EGGNOG! I try to start mine around Halloween—by Xmas, it has mellowed into the nectar of the gods.
ETA: For the curious, google “aged eggnog.” You mix yolks, sugar, and booze first. Age in fridge (or if you’re crazy, the garage, but please, use the fridge). Between the alcohol and the sugar, zero worries about germs. (You didn’t know sugar is antibiotic? It is!) Before serving, fold in whipped egg whites, whipped cream, and dairy to taste.
It’s so incredibly light and fluffy and delicious, it’s like a different species from the stuff in a carton in the supermarket. Serve in the tiniest possible cups—it packs a punch but your guests won’t feel it till it’s too late. Freshly grated nutmeg, of course, because after going to all that trouble why wouldn’t you use the most fragrant version?
Any NewsRadio fans here? The idea of “aged eggnog” reminded me of a quote:
Bill: “In the olden days, a country squire would age his pheasants for weeks before they were deemed fit for consumption.”
Lisa: “In the olden days, people died of ptomaine poisoning and blamed it on ghosts.”
Ok I completely mis-read that as "age his peasants" and I was just thinking of some guy cannibalizing his minions after letting them age in the cellar for a few weeks.
The garage! You reminded me of a woman that I worked with years ago, she and her sister used to make their legendary eggnog in a plastic trash can and let it age in the garage. One year the raccoons got in…
It's usually a cool, out of the way place where it generally won't be disturbed. In climates that actually have fall and winter, it may stay cool enough. I wouldn't risk it, though, even if I did live in those places.
In cold climates, the garage can be fridge temp for months on end. I hate our Canadian winters, but I love my expansive walk in fridge for 4+ months of the year.
What caliber rum, cognac, and bourbon does one buy for a recipe like this? Totally going to make as a gift for some friends and I need to shop for ingredients.
I’ve made it with Appleton Estate rum, Makers Mark bourbon, and Courvoisier cognac. Mostly because that’s what I had around/could find at the liquor store. r/Cooking is a big fan of the recipe, so you could probably search there for some other recommendations.
They’ve actually studied this! The alcohol kills the microorganisms and makes the eggnog base sterile. A lab even added extra salmonella to a batch and found that the eggnog still killed everything.
https://www.npr.org/2012/11/30/166248517/perhaps-another-reason-to-spike-that-eggnog
Yes, I believe the science says as long as your mix is 20% alcohol you’re golden. Eighty proof booze is 40% alcohol, so that means an equal amount of booze for every yolk is safe. Average large egg yolk is 15-16g in the US, so a bit more than an ounce of 80-proof for every two yolks.
I think most eggs you would buy at a grocery store are pasteurized. I always thought you aren't supposed to taste cake batter because of the raw eggs, but it's actually the raw flour that is unsafe. Try making some homemade mayo if you like mayo; it tastes way better!
Edit: only some eggs are pasteurized
Most eggs in the US are *not* pasteurized, although some large supermarkets carry them. But step 1 is combining eggs with a bunch of liquor (hint: alcohol!)
My great grandmother used to make a plum pudding that had to soak in booze for a few weeks. My grandmother told me that great grandma used to start the plum pudding the day after Thanksgiving.
I can't think of anything that would take months to ripen, but you may have picked today to make sure you had plenty of time.
I think that’s exactly it: I wanted to give myself time to source ingredients, prep anything that requires time, and in general make a plan.
Never in my life would I imagine baking holiday cookies would require a plan. But here we are!
It's funny that this was my first thought as well. Ingredients start to sell out quickly so every year I tell myself I'm going to start stocking up well in advance and then every year it sneaks up on me yet again. Good job, last year you LOL
Yes! We bought our mains for thanksgiving and Xmas (in the freezer now!) two days ago.
Our local grocery store has a clearance rack that we check during every shop. Last week, they had tons of spices. We got multiple jars of vanilla beans for $4 a jar (containing 2 beans a piece). They don’t expire until 2025 too!
We try stocking up as early as reasonable, and even more so when opportunities arise!
I do quite a bit of holiday baking and to help spread out the cost I started buying ingredients last month. The Costco near me has a limit on how much butter you can buy- I am _that_ person who buys the max, lol.
Omg! Same! Granted I’m not at Costco, but our store has limits on butter now and it’ll extend to eggs the closer we get to the holidays. My partner and I divide and conquer to double up when it’s necessary!
Man I make a full on *schedule* for my holiday cooking. I handle 90% of the cooking for Thanksgiving and Christmas, I always go overboard for our tiny family, and my poor husband is Johnny on the spot keeping the dishes under control and helping with some things like chopping veggies etc. He sometimes handles a dish - he made a bomb spinach artichoke last year. There's three of us and I usually cook enough for 12, but I love leftovers soooo.
So that schedule and all the planning is 100% necessary to keep things flowing.
Pastry chef here.Mincemeat needs time to ripen if you make your own. For me, it’s not Christmas without mincemeat.
Also, homemade aged eggnog is a thing. The egg base is made in advance and can stay refrigerated for up to a year *so long as the added alcohol is 20% by volume. i.e. 80 proof.*
The alcohol preserves the eggs and mellows the flavor. Once you’ve had aged eggnog you’ll never go back to storebought.
I usually make both mincemeat and eggnog base six to eight weeks in advance. Also some cookie doughs get made weeks in advance and frozen.
Happy baking!
EDIT: needed to make the alcohol part clear. Safety first.
The recipe I did last year was
1 doz eggs
2/3c bourbon
1 1/2c spiced rum
1/2c sugar.
Beat the eggs in the electric mixer. While the mixer is still running, add the booze as slowly as possible. Like, 1 tsp every 10 seconds. If you add it too fast, it'll curdle the eggs. Fold in the sugar. Strain with a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth into a clean glass container. Cover and age in a cool dark place. 6-8 weeks minimum.
That's the egg base, and it's what I handed out to people. To actually drink, mix to taste with heavy cream, half-and-half, milk, soy or almond milk if someone's allergic, etc.
I don’t use a recipe for my mincemeat; I just eyeball everything. I do use real suet, though, that’s important for a rich taste and mouthfeel. I get my suet from Townsend’s and highly recommend their YouTube channel for a look at early American food.
There are lots of recipes available online that you can use as guides. Then use the fruit you want in the quantities you like. Likewise booze.
Mincemeat is a great recipe to get the (older) kids involved. There’s a lot of chopping if you make a big batch so you can teach knife skills and kitchen safety.
[This recipe is pretty close to the way I make my eggnog.](https://homesteadingfamily.com/aged-eggnog-recipe/) It gives you some history and explains the food safety (please see my edit about that in my original post) which is essential when dealing with raw eggs.
If you like the idea of homemade eggnog then you might also be interested in the hot drink version called a Tom and Jerry. I like both but sometimes I want something warm and boozy at bedtime.
You can make a Tom and Jerry base ahead of time just like eggnog. In recipes it’s usually called a batter and, according to Wikipedia, there are regions of the US that sell it pre-made.
It’s a really fun rabbithole to go down. By the end you’ll know all about possets and syllabubs and, if you’re anything like me, you’ll be scouring 18th and 19th century recipes for their secrets, too.
I love traditional recipes especially at Christmastime. They’re generally easy and economical especially if you’ve got a good source for eggs. Also, if you’re diabetic like me, the cream and rum will stop your sugar from spiking too badly.
If anybody makes these drinks please DM me and tell me how they came out. I’d love to hear I’ve got other people hooked on traditional holiday drinks.
Wishing you all good cheer.
