Christmas is coming for those who celebrate it – and the holiday season is already here. For many of us, there’s a drumming urge to emphatically welcome it all back. By stringing stern lights and putting up trees earlier and earlier, we hope to be swept away into something bigger than ourselves.
One of the best ways to capture the benevolent spirit of the season is by baking festive candies and sharing them with those closest to us, as well as finding moments to enjoy yourself.
There is a slice of time in the early hours of Christmas morning that has magic in it. It’s the climax of the day, when the possibilities are fulfilling enough on their own and the whole house seems to be winking at what’s to come. As a prologue to the evening party, it should be extended with hot drinks, spicy treats and a brunch of celebratory breads that can be prepared the night before.
If you get yourself out of bed early enough to catch the tree with its belly still full of presents—before the boxes and bags turn into piles of decorative paper—you probably need caffeine and something sweet to cheer you up. A brew pot of coffee fills the kitchen with the smell of roasted beans, and a cup keeps you company as you settle into the scene. Take a few bites of coffee-infused biscuit, a few sips of biscuit-infused coffee, and one last glimpse of the thick stockings.
When gingerbread biscotti is dipped in coffee, it adds spice and sweetness, while the chocolate coating softens the bitterness. At the same time, the coffee soaks into the stiff biscotti and the dry brick structure turns into a tender cake. The cookie is a present in itself, filled with chunks of chewy ginger and the best winter spices, such as star anise and cloves, and can be baked days in advance.
While the biscotti alone can set the tone for the day, it’s not a show without popcorn. A small batch of sweet popcorn sprinkled with cinnamon takes little time to make and adds the tantalizing scent of spice and caramel to the air, an aroma that is sure to wake the household from sleep.
Grab some Santa’s uneaten oatmeal cookies before the little ones wake up, and arrange them on a serving platter with the cinnamon toast popcorn and biscotti. It’s the perfect dessert plate to munch on while watching the commotion around the tree.
When it’s brunch time before you know it, grab an overnight soaked French toast and ready-made cinnamon roll wreath from the fridge and pop them in the oven. They can bake side by side as you return to opening gifts.
The eggnog flavored French toast is essentially a bouquet of cream and butter, made by slicing deeply into a round loaf of bread, leaving the bottom intact. Do the same for raisin-filled cinnamon rolls: Shape the dough logs into an oval, slice them without cutting the base, and arrange the rolls to resemble a holiday wreath. Once baked, both become decorative table centerpieces.
Pulling on sticks of caramelized, custardy bread and warm cinnamon rolls is sure to make everyone happy, including you, after consciously stretching out the day you’ve been waiting for all year.
But you can do the same thing every day, for every party or none at all. However you enjoy the season, fill the moments with something sweet.
Recipes: Cinnamon Toast Popcorn | Eggnog French Toast with Overnight Stay | Raisins Cinnamon Roll Wreath | Ice cream cookies with oatmeal | Gingerbread Biscotti
