Short answer: These Disney Parks-inspired Spellbinding Fried Pies turn chicken, mozzarella, blue cheese, and Buffalo sauce into crispy little spellbooks. Each one gets jalapeño-ranch aioli and a candy eyeball for a Hocus Pocus-worthy Halloween snack.
Yes, they look like tiny edible spellbooks. Yes, each one is staring back at you. This is exactly the level of dramatic Halloween snack energy we support.
What are Spellbinding Fried Pies?
The recipe comes from Ashley Craft’s The Unofficial Disney Parks Holidays Cookbook and is inspired by the magical book in Hocus Pocus. It recreates a savory Halloween-party bite associated with Golden Oak Outpost at Walt Disney World.
Candy-eyeball safety note: Little Temptations Chocolatey Eyeballs in several package sizes were recalled on August 31, 2026, because milk was not declared on the label. If you use chocolate candy eyes, check the FDA recall details first—especially if anyone eating them has a milk allergy.
Spellbinding Fried Pies recipe
Makes 4 pies
For the fried pies
- 48 ounces vegetable oil, for frying
- 1 cup shredded cooked chicken
- 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 tablespoons blue cheese crumbles
- 2 tablespoons Buffalo sauce
- 1 14.1-ounce two-pack refrigerated pie dough, room temperature
For the jalapeño-ranch aioli
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 tablespoon chopped seeded jalapeño
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
For assembly
- 4 large candy eyeballs
Instructions
- Pour the oil into a large shallow pot or Dutch oven and place over medium heat. Bring the temperature to 375°F.
- In a medium bowl, mix the chicken, mozzarella, blue cheese, and Buffalo sauce. Set aside.
- Roll out the pie doughs carefully and cut four 3-by-2-inch rectangles from each dough circle for eight total rectangles. Discard the excess. Scoop one-quarter of the chicken filling into the center of one rectangle, wet a finger with water and run it around the outside edge, then place a clean rectangle on top. Use a fork to crimp and seal the edges. Repeat to make four pies.
- Carefully lower up to two pies into the hot oil and fry for 2–5 minutes per side until the crust is cooked and browned. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate and repeat with the remaining pies.
- For the aioli, blend the sour cream, cilantro, jalapeño, lime juice, salt, onion powder, and garlic powder for 1–2 minutes until creamy.
- Let the pies cool for about 15 minutes, drizzle the aioli over the top, and place one candy eye on each pie. Serve immediately.
Serving tip: For a crowd, swap the Buffalo sauce for barbecue sauce or use plant-based meat instead of chicken to match your guests’ preferences.
Excerpted from THE UNOFFICIAL DISNEY PARKS HOLIDAYS COOKBOOK by ASHLEY CRAFT. Copyright © 2024 by ASHLEY CRAFT. Photographs by Harper Point Photography. Used by permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.