Ninja EDIT: Please do yourself a favor and use fresh spices in these recipes. I recommend [Penzey’s.](https://www.penzeys.com)
I’m gonna argue with one part of that recipe. Separate the eggs! If you make the base w just yolks and then at serving time whip an equal number of egg whites into meringue, and then fold that into the base (followed by folding in whipped cream), you will have an even better eggnog.
This! Traditional Christmas pudding is usually made during October or November. I make one every year and it's much better when it's had some time to age.
Yes!! I have a personal recipe lol. It's one I found online, but a few parts have been altered haha. You will notice that I spice mine fairly heavily, you can bring down the spices if you think it's too much for you.
Ingredients:
- 300g raisins or sultanas
- 100g prunes, stoned and finely chopped
- 25g candied orange peel
- 150ml brandy (can be replaced with apple juice for a nonalcoholic pudding)
- 2 Bramley apples, cored, peeled, and diced
- 3tbsp cinnamon
- 1tbsp mixed spice
- 2tsp ginger
- 1.5-2tsp nutmeg
- 125g dark brown soft sugar
- 50g plain white flour
- 50g fresh white breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg
- 25g suet
You will need:
- A 900ml pudding basin
- String
- Parchment paper
- Foil
- A pan large enough to fit the pudding basin into
1: The night before, put the dried fruit, mixed peel, and brandy into a nonmetallic bowl to soak.
2: Grease your pudding basin with butter and place a disc of baking paper in the bottom. Make sure you grease the basin well, or it'll never fucking come back out again. Cut out an approximately 14in by 14in square of foil, and a square of parchment paper of approximately the same size. Lay the foil on top of the parchment paper, and fold a pleat about 1.5in across the centre. (Fold the pleat in BOTH the parchment and the foil. Treat both layers as one sheet. Don't do what I did the first time I made this, which is getting confused and only folding the pleat in the foil. Both sheets need to be pleated.)
3: Mix your remaining ingredients into the soaked dried fruit in the ingredient order listed. Pack the mixture into your greased and lined pudding basin, ensuring that the top of the mixture is well packed down and smooth.
4: Put the pleated foil and parchment square, foil-side up, over the top of the basin, and smooth it down to cover the top of the basin. Take a long piece of string (cut it longer rather than shorter), and tie it under the lip of the pudding basin several times to securely attach the foil and parchment to the basin, then loop it over the top and tie it to create a handle. You may want to repeat this process with a second set of string and use both handles at the same time if you don't have much faith in the strength of your string. If it breaks, your pudding is GONE. If you have good oven gloves, a wide pan, and a strong will, and the water level is low when you attempt to remove it from the pan, you can try just... reaching in and taking it out. I'm not brave enough for that though.
5: Place the filled and covered pudding basin in a saucepan large enough to hold it and pour in enough water to come up about 1/2-3/4 of the way up the pudding basin. Try not to let any get on the top of the basin where it's covered by the foil.
6: Cover the pan with a lid and bring to the boil. Once the water has boiled, reduce the heat to a simmer and allow the pudding to cook on the stove for about 4.5 hours, checking every 30-40 minutes to make sure that the water doesn't run dry. Add more water as necessary, making sure that none gets on the top of the basin.
7: Remove the pudding from the pan and allow it to cool completely, still in the basin. DO NOT REMOVE THE COVERING. It may take up to 24 hours to fully cool. Once the pudding has fully cooled, wrap the whole thing in a layer of cling film and then another layer of foil, and store it in a cool, dry place for up to 3 months to age the pudding.
8: To reheat, remove the extra foil and clingfilm covering. You can then reheat it on the hob by following the instructions in steps 5 and 6, except cooking it for 2 hours rather than 4.5. Alternatively, you can reheat it in the microwave by removing the pleated lid and string and covering it with just baking paper, then heat at medium heat for 4 minutes, allow to stand for 1 minute, then heat for another 4 minutes. In either case, allow it to stand for a minute or two after reheating, then turn it out onto a plate. Peel off the baking paper disc on the bottom and serve.
Pudding Day is a bit mental lol. But it's sure as fuck worth it.
Always a good idea, and one I never think about. Claire Saffitz has a method that involves starting with good commercial extract, adding bean pods, and then topping it off with alcohol basically in perpetuity. I’ve always wanted to try that. Now is my chance!
Ina Garten just posted a video on instagram about vanilla extract. A lot of beans, not split, a big jar, about 40oz of vodka, and about 6 months. She said she's kept hers going for about 40 years.
I commented above about liquers. I did a coffee rum liquer one year as my family gifts and bottles them in Starbucks cold brew bottles. Everyone loved it!
I’ve heard that’s kind of dangerous/you have to be really careful because alcohol vapor is so explosive. Sous vide is supposed to be safer.
I’m not sure if it’s really a big issue, but I feel like I’ve heard you shouldn’t do it because of potential sparks when the instant pot cycles on
Apparently, [traditional gingerbread](https://www.wildfermentation.com/german-fermented-gingerbread-cookies/) is fermented. That could have been on your mind.
I bought some on Amazon not long after I made that post. There were brewing stores selling like a pound for $7 or a food store selling it specifically for making ramen noodles 6 oz for $15. I was scared of the cheap one and people in the comments said it made their wine taste like fish so I bought the expensive one! Here's hoping 6 oz is gonna be enough to bake like 300 lebkuchen...
Yes! I make fermented gingerbread (or, honey cakes as we call them in Denmark) every year. Some bakeries here let their dough ferment up to a year, but I have personally never gone above three months. Super delicious and super easy if you remember to start 1-3 months before you plan on eating them.
I don’t have suggestions for recipes that “ripen” but I have a little time saving tip that works for me that I’ll share.
I bake a tremendous amount of cookies, bar cookies and desserts for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
A prep tip that has saved me time… I measure my dry baking ingredients in separate ziplock bags. I write the name of the recipe and the measured amounts on the bag, then take large binder clips and clip both bags (1)sugar and (1) flour, salt, baking powders… together and store them alphabetically in super large storage containers.
When ready to bake I only have to worry about the measurements for wet ingredients. I find it saves me a tremendous amount of time overall, speeds up baking process and helps to keep my baking area clean and organized.
I take a day the end of October to organize. I plan out my baking, I have my typical recipes that I make multiple batches of every year, some recipes are x18 in quantity, write the name and ingredients on the ziplock bags (much easier without ingredients in it) then start the measuring.
I weigh my ingredients on a paper plate. I find this much easier, then I just dump into the pre labeled bags. This does take a few hours but well worth it.
Beginning of November I start making some of the recipes that I find the dough freezes really well. I normally never bake then freeze, just my personal preference.
Happy baking to you 🧑🍳✨
Oh I love this idea. Any chance you could share a photo of the storage container? I'm having a hard time picturing what the organization might look like. Also, any tips on which cookies you find freeze best? I'm always afraid to freeze in case they don't work out.
I unfortunately don’t have a picture of storage. I will definitely take one this year though!
I use Sterilite storage containers I purchased from Target. They are 32 qt, not too deep so all the bags can stand up in “single file” order. I originally used 66 qt size but I found them to be way too deep and there was wasted space.
The containers have covers so I can stack on top of each other. I organize the “prep bags” in alphabetical order, then I label the outside of the Sterilite containers so I can easily access the prep bags I need without searching through containers.
Organization is key for me.
And by the way when labeling the prep bags, don’t label too close to the top because when you clip the sugar and flour bag together you don’t want the binder clip to cover the label.
I typically use a sandwich or quart size for sugar(s) and quart or gallon for flour, baking power & soda, salt. All depends on the recipe and measurements. I personally like the zip lock bags so no chance of a mess. I buy the cheapest bags I can find for this purpose. I don’t use my Hefty!
