Favorite Holiday-Time Treats?

[John in Covina]

I saw the thread and also thought about my mom's Danish Christmas coolies and the Rum Balls she made. WOW!

 

[HepKitty]

Baseler Herzen. Heart-shaped Swiss-German Christmas cookies that my kids like to hang on the tree and eat when they're hungry. Can do the same with Zimtsterne (cinnamon stars). Like to make Rotweinkuchen (red wine cake) too, I think I posted the recipe for this already.

 

[HarlowQueen]

My mom's Vodka Shortbread is ALWAYS a must! I recently started my own tradition this year with toffee chocolate thumbprint cookies which are absolutely to die for and far too addictive to do my figure any good.

 

[Mike in Seattle]

Making cranberry relish, cranberry bread, prime rib and horseradish that cauterizes the sinuses. An old family recipe for coconut-walnut candy which we make in very small batches for a select few because making it for everyone ended up with the house reeking of chocolate for weeks and my turning green for months anything chocolate came within view or smelling range. Although not a drop of Dane in me - I've make ebelskivers the last several years - Danish "pancakes" although they're more a golf-ball sized sphere of dough with drizzled with syrup or filled with some jam, fruit, chocolate, cheese inside - you can make them for breakfast, hors d'oevres, etc. depending on the batter and what you tuck inside. I'll sit there at the stove for hours having a very Zen experience turning them out. The pan has eight wells that are half-round and as it cooks, you gradually turn each one with a bamboo skewer to make the ball shape and get them cooked through. A friend's five year old daughter is the only one with the patience to enjoy doing them with me. She loves getting a perfect one and then thinking I'm not looking, purposely drops it and says, "Ooops! I dropped it. Now I have to eat it because we can give it to someone else. Five second rule!"

 

[HepKitty]

lol Mike that is one cool kid! Speaking of aebleskivers I haven't had them in years. Have recipes but no pan

 

[John in Covina]

My mom had an abelskiver pan but I don't know where it is now. I recall seeing them for sale up in Solvang the Danish village in California.

 

[Foofoogal]

Someone just gave me some homemade fruitcake. It should be a sin for anything to taste so good.
I love, love, love fruitcake at Christmas.
My mother used to make pralines every year and I miss them so. Never had any others taste the same as hers.

 

[Alex Oviatt]

My favorite is that old chestnut--actual chestnuts roasted over an open fire. We have a great roasting pan and chestnut scoring knife from Williams-Sonoma (http://www.williams-sonoma.com/search/results.html?words=de buyer chestnut roasting pan). They really are delicious, are fun to make and smell good as the outer shell gets slightly burned. For some reason, in my family, vodka tonics are deemed to go well with roasted chestnuts. Though not specifically Christmasy, I also love Marons Glacees, which are hard to find and expensive. Santa, you listening?