Get that Christmas market feeling at home

Unfortunately, we’re having to celebrate the run-up to Christmas a little differently again this year – the Christmas markets remain closed and we still won’t be able to warm our cold hands around a cup of hot mulled wine. So why not bring the Christmas market feeling home instead? We’ve put some ideas together for you to show how a few simple recipes can conjure up that Christmas feeling in no time at all. And the best thing is, you can enjoy everything from the comfort of your sofa, without having to go out in the freezing cold!

1. Christmas punch

A Christmas without Christmas punch? Unimaginable! We'll show you how you can prepare a delicious punch yourself in just a few steps.

All you need is:

• 300 ml orange juice (approx. 6 oranges)
• 300 ml water
• 1 tbsp honey
• mulled wine spice mix (you’ll often find it in a ready-made ‘tea’ bag but if not, just put 1.5 tsp of the spice mix in a tea filter)
• 2 fruit tea bags of your choice (e.g. blood orange)

How to make it:

Squeeze the oranges if you haven’t already done so, and heat the juice with the water, then add the mulled wine spice mix, the fruit tea and the honey. Keep warming it all up, but don’t let it come to a boil. Let the punch steep for another 10 minutes and then, if you like, add orange slices and cinnamon sticks to enhance the flavour even more. Et voilà - the Christmas spirit is guaranteed with this punch.

2. Cinnamon stars

Cinnamon stars are an absolute must at Christmas. Thanks to their sweet aroma, these biscuit favourites immediately evoke the spirit of Christmas, and the recipe is also quick and easy to make - it's even vegan too.

You don’t need much:

• 375 g ground almonds
• 250 g icing sugar
• 1 packet vanilla sugar or 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 5 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• For the glaze: icing sugar and lemon juice

Making them is also easy:

Mix the almonds, icing sugar, vanilla sugar and cinnamon together, then add the water and lemon juice and work into a dough. Let it rest in the fridge for an hour. Then roll out the dough on a floured work surface to about 1 cm thick. If it sticks, just add a little more flour. Use a biscuit cutter to cut out the cinnamon stars and spread them out on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Bake the biscuits at 180 degrees for about 8-10 minutes until the edges turn a light brown colour. The stars will still be soft, but they will become firmer once they have cooled down. For the glaze, simply mix the icing sugar with the lemon juice to form a smooth mixture. The icing should be relatively thick – just keep adding lemon juice until the right consistency is reached. Once the cookies are cold, brushed on the glaze. As soon as the icing is no longer sticky, you can pack the cinnamon stars in a tin or, of course, serve them immediately on a plate.

3. Roasted almonds 

The ultimate classic – roasted almonds are an essential part of every visit to the Christmas market. This little snack isn’t difficult to make at home; it will immediately spread the aroma of Christmas throughout your home and is also an excellent gift for loved ones. You just need a few ingredients, most of which can usually be found in our store cupboards:

• 200 g almonds (blanched)
• 200 g sugar (feel free to mix white sugar with a little brown sugar)
• 100 ml water
• 1 packet vanilla sugar or 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp cinnamon

Here’s what you do:

Mix the sugar, vanilla sugar and cinnamon and place in a non-stick pan. Add the water and bring to the boil, without stirring – the sugar should completely dissolve. Then add the almonds and continue to cook on a high heat, stirring constantly, until the liquid has disappeared, the almonds are dry and a dull layer of sugar forms. Be careful now: the mixture can quickly burn. Keep stirring the almonds on a medium heat until the sugar caramelises, which may take a few minutes. Then spread the contents of the pan onto a piece of baking paper, making sure there is enough space and the almonds don’t all clump together. Now just leave them to set and enjoy - or give them away as a gift. 

We hope you have lots of fun trying these simple recipe ideas and that they help you to bring some Christmas market spirit into your home.