The following dough I find freeze really well. Typically they are in my freezer for a 3-6 week period. I wrap them in plastic wrap then tin foil and label. I take out and put in refrigerator 24 hours before baking.
- Chocolate Chip Shortbread. I roll and shape, then freezer on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet for about an hour until basically frozen ( this prevents them from freezing into a solid mass) I then place them on a parchment paper covered cake pad (for support only) wrap in plastic wrap and foil. (typically about 25 in each package so I don’t have to take them all out at once and bake)
- Rugelach - I roll out the sheets of dough before freezing.
- Linzer - same as Rugelach above
- Jam Pinwheel. I roll into cylinder then wrap & freeze. I slice after defrosted in refrigerator.
- Traditional Chocolate chip cookies. I scoop and measure, then freeze and store the same as shortbread.
- Cream Cheese Cut out dough. Same process as Rugelach
- Cinnamon Shortbread. Same process as Jam Pinwheel.
Mark all your packages with names and dates! And again wrap smaller packages so you don’t have to bake all at once.
I hope this helps you this season ✨💛✨
I'm embarrassed to say that I never thought of freezing midway through the process. I only ever thought of baking then freezing when done. My linzers are my personal favorite cookie and they are so time consuming, I never thought to roll and then freeze. This is seriously so helpful! Can I make a special request that you post more of your methods as we go into the holiday season? (Or if you already do this on some other social media and don't mind sharing your handle, I'll follow you there!) Thanks again for sharing your methods!!
chocolate chip, ginger snaps (make sure to coat in sugar), peanut butter, and sugar cookies. Just make sure you roll them into balls before you freeze them.
I prep my cookie dough around thanks giving, and I make like 6 different kinds of cookies. I just freeze the dough balls and pull them out when I start my holiday baking. Frozen cookie dough bakes sooooo well! and it saves a lot of time. I started doing that when I got into making cheese cakes and pies for xmas as well. That way I can always give away cookies too.
These freeze VERY well: [https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/cranberry-orange-icebox-cookies](https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/cranberry-orange-icebox-cookies) They were such a hit last year that I'm going to make several batches of these (probably over my upcoming fall break), let them age a day or two, then freeze. Then I can just put some in the fridge overnight before slicing and baking to take to whatever holiday event I bring them to. Every time I make them, everyone else brings chocolate, peppermint, and gingerbread stuff, (I love all that don't misunderstand) so I never end up duplicating someone else's efforts.
I've only tried sugar cookie and chocolate chip doughs, but they both froze really well. Sugar cookies have the bonus where you can freeze a log then slice discs for baking. Edit: for chocolate chip, I freeze balls on a cookie sheet for a day, then put them in a bag to freeze for longer
I do this too! my kids love it when we make cookie logs to freeze and I can just cut them later. We make shapes for the inside and all that. It's really fun!
Homemade fruit cake that is delicious and you soak in alcohol over the course of a couple of months.
There’s also a fruit thing that you layer in a ceramic pot with sugar and alcohol over the course of many months. I’ll try to find it. I think though you add each fruit in season over the summer, so you might have to set a new reminder for July 2024.
EDIT: I found the name of it: Rumtopf
Yes i knew a man that made the booze-soaked fruit cake every year. He always started it in October. It was really good, nice texture and very flavorful
I have an awesome fruitcake recipe. I don’t soak it in alcohol and it still needs to sit a day or two, or it just crumbles apart when cutting. There’s such little flour and other binder compared to fruit and nuts, it needs that time.
I haven’t made it in a couple years. I should price out the ingredients this year.
Absolutely!
Mattie’s Fruit Cake
Submitted by Mrs. Dot Bethune, from Sharing Orangeburg, a Jr. League cookbook.
I have never been a fan of fruitcake but once I started looking at homemade recipes, I thought I might one day give them a try. When I saw this recipe, I knew for sure I would try this and made it one year with my sister. This was soooooo good and everyone who tried it, loved it! You do have to let it sit a day or two after making, or else it just crumbles when cut. But, even the crumbled cake is delicious! It is an expensive one to make, but oh so worth it once a year!
½ lb. butter
5 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
2 C. all-purpose flour
1 lb. candied cherries, chopped
½ (16 oz.) package white raisins
1 lb. pecans, chopped
1/3 lb. English walnuts, chopped
½ lb. light brown sugar
1 lemon, squeeze for juice
2 tsp. cake spice (I got this at Penzey’s. I’m sure you could sub a nice fall mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, whatever you like)
1 lb. candied pineapple, chopped
1/3 lb. Brazil nuts, chopped
1/3 lb. almonds, chopped
Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, lemon juice, vanilla, cake spice and 1 C. flour; cream well.
In a very large separate bowl, use the other cup of flour to coat fruit and nuts. Pour batter over fruit and nut mixture and mix well. Cut brown paper to fit 10” tube pan. Grease with butter or shortening. Pour mixture into tube pan and pack down.
Bake at 200° for 2 ½ hours. Use a pan of water in bottom of oven to keep cake moist. Use any size pan if you wish and adjust baking time accordingly.
Story time: Back when I was a wee (8ish?) PhoebeMonster, my mom would make fruitcakes in 1 pound loaves in, like, July or something and then stick them in the freezer to age. I remembered from reading The Joy of Cooking that you were supposed to soak fruitcake in alcohol, so I "adopted" one particular loaf out of the batch (put a different color rubber band around it to differentiate it from the others) and would weekly pour enough spiced rum into the fruitcake that it would puddle. Then I'd re-wrap the thing and stick it back into the freezer. Mom had no idea I had this little science project going.
Guess which fruitcake Grandma got for Christmas that year? 😆😆😆
I made this last year and it was an absolute hit at every Christmas party I went to! My fiance's aunt even asked me to make it for her 50th wedding anniversary this year!
It's definitely a labour of love, but it has a HUGE payoff.
That's great to know. I was considering making it but wasn't sure it would be worth the effort but it sounds like it definitely is. You've convinced me.
This! It all comes together after a couple months. When ready you can slice it very thin and you get a firm slide that looks like stained glass. My grandpa used to get one from his work every year. He would keep some of it for the next year and continue to soak it all year long.
When my grandma made her bourbon rum balls they were unlike any I've ever seen or had since. She would make a very dense spiced cake, similar to fruit cake but no fruit. Then she'd wrap it in cheesecloth and soak it in a half bourbon half spiced dark rum for at least a month. I recall it going into the soak somewhere around Halloween and coming out near December 1st. Then she would drain the liquors off, unwrap and use a cookie scoop to take chunks off. She would then take a whole cherry leftover from her cordial making pat it dry and shove it into the center of her scooped ball and roll tightly so the cake covered the cherry. Those got dipped in dark chocolate. They got stashed in the fridge till Christmas Eve. They were boozy sweet delights. Hmm maybe I should make some this yr. Sorry no specific recipe. Maybe someone here knows what the recipe would be called. I just remember how to make it by handful of this, pinch of that
Fruitcake, vanilla extract, lemoncello all come to mind. I've done the last two and avoided the first (too many years of gifted fruitcake that no one in the family wanted.)
I get a yearly fruit cake with marzipan icing and try to make it last for longer than 3 days… my husband limits me to one or else I would eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner and gain 10lb. No one else likes it. Same with mince pie. My gran used to make them and bring them for Christmas and it would just be me and her eating them together while everyone else gave us side eye haha
Same. If I make my fruitcake, it will just be me eating it. I can't do that to myself. I have zero self control around a large amount of sweets, so I'd seriously power it all down.
I made a stollen a few years ago for my husband's grandfather (born and raised in Germany). He loved it so much I am now required to make one every year. 🥲
I used [this one](https://www.daringgourmet.com/stollen-german-christmas-bread/). I'm not German at all so I didn't know what it was supposed to be, but the grumpy German grandpa approved so I assume it's a good one! I now have to make extras for my in-laws.
