom Krampus — A triple chocolate cookie mixed with Andes Mint chocolate candy
- (Dec.) Kris Kringle Cookie — A white chocolate coffee bean cookie featuring notes of coconut, caramel and vanilla bean, topped with coarse sugar crystals. It's only available through Christmas Day.
Some additional cookie flavors exist at their East End Market location (about a 45-minute drive from Disney Springs). If you have transportation available and can't stay at Disney Springs, this location is worth checking out. The bakeshop is part of a larger market, so the selection isn't as big. But the lines tend to move much faster. Plus, it's cool checking out other parts of Orlando (for more fun local ideas, check out our post on the Top Things to Do in Orlando Outside of Theme Parks). If you plan on visiting here, expect to find exclusives such as the Candied Walnut Chocolate Chip (only available on Wednesdays) and Lemon Poppyseed (only available in July).
In addition to the delectable cookie selection, Gideon's Bakehouse also offers moist, three-layer cakes such as:
- True Red Velvet — Red velvet cake made with traditional buttermilk, layered with cream cheese frosting and lined with double-baked candied walnuts
- Daily Chocolate Cake Slice (new slices offered on a rotating basis every day of the week)
- Double Frosted Cakes (flavors rotate throughout the week)
- Secret Slice — These are really cool! Random announcements will be shared on the bake shop's Instagram and Facebook pages. Social media followers will receive a passcode, which will be used to order the secret cake slice upon arrival at Gideon's. These sell out fast, so you'll want to stop by early before they're gone.
There's also a selection of drinks, including cold brews such as the Original Peanut Butter Cold Brew, Pumpkin Chai Cold Brew (available all year-round) and Orange Mocha Nitro Cold Brew. Remember, menu items are always subject to change.
Tips for Visiting Gideon's Bakehouse
Here are some of our top tips for visiting Gideon's Bakehouse:
- Arrive as early as possible. Cookie and cake selections often sell out, so the earlier you go, the more selections you'll have to choose from.
- Scan the menu beforehand and ask for a menu card once you're outside the store. Gideon's Bakehouse offers limited-time items from month to month, so you never know what you'll find!
- Try to return on time once it's your reservation time. Things happen — and the staff at Gideon's Bakehouse understands that. However, try to adhere to your return time if using the virtual queue. It makes for a better experience for everyone.
- Share! These cookies are huge, nearly a half-pound, and we usually can't finish them in one sitting. Indulge in a few flavors the whole family can share and enjoy.
- Visit during Hot Cookie Hour, which takes place between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. daily.
- Gideon's Bakehouse will cut off the line about a half hour before they close due to the time it takes them to serve every customer. The latest you should arrive is between 8:30 p.m. and 9 p.m.
- Join the virtual queue upon arrival at Disney Springs on the weekend or holiday, especially if you plan to grab a cookie before you go. Remember, you can always change your mind and leave the queue.
- Consider visiting the East End Market location if you don't have time to visit Disney Springs or can't hang around. It's about a 45-minute drive from Disney Springs. This location offers shopping and other places to grab a quick bite to eat.
Our Final Thoughts About Gideon's Bakehouse
So, should you visit Gideon's Bakehouse on your next visit to Disney Springs? The answer is "Definitely, yes!" We love the cookie flavors and the fact that there's always something new to try. The ability to get a secret slice of cake is a fun touch, and it adds to the whimsical nature of this beloved Central Florida bakeshop. Yes, the line can get a little long sometimes, but it always moves quickly. If in use, the virtual queue makes it easy to go about your day at Disney Springs without having to stay nearby.
Overall, Gideon's Bakehouse is a must-do for our froggy family — and we think you'll love it, too! Have you ever visited Gideon's Bakehouse? What was your favorite cookie? Let us know in the comments.
Related: The Best Snacks at Disney World (And Where to Find Them!)
Related: 20 Amazing Disney Springs Tips for Your Next Trip
Hoppy planning!
