Christmas Village | I Can Cook That

Philadelphia has so many wonderful winter holiday events and traditions. Some of my favorites include the Christmas Light Show at Macy’s (originally Wanamaker’s), seeing the neighborhood lights in South Philly, checking out the Holiday Railroad at Reading Terminal, and of course, going to Christmas Village.

Every year my husband and I make sure to pick up a new ornament for our tree at Käthe Wohlfahrt or at one of the other amazing Christmas Ornament vendors.

This year, the Christmas Village has moved back to City Hall. The open-air German market is one of the largest in the country. Every year, I love walking through the stands to see the eighty international and local merchants and artists.

Source: Christmas Village in Philadelphia

Naturally there are quite a few food stands as well as stations to pick up hot mulled wine and other beverages served in a snazzy 2016 Collectors Mug.

This year, the Village also as a Carousel that you can purchase tickets to ride. (Check out my Instagram feed to see video of me enjoying the carousel maybe a little too much.)

While walking around the Christmas Village, I snacked on Pretzelphoria’s Peppermint Party, which are pretzel balls coated in white chocolate and crushed candy canes.

The peppermint coated pretzel balls were an awesome combination of minty, sweet, and salty. I wanted to make my own spin at home!

Ingredients:

2 (12 oz) bags of white chocolate chips (I used mini)
1 tablespoon peppermint extract
1 (8 oz) bag mini pretzel balls

Note: You’ll need a few tools to make this recipe: double boiler (or a metal bowl on top of a pot with some boiling water in it), wax paper, cookie sheet

Continue reading White Chocolate Peppermint Covered Pretzel Balls

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)
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 large egg whites, room temperature
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest

Continue reading Cinnamon Star Cookies (Zimtsterne)