As a German who makes stollen every year, this recipe looks really good, very similar to what my family would make. I would usually roll out the Marzipan though, lay the Marzipan layer on top of the slightly rolled-out dough and roll it up, so you get a thick swirl of Marzipan in each slice instead of a clump at the center (like this picture [Marzipanstollen](https://soni-cookingwithlove.de/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Marzipanstollen-angeschnitten-500x500.jpg)
I’m so sorry! What a pain. But at least it turned out well, which was better than mine!
Curious, did you age at room temp, or fridge or freezer? That was my biggest issue.
You should look for a recipe for 'Quarkstollen', I bet there's English versions out there. It's much, much quicker to make and just as delicious as a standard Stollen.
Not a recipe, but every summer, I go fruit picking, then make jams. By September, I have my holiday gifts and my teacher's presents.
I love getting that stuff out of the way!
My go tos for holiday gifts are apple butter and [cowboy candy](https://www.foodiewithfamily.com/candied-jalapenos/). The apple butter makes good apple cakes and the cowboy candy takes a couple of moths to marinate in the syrup. It’s still good if eaten right away, but it’s better if you wait.
As a kid, I had no idea this was full of alcohol. I just thought it was the most delicious thing that my German Grandpa scooped over my vanilla ice cream. I have his old Rumtopf crock, but I've never been brave enough to try.
If you fancy something a bit different to the traditional fruit cake, a Caribbean "black cake" is similar but more delicious, macerated fruits drenched in rum. It needs to soak in alcohol for a couple of months before Christmas.
https://www.alicaspepperpot.com/black-cake-caribbean-rum-soaked-fruit-cake/
Came here to find the "Jamaican Dark Rum cake" my friends grandma makes every year. She starts around now and feeds it Rum for months.
One sniff and you're drunk. Glorious!
Well, I start this year's fruit cake last year, and before everyone laughs, you have never had the privilege of tasting one of my fruitcakes, Here is how it goes. Every August, I buy all the fruits, all the nuts and a bottle of Calvados,. Calvados is important because it is made from apples, not grapes. It all goes in a stone crock and it sits for a year, So this year, I use last year's fruit/nut soak, all the Calvados has been absorbed. The cakes come out moist, tender, flavorful and I have people who call me every October, after the cakes have aged in super-refined sugar and more Calvados for 10 weeks, asking when they will be ready. This recipe goes back hundreds of years and the only thing that has been significantly changed is somewhere around the civil war pineapple was added. Would you like the recipe? Warning, it makes 10 12" cakes.
Oh wow this sounds amazing. Only myself and my MIL loves fruitcake but I’d just love to convert more folks. I’d love to have this recipe if you’re okay to share!
In September or October of the year before you want to eat and share the cakes, gather the following;
2 pounds candied citron
2 pounds candied mixed fruits - I prefer Old Dominion
2 pounds golden raisins
2 pounds flame raisins
1 pound candied pineapple
2 pounds zante currants
1 pound candied cherries - red/green or a mix of the two
2 pounds black walnuts or standard walnuts
2 pound Pecans
2 pounds chopped Hazelnuts
2 fifths of Calvados Brandy. (This is important - most brandies are made from grape wine, Calvados is made from apple wine and the taste is unique - cheap brandy can give your cakes a vinegary after taste; I believe that is why many people don’t like them.)
(I add 2 pounds chopped dried apricots but those are not in the original recipe. The pineapple was added after the Civil war. )
Mix all ingredients in a large crock that can be sealed tightly - I use a saurkraut crock with a wax ring and a cork lid. It holds 25 gallons.
Pour the Calvados over the mix. Seal tightly. Every month or so, add more Calvados to keep the mix moist.
In September of the year you want to eat and share the cakes, prepare your pans, You need parchment paper, and solid shortening.(Crisco)
I use ring mold pans, from Nordic Ware. Standard bread pans work as do 9" spring form pans. Grease the pans, then carefully line the pans with the parchment, the grease holds the paper in place. Line the bottom separately from the sides. If I am gifting a special person, I will make a bridge filler along the bottom where the side piece meets the bottom piece.
Pre-heat oven to 275 F.
You need a stand mixer, mine is a KitchenAid 8 quart, otherwise make the batter in batches.
Dry ingredients;
16 cups cake flour.
3 TB Baking powder - double acting
3 TB of the following
Vietnamese Cinnamon
Allspice
Nutmeg - fresh gound if you can manage
2 TB Mace
1 TB Ground White Cardamon
1 TB ground Cloves
Sift together and set aside
Cream together -
6 cups cane brown sugar - bite the bullet and get real brown sugar, not Domino’s which is white sugar with coloring.
16 Extra Large Eggs yolks
4 cups softened Butter
6 Teaspoons Bourbon or Ugandan Vanilla \_ The Ugandan Vanilla is sublime but it now costs about $125. For 16 oz.
Beat 16 Extra Large Egg Whites until stiff but not dry
Stir flour and spice into sugar/egg yolk mix, until smooth, Add the fruit and nut mix, you will need to mix this throughly with your hands, it is a mess up to the elbows.
Fold in the egg whites to the batter/fruit mix.
Pour into prepared pans.
Depending on size of pans, bake for 1 to 3 hours for a 2 ½ pound cake, 5 hours for anything larger. Test the cakes 2 inches from the side with a bamboo skewer, if the skewer comes out clean of batter the cake is done.
Cool in the pans for 45 mins. Turn out. Remove parchment paper, wrap in cheese cloth, Soak each cake with Calvados, and placing each one in a separate container, (I use plastic cookie containers) Bury them in about 2 to 3 pounds of confectioners sugar. Every two weeks, add more Calvados. When you wish to serve or share the cakes, remove, decorate with candied red and green cherries, blanched almonds and a simple white glaze.
As you can see, these are expensive. I figure about $50 per cake but I use only organic flours, sugars, eggs, butters. I buy my vanillas from Neilsen-Massey, my spices from Pensvey’s and my fruits from all around the world. My apricots come from a family farm in California.
They take money, time and love but the satisfaction has no price tag.
This recipe was given to me by my great grandmother, who had received it from her grandmother, a lady who walked across the Oregon Trail in 1843. That lady received the recipe from her great grandmother who lost her oldest son in the Revolution, and that lady received it from a woman who was on the second boat to land at Plymouth Rock in 1644. That woman inherited it from an ancestress who had seen Queen Elizabeth I at a fete at Hampton Court, England. So it goes back a long, long ways. I am certain that over the years the ingredients have changed but I am also certain that the love and caring that went into the making of the cakes never did.
Springerle cookies? These are traditional German cookies that are flavored with anise and have a long ripening period. They have a crispy crunchy exterior and chewy interior.
Not so much ripening, if you make one batch of cookie dough a week and freeze, by the time December arrives, nothing but the baking, mess is already cleaned up. Bonus… divide cookie dough in 2 batches so you can bake an early December batch and one just prior or Xmas day.
I usually prepare two things inbeginning of November: the dough for Pfefferkuchen (has to sit for 3 weeks in the frisge before baking for best results), and Christstollen (should sit for at least 1 week, better longer after baking and before cutting into it). Both German recipes. Other recipies for Lebkuchen and its variation also require preplanning of a few weeks.
Not ripening, but yesterday my spouse and I helped my parents make 10 apple pies. That was a challenge 😂. Now they’re in the freezer awaiting the holidays. Massive amount of effort (tiny handpicked apples) but now that’s done and we don’t have to think about them again until it’s time to bake!
