I spent the last two weeks in total holiday mode. With my birthday, Christmas, and getting engaged all in the past couple of weeks, it’s been one big celebratory meal! I’ve done very little cooking and a whole lot of eating, so it’s time to get back into a normal cooking/eating schedule again.
In its fourth year, the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap helps raise money for Cookies for Kids’ Cancer, a national non-profit organization committed to funding new therapies used in the fight against pediatric cancer, which claims the lives of more children in the US than any other disease.
I adapted a recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction. She has these fantastic Soft Baked cookies on her blog, and I used her Soft Baked White Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cookies as the inspiration for this recipe. The secret to these soft and chewy cookies is the addition of cornstarch.. who would’ve thought??
I changed Sally’s original recipe just a touch, adding dark chocolate chips instead of white, using light brown sugar instead of dark, and substituting in almond extract for the vanilla extract. If you’re looking for some baking inspiration this holiday, absolutely check out Sally’s Baking Addiction, you won’t be disappointed!
Ingredients:
3/4 cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
With the holidays fast approaching, everyone needs some new appetizer and hors d’oeuvres options for guests. Nasoya must have known I was in need of some new creative recipes, because they sent me a great holiday entertaining kit to try out their Wonton Wraps. The kit included some fun inventive recipes using wonton wraps, so I wanted to share one of them with you!
These Baked Avocado and Feta Wontons come together in 30 minutes and are the perfect bite-sized hors d’oeuvres for your next party. The wraps are filled with a mixture of avocados, sun-dried tomatoes, and feta cheese and are served with a lime flavored dipping sauce.
Note: I was sent a holiday entertaining kit to review Nasoya wonton wraps. My opinions are my own.
Now that Santa has waved from his sleigh in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, it is officially the Christmas season! (Does anyone else use this reference, or just my family?)
New York may have the “official” start of the Christmas season, but Philadelphia is filled with its own wonderful holiday traditions from the old (going to the old Wanamaker building, now Macy’s, to see the holiday light show) to the new (ice skating at the outdoor rink on the Delaware Waterfront), but one of my absolute favorites is going to Christmas Village, located in LOVE Park (15th and JFK Boulevard).
Going to the open-air German Christmas Market, open daily between Thanksgiving and Sunday, Dec 28, is a priority of mine this time of year. Sixty-five international and local merchants and artists offer high-quality gifts that are sold in decorated tents and wooden houses located throughout Center City’s famous LOVE Park. With toys, apparel, jewelry, decorations, home goods, artwork and more, there will be something for everyone on Santa’s list.
Daily market hours starting Black Friday through the last Sunday in December will be Friday through Saturday 11:00am to 8:00pm, and Sunday through Thursday 11:00am to 7:00pm. Christmas Eve hours are 11:00am to 5:00pm (closed on Christmas Day).
Follow the smell of gingerbread and waffles to a full menu of European food, sweets and drinks, including mouthwatering German bratwurst or schnitzel served on a warm roll (Brötchen). Wash it all down with a warm mug of traditional German Glühwein (spiced mulled wine) or rich hot chocolate.
On top of the great shopping and dining experiences, be sure to check out the huge Christmas Tree in LOVE Park, a Wish Wall in conjunction with the Make-a-Wish Foundation, a new kid’s zone on the weekends, theme days and weekends, tasting cheese and wine tours, live music during evenings and weekends, and other surprises to be announced.
So to get in the spirit, I wanted to make a traditional German Holiday Cookie to celebrate the return of Christmas Village! Cinnamon Stars (or Zimtsterne) are made with almond flour base so they are actually gluten free. And even better, they can be stored for quite a while, and taste even better as time passes, making these the perfect cookie to give as a gift!
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar, plus more for rolling
16 ounces sliced almonds, with skin (about 4 1/2 cups)
