I mentioned decorating gingerbread houses recently, and several sweet friends reached out and asked for my recipe. And yes, I have a fabulous gingerbread recipe (actually, it’s my friend Jenna’s gingerbread recipe) but no, I do not bake and cut and assemble my own gingerbread houses. There are quite a few things I go out of my way to make from scratch, even if they are more labor intensive or whathaveyou. Gingerbread houses are not one of them. To start with, like anyone with more than one child, the question arises each year: share the decorating, or get individual houses for each person? And second, my people don’t actually eat the gingerbread, preferring instead to pick the candies off rather than going full on Hansel and Gretel. So really… not worth my effort to create something tastier and healthier in the long run.
Instead, I buy the premade kits. This year, I purchased two of these Wilton mini villages from WalMart. Mathaus and Jack assembled them, then each person got to select and decorate their own with the icing and candies that came in the boxes. It was super low impact, a lot of fun, and honestly probably cost me less than trying to pull all the details together myself.
Other things I buy rather than bake myself? Aldi’s Almond Spekulatius. I do have a recipe for this, and it’s spectacular, but— I can’t manage to roll my cookies as thin as these, and this recipe is also vegan, meaning even my daughter with extensive food allergies can nibble them with her tea throughout the holiday season. If you love someone with dietary limits, you understand how sweet a thing this is. This year, I also bought my husband a box of Frango mints to enjoy. These were a holiday staple for us when we lived in Washington, where they were seemingly everywhere and much coveted as those gifts business-type people give one another. Macy’s had a massive Black Friday sale and I got a box for 75% off. It was a splurge, but well worth it!
So what do I make from scratch? Every family has their go-to holiday baking menu, right? Cookies, breads, etc. Here’s ours:
Scottish Shortbread I make multiple batches of shortbread throughout the Christmas season, because it is my husband’s absolute favorite. The recipe I use comes from my cousin, and I always feel reluctant to share it because it feels… sacred somehow. That sounds a bit silly, but there it is. Ask me for any other recipe and I will give it to you. The shortbread? Sorry. I can tell you that it’s similar to this one, though not quite. I can also tell you that the magic lies in the special way in which it’s baked. And finally, I can tell you that unless you’re using high quality ingredients, like Kerry Gold butter, you’re missing out.
Pfeffernuesse Cookies These are a traditional German Christmas cookie, and if your palate only has room for sweet and sugary at the holidays, you probably won’t love these. All but one member of my family has pretty adventurous tastes (and that less bold person is likely not who you think it is!) and these spicy little treats go fast around here. The recipe calls for pepper (I use white) and anise extract, if that tells you anything about the unique combo of flavors.
Peanut Butter Blossoms My husband has fond memories these, so I make a half batch for him every year. It’s a super straightforward recipe, and kids love unwrapping the Hershy’s Kisses and popping them on the balls of dough. They are great gifting cookies, because they look nice on a little plate, too.
Chewy Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies As much ay husband is devoted to shortbread… several of my children associate Christmas with these cookies. I buy candy canes to crush for these, and I think that’s half the fun for the younger kids. However, the combo of chocolate and peppermint is surreal. Highly recommend.
Sugar Cookies Everyone has their favorite sugar cookie recipe, and this has become mine. It’s versatile, in that you can use it for roll and cut cookies with kids (it handles both overworking with flour and huge handfuls of sprinkles and such without becoming dry and brittle) and it can easily be formed into logs, rolled in nonpareils, wrapped in layers of wrap, and frozen for bake and slice treats throughout the season. What more can you ask?
Amish Cinnamon Bread My first batch of starter fermented to that funky alcohol level and had to be scrapped this year, so we’ve yet to have a loaf yet, but… it’s coming. One of my sisters-in-law gifted us a loaf of this bread way back when we lived in Georgia (2001?) with the verbal warning, “This recipe has an entire cup of oil in it, just so you know.” Has there even been a greater sales pitch for a holiday baked good? I don’t think so. If you’ve never made Amish Cinnamon bread, try it. (I’ve used this shortcut version at random times throughout the years when I didn’t have starter ready, and it’s not quite got the same sourdough depth of flavor, but it’s still quite good!)
Buckeye Balls My Mamaw made huge batches of Buckeye Balls every year for decades. When I was in college, and even after I was married, she would send me home with a margarine tub full of them, each wrapped in a little square of wax paper. I would put that tub in the freezer and make it last as long as I could, guarding each piece like the treasure it was. I can’t make these without thinking of her in her favorite ditzy floral apron, wielding a toothpick over a double broiler of melted chocolate. They are John Mark’s favorite holiday treat, and the fact that they have yet to be made this Christmas has him sweating bullets, I can tell you.
What are your family’s favorite Christmas treats?
These are fabulous. Since it is usually swelteringly hot here we don’t do heaps of Christmas baking but we are having a cooler week so I think I’ll have to give some of these a try!
I’m going to have to hunt down those Aldi Spekulatius next year… thank you!