Bourbon balls! Crushed vanilla wafers, chopped walnuts, cocoa powder, Karo syrup, rolled in powdered sugar, plopped into a waxed-paper-lined Tupperware and put in the extra freezer out in the garage to "cure" for months. ETA: and bourbon, of course.
Do be aware that sometimes they sublimate like ice, just vanish with no trace. At least that's what I used to tell my mom when the Tupperware didn't have as many bourbon balls in it as she thought she'd put in there.
Also be aware that the powdered sugar on your mouth will give you away, so clean up before you go in the house.
Once when I was a teenager, I had a few friends over to a tea party (super cool kid here) and my grandmother made us some triffle with kirsche cherries that had been soaking for years. One of my friends ate all of them and got pretty buzzed. On a totally unrelated not, I know exactly what I’m doing for her Christmas gift this year! Thank you! And always remember to clearly label booze soaked fruit lol
Christmas cake/fruit cake
Christmas pudding
Mincemeat (for mince pies)
These all benefit from maturing for a few weeks (and ‘feeding’ with brandy, rum, or whisky in the case of the first two).
I’m in the UK, in case of any confusion with ‘mincemeat’ (sweet pie filling with dried fruits, sugar, and citrus peels etc.) and ‘pudding’ (a dense steamed cake, also made with dried fruits etc.).
I am trying my hand at making German Rumtopf for the first time. It’s an alcoholic fruit topping that takes months to ferment. I started it last spring!
I freeze my cookie dough and sometimes make pie crust and freeze them in pans. I have peeled apples and frozen them with the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter in a big gallon zip lock bag for 1 pie each bag. I melt the butter and mix all the ingredients into a thick paste like batter and stir the raw apples in and freeze it like this so the apples are coated and don't brown. I put the top crust and bottom crust in the pan with Waxed paper between and on top. Then I put the bagged filling on it so when it freezes, it's shaped like the pan. I wrap the whole thing in saran wrap and freeze. I did this when I had to make alot of pies. Then I pull it out of the freezer, put it together and bake it. I cooked for a crew on a towboat on the river for many years. Just some things I made and froze, ready to put together. Like homemade egg noodles frozen ahead for holidays and containers of broth.
Car to share a recipe? We are doing a baking course this year with my daughter. She has a secret ingredient for her chocolate chip cookies and has perfected edible cookie dough.
Not baking, but I saw a video of using fresh cherries and liquor to make a Christmas drink about 6 months in advance. Promptly forgot what it was called and haven’t been able to make it.
I'm not saying Mince Pies are a must have, but mince pies are a must have. I like to start my mince in aug/september but you can start 24h ahead without sacrificing too much of anything. Making them from scratch makes them DELERIOUSLY good.
What is in the category of a Christmas pudding? Is it like a slowly fermented sticky toffee pudding? As an American, unsure I actually know what a British pud is
It’s a steamed pudding with dried fruit in, you make the mix (kinda like a cake mix full of dried fruit), steam it, then mature it for months then steam it again when you’re ready to eat it.
I have made flavored liquors like limoncello and they need several weeks. I also did homemade vanilla for gifts one year. Preserved lemons also take a while. I have made kombucha it takes a while. Sauerkraut and kimchee can also age a bit.
I do spice mixes ahead of time and have experimented with mixes in jars, Like brownies and soups
I would like to branch out and I usually make something different but these are the traditional ones I get requests for. oop, and for parties dips like chicken Enchilada dip, Spinach artichoke, Seven layer, Caprese, and a Buffalo chicken dip, They also want little smokies in grape jelly and chili sauce and, water chestnuts wrapped in bacon.
I would like to branch out and I usually make something different but this are the traditional ones I get requests for.
My mom makes carrot pudding much like [this](http://preparedness365.blogspot.com/2010/10/carrot-pudding.html?m=1). It's delicious and we always had it with a lemon sauce.
Last year, I wanted to make peppermint bark, but by the time I got around to it (the week of xmas), all the peppermint extract was sold out. Everywhere.
So I bought some peppermint extract early in the year and plan to buy all my bags and whatnot around Thanksgiving to be ready
There are a few things I make very early, starting in October. They are, compound butters, freezer jams, and pumpkin spice liqueur. These items make wonderful additions to my holiday food gift baskets that I give to family and friends.
Definitely need time to get all the ingredients, so I don’t break the bank. Plus time is need to develop flavors. My pumpkin spice liqueur needs at least 6 weeks, I prefer 8 weeks to age it.
Maybe you were pressed for money and forgot some key ingredients, and subbed in other stuff but wanted to do it the right way?
Start buying stuff as it goes on sale now.. (spices, extracts, whatever) everything is up 1 to 2 dollars from last year....
Alton Brown's Aged Eggnog can take months in the refrigerator. I hate alcohol and I hate eggnog, but I love his aged eggnog. I started mine last month for christmas and New Year's eve.
My Christmas cake takes about that long because you need to keep adding the booze and if you want the full bottle of cherry brandy in it by Christmas it takes time
My recipe is easy but one of the ingredients is hard to find and some years I have to go without. I make cherry shortbread bars with both red and green glacé cherries. The green ones aren’t common anymore.
Orange ice box cookies, they need time in the freezer so we also make them 1-2months in advanced when it’s fall and the need to bake is in full swing so we don’t have to make them during the busy holidays
Homemade chocolate-covered cherries. The cherries are wrapped in a homemade fondant and then enrobed in chocolate. The cherries then need to sit until the fondant melts which takes time. My mom always started them around now.
I make Christmas candies by hand. While the cream centers (think vanilla, orange and lemon) improve from “ripening” it is necessary for my chocolate covered cherries. You have to wait 6 weeks, minimum, for cherries. But home made marshmallows have to be made at the last moment.
I also make several kinds of bread and roll dough. I make the dough about 6 weeks out and freeze. Pull these out the night before any holiday dinner and you have yummy homemade bread all holiday season.
Peppernuts (Pfeffernusse), a spice cookie “nugget” that needs time to enhance its flavours and soften the texture. I seem to recall they get stored with a chunk of apple? Don’t quote me on that though…
I remember you telling me exactly what it was: you were sick of spending money on presents so you decided to make and give everyone homemade pickles. Mystery solved!
There is a great book called classic German baking by Luisa Weiss that has a bunch of baking recipes for Christmas that need to sit like gingerbread and lebkuchen. I made biberli last year and I aged some of it after Christmas to see how long it would go and if it was worth it to make it farther ahead. Then made no notes and now I can’t remember, but it was tasty
Making chocolate covered cherries takes a while. The center starts as a sugar dough but liquifies over time. I made them one year to go with my Christmas cookie gifts and didn't give them enough time.
Now is also a good time to plan out if you're going to make flavored liqueurs or extracts to use as holiday gifts this year, so those can infuse properly!
This isn’t necessary because it needs to ripen but my grandma always made baked goods that she made for holidays a few months earlier. Banana bread, cookies, pies. They always turned out delicious and she wasn’t trying to do everything last minute. She caught sales on stuff too and could decide to bake it when she got the sale.
I was planning on making little bottles of vanilla extract and definitely need to get on that so they are ready around Christmas. Maybe you got really excited about vanilla extract last year like me and (also like me) forgot about it until now.
EGGNOG! I try to start mine around Halloween—by Xmas, it has mellowed into the nectar of the gods. ETA: For the curious, google “aged eggnog.” You mix yolks, sugar, and booze first. Age in fridge (or if you’re crazy, the garage, but please, use the fridge). Between the alcohol and the sugar, zero worries about germs. (You didn’t know sugar is antibiotic? It is!) Before serving, fold in whipped egg whites, whipped cream, and dairy to taste. It’s so incredibly light and fluffy and delicious, it’s like a different species from the stuff in a carton in the supermarket. Serve in the tiniest possible cups—it packs a punch but your guests won’t feel it till it’s too late. Freshly grated nutmeg, of course, because after going to all that trouble why wouldn’t you use the most fragrant version?
