There’s no better time for a foodie (like me!) to visit a theme park than during the holidays. And while all the parks in Southern California have their tempting seasonal treats, Knott’s Berry Farm has really stood out this year with a wide array of food that’s perfect for the adventurous and the sugar-motivated. Here are our top 10 Knott’s Merry Farm foods from this year. Be sure to grab a napkin to keep the drool off your screen!
10. Christmas Jam
Starting off our list is a new product with historic roots. The Berry Market Christmas Jam is actually a recreation of a family recipe from Mrs. Cordelia Knott herself. This mixed fruit jam is made with simple ingredients– cane sugar, cranberries, raspberries, pears, orange peel, orange liqueur, spices, and pectin– and stays true to the Knott’s tradition of quality.
It is a perfect blend of tart cranberries that complements the complex sweetness from the raspberries, pears and oranges. It’s an agile addition to anyone’s kitchen that’s perfect for any holiday spread. You can lather it on your morning toast, use it in thumbprint cookies (that’s what I’m making for my Christmas cookie exchange!), or even on a charcuterie board. I’m definitely planning on picking up a few jars before the end of the Merry Farm season.
9. White Christmas Pizza
This is a cheese lover’s dream pizza. It’s made with a white cheese sauce, plus ricotta and mozzarella cheese, and topped with plenty of garlic and chicken. There is a light sprinkling of chives to add some color to the otherwise all-white pizza and evoke pine needles from a Christmas tree. You can find this little slice of heaven at Beachy Keen Pizza. I loved it, let me know what you think about this non-traditional slice.
8. Holiday Poutine
This is an interesting take on a Canadian classic using elements from a traditional American Thanksgiving dinner. This dish features sweet potato fries, cheese curds, cranberries, turkey and turkey gravy. It’s a pretty hefty snack, but it’s stick-to-your-ribs delicious. The sweet potato fries soak up the gravy, leaving the cheese curds, cranberries and turkey easy to find (and even easier to eat). Be sure to grab plenty of napkins because this one’s bound to be messy. The Holiday Poutine is available at Papa Loca’s.
7. Mac and Cheese Lorraine
In another remix of homestyle classics, you can enjoy two holiday favorites in the same dish. A creamy white cheese sauce mac and cheese is partnered with smoky bacon and wrapped neatly in a cone of naan bread. It’s definitely a stretch to consider it akin to quiche lorraine, but it sure does taste just as good. You can pick up a Mac and Cheese Lorraine cone at Wagon Wheel Pizza
6. Hot Chocolate Mini Bundt Cake
There’s no dessert that summarizes the holidays into a single dish better than a bundt cake. Add in an iconic holiday drink, hot chocolate adorned with marshmallows, and you’ve got a dessert that verges on perfection. The Hot Chocolate Mini Bundt Cake at the Grand Bakery and the Ghost Town Bakery manages to bring both worlds together in a miniature way.
It’s a rich, dense double chocolate bundt cake that has been dipped into a dark chocolate ganache, and filled with marshmallow creme, topped with real whipped cream, a sprinkle of cocoa powder “snow,” and a rolled chocolate straw. Be sure to know that even though it is small in stature, it packs a punch; you might need to enlist some help finishing this chocolate-packed treat after a few bites.
5. Eggnog Cheesecake on a Stick
I’m not usually one for cheesecake (yes, I know it’s a sacrilegious thing to say around the holidays), but this has almost completely changed my mind. It’s a creamy cheesecake that has the tartness of the cream cheese and the warm holiday spices of eggnog without being overly powerful. Plus, it’s coated with white chocolate, and decorated like a Christmas tree! You’ll find this show-stopper at the Grand Bakery and the Ghost Town Bakery.
4. Cranberry-Apricot Wild Boar Sausage
When I saw this on the food guide, I knew I needed to have it. And I’m sure glad I did! The sausage is grilled in front of you, and it’s juicy and sweet from the apricots and the twang from the cranberries cuts through the dark flavor of the boar. It’s topped with plenty of caramelized onions and mustard. If you’re looking for something more adventurous than a hotdog, then look no further. Although, once you’ve had one of these sausages, you’ll have a hard time going back to hotdogs! This is available at Santa’s Christmas Cabin.
3. Cookie Dough Bites
This was one of my absolute favorites from Merry Farm. As soon as I got into the park, the very first thing I did was make my way over to Ghost Town Grub to get an order of these delectable morsels! They look beignets at first glance, but when you bite into these beauties you’ll discover a new holiday favorite. Sugar cookie dough is dipped in funnel cake batter and deep-fried and dusted with powdered sugar. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think Knott’s was actively trying to provoke heart attacks! When the bites are piping hot, the sugar cookie dough is gooey and full of almond flavor. There are also red and green sprinkles, but that’s something you won’t notice if you pop the whole dough ball in your mouth!
You get 5 dough bites in an order, and they’re not cheap at nearly $2 a bite, but they’re definitely worth trying. It should be noted that these are VERY rich and it’s nearly impossible to finish an order by yourself, so be sure to get some help to finish it off.
2. Holiday Bark
Yes, I’ll admit I have a sweet tooth. Sugar is probably my favorite word. So it comes as no surprise that the English Toffee Christmas Bark made it very high up on my top 10 list. The flavor of the English toffee is very complex and not overly sweet. You can tell that Knott’s takes candy making very seriously by using real butter and brown sugar to make this and topping it with milk chocolate and pecans. There are actually three different Christmas Barks (English Toffee, White Chocolate Peppermint, and Dark Chocolate with Pistachios and Cranberries), and you can’t go wrong with any of them, but the English Toffee is truly unforgettable. You can pick some up at the Grand Bakery and Ghost Town Bakery.
1.Turkey Dinner Bites
Well, we’ve made it to the end of the list! This was hands-down the most popular seasonal food in our tasting group this year. It’s everything you expect at a Thanksgiving dinner– turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce– all wrapped up in a nice fried ball. The balls are pretty hefty, so be sure to work up an appetite! It’s served in a set of two with gravy at Santa’s Christmas Cabin.
Knott’s Merry Farm runs now through January 5, 2020. So, work up an appetite and grab your friends to try Knott’s festive food!
Honorable Mentions
Although these didn’t make the Top 10, I would be remiss not to mention them.
Gingerbread Churro
This churro is unique because it isn’t a standard churro rolled in gingerbread flavored sugar (like another popular theme park further south), but it’s actually a gingerbread flavored churro filled with dulce de leche. If you’re a churro fan, this cannot be missed.
Apple Pie Pizza
Although this is more of a novelty than anything, it is a lot of fun to eat. It’s very messy, but the sweet cream cheese sauce pairs beautifully with the apple pie filling on top. This requires a lot of napkins!
Eggnog and Peppermint Shakes
Knott’s has been focusing on foods that are “on trend” right now, and shakes are definitely in. Their shakes are mega-sized and topped with all sorts of goodies, like an actual bundt cake. It’s getting a little too cold out to enjoy these comfortably, but they are a perfect blend of SoCal tradition mixed with holiday flavors.
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Let’s Hear From You!
Knott’s Berry Farm has presented one of its best holiday lineups ever, and is one of the best places to visit for the holidays in California. There’s so much to see, do, and taste that it can’t all be done in one day. Have you been to Knott’s Merry Farm yet? What are your favorite foods from Merry Farm? Do you agree with my rankings? Let me know in the comments!
More From Knott’s Merry Farm. We’ve published four articles about this year’s Christmas offerings from Knott’s Berry Farm:
Irresistible Knott’s Merry Farm Holiday Mirth and Merchandise