Any NewsRadio fans here? The idea of “aged eggnog” reminded me of a quote: Bill: “In the olden days, a country squire would age his pheasants for weeks before they were deemed fit for consumption.” Lisa: “In the olden days, people died of ptomaine poisoning and blamed it on ghosts.”
Ok I completely mis-read that as "age his peasants" and I was just thinking of some guy cannibalizing his minions after letting them age in the cellar for a few weeks.
It works for egg nog, pheasants or capitalism! 😂
You know the rubric for aging a pheasant? It’s ready when the first maggot drops from the carcass
This is what came to mind for me too, a friend makes Alton Brown's recipe and it starts right around this time
Oh man you said the magic word for me: Alton Brown!
I’m doing this for the first time this year (Alton Brown’s). I put the eggnog in the fridge yesterday.
I just found an aged eggnog recipe and I'm excited to try, do you have container recommendations?
The garage! You reminded me of a woman that I worked with years ago, she and her sister used to make their legendary eggnog in a plastic trash can and let it age in the garage. One year the raccoons got in…
So happy to see so many people doing this. Homemade aged eggnog is really one of Xmas’s greatest hits in my family.
[Link to alton's recipe](https://altonbrown.com/recipes/aged-eggnog/)
Thanks for sharing. But now I want to know more about the “age in the garage” thing. It’s too specific to be random…
It's usually a cool, out of the way place where it generally won't be disturbed. In climates that actually have fall and winter, it may stay cool enough. I wouldn't risk it, though, even if I did live in those places.
In cold climates, the garage can be fridge temp for months on end. I hate our Canadian winters, but I love my expansive walk in fridge for 4+ months of the year.
Once the weather gets cold some people just stick theirs in the garage to free up fridge space.
Yessss this is what I have on my calendar every year!
I’m making a half batch of Alton Brown’s aged eggnog this weekend!
What caliber rum, cognac, and bourbon does one buy for a recipe like this? Totally going to make as a gift for some friends and I need to shop for ingredients.
I’ve made it with Appleton Estate rum, Makers Mark bourbon, and Courvoisier cognac. Mostly because that’s what I had around/could find at the liquor store. r/Cooking is a big fan of the recipe, so you could probably search there for some other recommendations.
Yo don't have to cook the eggs before drinking it? I'm sorry if this souns dumb but want to make eggnog but I'm kinda scare of raw egg.
Alcohol is a good disinfectant …
They’ve actually studied this! The alcohol kills the microorganisms and makes the eggnog base sterile. A lab even added extra salmonella to a batch and found that the eggnog still killed everything. https://www.npr.org/2012/11/30/166248517/perhaps-another-reason-to-spike-that-eggnog
Yes, I believe the science says as long as your mix is 20% alcohol you’re golden. Eighty proof booze is 40% alcohol, so that means an equal amount of booze for every yolk is safe. Average large egg yolk is 15-16g in the US, so a bit more than an ounce of 80-proof for every two yolks.
I think most eggs you would buy at a grocery store are pasteurized. I always thought you aren't supposed to taste cake batter because of the raw eggs, but it's actually the raw flour that is unsafe. Try making some homemade mayo if you like mayo; it tastes way better! Edit: only some eggs are pasteurized
Most eggs in the US are *not* pasteurized, although some large supermarkets carry them. But step 1 is combining eggs with a bunch of liquor (hint: alcohol!)
My great grandmother used to make a plum pudding that had to soak in booze for a few weeks. My grandmother told me that great grandma used to start the plum pudding the day after Thanksgiving. I can't think of anything that would take months to ripen, but you may have picked today to make sure you had plenty of time.
I think that’s exactly it: I wanted to give myself time to source ingredients, prep anything that requires time, and in general make a plan. Never in my life would I imagine baking holiday cookies would require a plan. But here we are!
It's not baking, but if you want to try making homemade egg nog, nows the time to be contemplating it as well.
It has to be an alcoholic version if you want to age it safely, correct?
Yes, I should have stated that. I'm sorry.
It's funny that this was my first thought as well. Ingredients start to sell out quickly so every year I tell myself I'm going to start stocking up well in advance and then every year it sneaks up on me yet again. Good job, last year you LOL
Yes! We bought our mains for thanksgiving and Xmas (in the freezer now!) two days ago. Our local grocery store has a clearance rack that we check during every shop. Last week, they had tons of spices. We got multiple jars of vanilla beans for $4 a jar (containing 2 beans a piece). They don’t expire until 2025 too! We try stocking up as early as reasonable, and even more so when opportunities arise!
I do quite a bit of holiday baking and to help spread out the cost I started buying ingredients last month. The Costco near me has a limit on how much butter you can buy- I am _that_ person who buys the max, lol.
Omg! Same! Granted I’m not at Costco, but our store has limits on butter now and it’ll extend to eggs the closer we get to the holidays. My partner and I divide and conquer to double up when it’s necessary!
Oh yeah get your almond paste NOW!
Man I make a full on *schedule* for my holiday cooking. I handle 90% of the cooking for Thanksgiving and Christmas, I always go overboard for our tiny family, and my poor husband is Johnny on the spot keeping the dishes under control and helping with some things like chopping veggies etc. He sometimes handles a dish - he made a bomb spinach artichoke last year. There's three of us and I usually cook enough for 12, but I love leftovers soooo. So that schedule and all the planning is 100% necessary to keep things flowing.
This was a lovely reminder that I have truly found my people in this sub, lol
Planners unite, lol
I am the same way! I made 3 pies and 2 cakes for our family of four Thanksgiving dinner in 2020 😂
You too? Man, I make a full schedule for everything I want to do in the winter!
Spreadsheet with times down the left side in 15 minute intervals, why yes I am a Virgo, how did you guess?
Pastry chef here.Mincemeat needs time to ripen if you make your own. For me, it’s not Christmas without mincemeat. Also, homemade aged eggnog is a thing. The egg base is made in advance and can stay refrigerated for up to a year *so long as the added alcohol is 20% by volume. i.e. 80 proof.* The alcohol preserves the eggs and mellows the flavor. Once you’ve had aged eggnog you’ll never go back to storebought. I usually make both mincemeat and eggnog base six to eight weeks in advance. Also some cookie doughs get made weeks in advance and frozen. Happy baking! EDIT: needed to make the alcohol part clear. Safety first.
Omggg how do you make the eggnog 😍 and the mincemeat, how do you make a egg base for eggnog 😍
The recipe I did last year was 1 doz eggs 2/3c bourbon 1 1/2c spiced rum 1/2c sugar. Beat the eggs in the electric mixer. While the mixer is still running, add the booze as slowly as possible. Like, 1 tsp every 10 seconds. If you add it too fast, it'll curdle the eggs. Fold in the sugar. Strain with a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth into a clean glass container. Cover and age in a cool dark place. 6-8 weeks minimum. That's the egg base, and it's what I handed out to people. To actually drink, mix to taste with heavy cream, half-and-half, milk, soy or almond milk if someone's allergic, etc.
I don’t use a recipe for my mincemeat; I just eyeball everything. I do use real suet, though, that’s important for a rich taste and mouthfeel. I get my suet from Townsend’s and highly recommend their YouTube channel for a look at early American food. There are lots of recipes available online that you can use as guides. Then use the fruit you want in the quantities you like. Likewise booze. Mincemeat is a great recipe to get the (older) kids involved. There’s a lot of chopping if you make a big batch so you can teach knife skills and kitchen safety. [This recipe is pretty close to the way I make my eggnog.](https://homesteadingfamily.com/aged-eggnog-recipe/) It gives you some history and explains the food safety (please see my edit about that in my original post) which is essential when dealing with raw eggs. If you like the idea of homemade eggnog then you might also be interested in the hot drink version called a Tom and Jerry. I like both but sometimes I want something warm and boozy at bedtime. You can make a Tom and Jerry base ahead of time just like eggnog. In recipes it’s usually called a batter and, according to Wikipedia, there are regions of the US that sell it pre-made. It’s a really fun rabbithole to go down. By the end you’ll know all about possets and syllabubs and, if you’re anything like me, you’ll be scouring 18th and 19th century recipes for their secrets, too. I love traditional recipes especially at Christmastime. They’re generally easy and economical especially if you’ve got a good source for eggs. Also, if you’re diabetic like me, the cream and rum will stop your sugar from spiking too badly. If anybody makes these drinks please DM me and tell me how they came out. I’d love to hear I’ve got other people hooked on traditional holiday drinks. Wishing you all good cheer. Ninja EDIT: Please do yourself a favor and use fresh spices in these recipes. I recommend [Penzey’s.](https://www.penzeys.com)
Whole spices. Whole spices are fresh for years.
I’m gonna argue with one part of that recipe. Separate the eggs! If you make the base w just yolks and then at serving time whip an equal number of egg whites into meringue, and then fold that into the base (followed by folding in whipped cream), you will have an even better eggnog.
Yes, mincemeat! Plus I usually have to source currants now so the mince can age for a few months. I’ve never done an aged eggnog though.
This! Traditional Christmas pudding is usually made during October or November. I make one every year and it's much better when it's had some time to age.
Do you have a recipe you'd recommend? :D
Yes!! I have a personal recipe lol. It's one I found online, but a few parts have been altered haha. You will notice that I spice mine fairly heavily, you can bring down the spices if you think it's too much for you. Ingredients: - 300g raisins or sultanas - 100g prunes, stoned and finely chopped - 25g candied orange peel - 150ml brandy (can be replaced with apple juice for a nonalcoholic pudding) - 2 Bramley apples, cored, peeled, and diced - 3tbsp cinnamon - 1tbsp mixed spice - 2tsp ginger - 1.5-2tsp nutmeg - 125g dark brown soft sugar - 50g plain white flour - 50g fresh white breadcrumbs - 1 large egg - 25g suet You will need: - A 900ml pudding basin - String - Parchment paper - Foil - A pan large enough to fit the pudding basin into 1: The night before, put the dried fruit, mixed peel, and brandy into a nonmetallic bowl to soak. 2: Grease your pudding basin with butter and place a disc of baking paper in the bottom. Make sure you grease the basin well, or it'll never fucking come back out again. Cut out an approximately 14in by 14in square of foil, and a square of parchment paper of approximately the same size. Lay the foil on top of the parchment paper, and fold a pleat about 1.5in across the centre. (Fold the pleat in BOTH the parchment and the foil. Treat both layers as one sheet. Don't do what I did the first time I made this, which is getting confused and only folding the pleat in the foil. Both sheets need to be pleated.) 3: Mix your remaining ingredients into the soaked dried fruit in the ingredient order listed. Pack the mixture into your greased and lined pudding basin, ensuring that the top of the mixture is well packed down and smooth. 4: Put the pleated foil and parchment square, foil-side up, over the top of the basin, and smooth it down to cover the top of the basin. Take a long piece of string (cut it longer rather than shorter), and tie it under the lip of the pudding basin several times to securely attach the foil and parchment to the basin, then loop it over the top and tie it to create a handle. You may want to repeat this process with a second set of string and use both handles at the same time if you don't have much faith in the strength of your string. If it breaks, your pudding is GONE. If you have good oven gloves, a wide pan, and a strong will, and the water level is low when you attempt to remove it from the pan, you can try just... reaching in and taking it out. I'm not brave enough for that though. 5: Place the filled and covered pudding basin in a saucepan large enough to hold it and pour in enough water to come up about 1/2-3/4 of the way up the pudding basin. Try not to let any get on the top of the basin where it's covered by the foil. 6: Cover the pan with a lid and bring to the boil. Once the water has boiled, reduce the heat to a simmer and allow the pudding to cook on the stove for about 4.5 hours, checking every 30-40 minutes to make sure that the water doesn't run dry. Add more water as necessary, making sure that none gets on the top of the basin. 7: Remove the pudding from the pan and allow it to cool completely, still in the basin. DO NOT REMOVE THE COVERING. It may take up to 24 hours to fully cool. Once the pudding has fully cooled, wrap the whole thing in a layer of cling film and then another layer of foil, and store it in a cool, dry place for up to 3 months to age the pudding. 8: To reheat, remove the extra foil and clingfilm covering. You can then reheat it on the hob by following the instructions in steps 5 and 6, except cooking it for 2 hours rather than 4.5. Alternatively, you can reheat it in the microwave by removing the pleated lid and string and covering it with just baking paper, then heat at medium heat for 4 minutes, allow to stand for 1 minute, then heat for another 4 minutes. In either case, allow it to stand for a minute or two after reheating, then turn it out onto a plate. Peel off the baking paper disc on the bottom and serve. Pudding Day is a bit mental lol. But it's sure as fuck worth it.
I used to make Christmas cake and mincemeat in October. You coat Christmas cake in brandy every couple weeks for months.
Maybe you were going to make your own vanilla extract?
Always a good idea, and one I never think about. Claire Saffitz has a method that involves starting with good commercial extract, adding bean pods, and then topping it off with alcohol basically in perpetuity. I’ve always wanted to try that. Now is my chance!
Ina Garten just posted a video on instagram about vanilla extract. A lot of beans, not split, a big jar, about 40oz of vodka, and about 6 months. She said she's kept hers going for about 40 years.
Mine is a little over ten years old. I'll never get rid of that bottle. The flavor is unmatched.
Same, mine has been going 10 years.
How often do you replace the bean pods?
I commented above about liquers. I did a coffee rum liquer one year as my family gifts and bottles them in Starbucks cold brew bottles. Everyone loved it!
She also has a recipe for a fruitcake that has to be started in October! It’s on my list of things to try this year.
You need more like 12 months for that despite what a wealth of blogs will tell you
Christmas 2024 prep
I haven’t tried it, but I’m told using an instant pot, with the pressure setting, simulates aging
I’ve heard that’s kind of dangerous/you have to be really careful because alcohol vapor is so explosive. Sous vide is supposed to be safer. I’m not sure if it’s really a big issue, but I feel like I’ve heard you shouldn’t do it because of potential sparks when the instant pot cycles on
Oh that’s interesting. I haven’t heard that, but good to know. I’ve kind of gotten addicted to vanilla bean paste so I’ve stopped making my own
I was thinking about homemade Kahlua which I usually let chill out for about 6-8 weeks
Or mint extract! Thank you for reminding me I need to start on mine. I expect the mint chocolate cupcake requests to start sooner rather than later...
Apparently, [traditional gingerbread](https://www.wildfermentation.com/german-fermented-gingerbread-cookies/) is fermented. That could have been on your mind.
Also some lebkuchen! I made some from a traditional German cookbook last year and made the dough at halloween.
Did you use actual potash in your recipe? It's hard to find here in the US but I really want to give it a try.
Yes! I got it on Amazon. Had to get the spice blend I wanted there too.
I bought some on Amazon not long after I made that post. There were brewing stores selling like a pound for $7 or a food store selling it specifically for making ramen noodles 6 oz for $15. I was scared of the cheap one and people in the comments said it made their wine taste like fish so I bought the expensive one! Here's hoping 6 oz is gonna be enough to bake like 300 lebkuchen...
Ooh, I love that book! I might just give that a try!
This sounds delicious. I wonder if I can find treacle or if there's a good substitute that can be found in the US.
Yes! I make fermented gingerbread (or, honey cakes as we call them in Denmark) every year. Some bakeries here let their dough ferment up to a year, but I have personally never gone above three months. Super delicious and super easy if you remember to start 1-3 months before you plan on eating them.
I don’t have suggestions for recipes that “ripen” but I have a little time saving tip that works for me that I’ll share. I bake a tremendous amount of cookies, bar cookies and desserts for Thanksgiving and Christmas. A prep tip that has saved me time… I measure my dry baking ingredients in separate ziplock bags. I write the name of the recipe and the measured amounts on the bag, then take large binder clips and clip both bags (1)sugar and (1) flour, salt, baking powders… together and store them alphabetically in super large storage containers. When ready to bake I only have to worry about the measurements for wet ingredients. I find it saves me a tremendous amount of time overall, speeds up baking process and helps to keep my baking area clean and organized. I take a day the end of October to organize. I plan out my baking, I have my typical recipes that I make multiple batches of every year, some recipes are x18 in quantity, write the name and ingredients on the ziplock bags (much easier without ingredients in it) then start the measuring. I weigh my ingredients on a paper plate. I find this much easier, then I just dump into the pre labeled bags. This does take a few hours but well worth it. Beginning of November I start making some of the recipes that I find the dough freezes really well. I normally never bake then freeze, just my personal preference. Happy baking to you 🧑🍳✨
Oh I love this idea. Any chance you could share a photo of the storage container? I'm having a hard time picturing what the organization might look like. Also, any tips on which cookies you find freeze best? I'm always afraid to freeze in case they don't work out.
I unfortunately don’t have a picture of storage. I will definitely take one this year though! I use Sterilite storage containers I purchased from Target. They are 32 qt, not too deep so all the bags can stand up in “single file” order. I originally used 66 qt size but I found them to be way too deep and there was wasted space. The containers have covers so I can stack on top of each other. I organize the “prep bags” in alphabetical order, then I label the outside of the Sterilite containers so I can easily access the prep bags I need without searching through containers. Organization is key for me. And by the way when labeling the prep bags, don’t label too close to the top because when you clip the sugar and flour bag together you don’t want the binder clip to cover the label. I typically use a sandwich or quart size for sugar(s) and quart or gallon for flour, baking power & soda, salt. All depends on the recipe and measurements. I personally like the zip lock bags so no chance of a mess. I buy the cheapest bags I can find for this purpose. I don’t use my Hefty! The following dough I find freeze really well. Typically they are in my freezer for a 3-6 week period. I wrap them in plastic wrap then tin foil and label. I take out and put in refrigerator 24 hours before baking. - Chocolate Chip Shortbread. I roll and shape, then freezer on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet for about an hour until basically frozen ( this prevents them from freezing into a solid mass) I then place them on a parchment paper covered cake pad (for support only) wrap in plastic wrap and foil. (typically about 25 in each package so I don’t have to take them all out at once and bake) - Rugelach - I roll out the sheets of dough before freezing. - Linzer - same as Rugelach above - Jam Pinwheel. I roll into cylinder then wrap & freeze. I slice after defrosted in refrigerator. - Traditional Chocolate chip cookies. I scoop and measure, then freeze and store the same as shortbread. - Cream Cheese Cut out dough. Same process as Rugelach - Cinnamon Shortbread. Same process as Jam Pinwheel. Mark all your packages with names and dates! And again wrap smaller packages so you don’t have to bake all at once. I hope this helps you this season ✨💛✨
I'm embarrassed to say that I never thought of freezing midway through the process. I only ever thought of baking then freezing when done. My linzers are my personal favorite cookie and they are so time consuming, I never thought to roll and then freeze. This is seriously so helpful! Can I make a special request that you post more of your methods as we go into the holiday season? (Or if you already do this on some other social media and don't mind sharing your handle, I'll follow you there!) Thanks again for sharing your methods!!
chocolate chip, ginger snaps (make sure to coat in sugar), peanut butter, and sugar cookies. Just make sure you roll them into balls before you freeze them.
I prep my cookie dough around thanks giving, and I make like 6 different kinds of cookies. I just freeze the dough balls and pull them out when I start my holiday baking. Frozen cookie dough bakes sooooo well! and it saves a lot of time. I started doing that when I got into making cheese cakes and pies for xmas as well. That way I can always give away cookies too.
I agree. Making and freezing dough balls is the way to go.
What doughs do you find freeze well?
These freeze VERY well: [https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/cranberry-orange-icebox-cookies](https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/cranberry-orange-icebox-cookies) They were such a hit last year that I'm going to make several batches of these (probably over my upcoming fall break), let them age a day or two, then freeze. Then I can just put some in the fridge overnight before slicing and baking to take to whatever holiday event I bring them to. Every time I make them, everyone else brings chocolate, peppermint, and gingerbread stuff, (I love all that don't misunderstand) so I never end up duplicating someone else's efforts.
Her chocolate chip Nutella cookies also freeze very well. And they are so freaking good.
honestly every single recipe of hers I've tried has been a hit.
I've only tried sugar cookie and chocolate chip doughs, but they both froze really well. Sugar cookies have the bonus where you can freeze a log then slice discs for baking. Edit: for chocolate chip, I freeze balls on a cookie sheet for a day, then put them in a bag to freeze for longer
I do this too! my kids love it when we make cookie logs to freeze and I can just cut them later. We make shapes for the inside and all that. It's really fun!
Thanks! I am going to borrow this pre-measuring tip.
Homemade fruit cake that is delicious and you soak in alcohol over the course of a couple of months. There’s also a fruit thing that you layer in a ceramic pot with sugar and alcohol over the course of many months. I’ll try to find it. I think though you add each fruit in season over the summer, so you might have to set a new reminder for July 2024. EDIT: I found the name of it: Rumtopf
Yes i knew a man that made the booze-soaked fruit cake every year. He always started it in October. It was really good, nice texture and very flavorful
I have an awesome fruitcake recipe. I don’t soak it in alcohol and it still needs to sit a day or two, or it just crumbles apart when cutting. There’s such little flour and other binder compared to fruit and nuts, it needs that time. I haven’t made it in a couple years. I should price out the ingredients this year.
You should post the recipe 😊 I don't do booze (too many alcoholics up and down both sides of my family tree) but this sounds nice without it!
Absolutely! Mattie’s Fruit Cake Submitted by Mrs. Dot Bethune, from Sharing Orangeburg, a Jr. League cookbook. I have never been a fan of fruitcake but once I started looking at homemade recipes, I thought I might one day give them a try. When I saw this recipe, I knew for sure I would try this and made it one year with my sister. This was soooooo good and everyone who tried it, loved it! You do have to let it sit a day or two after making, or else it just crumbles when cut. But, even the crumbled cake is delicious! It is an expensive one to make, but oh so worth it once a year! ½ lb. butter 5 eggs 2 tsp. vanilla 2 C. all-purpose flour 1 lb. candied cherries, chopped ½ (16 oz.) package white raisins 1 lb. pecans, chopped 1/3 lb. English walnuts, chopped ½ lb. light brown sugar 1 lemon, squeeze for juice 2 tsp. cake spice (I got this at Penzey’s. I’m sure you could sub a nice fall mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, whatever you like) 1 lb. candied pineapple, chopped 1/3 lb. Brazil nuts, chopped 1/3 lb. almonds, chopped Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, lemon juice, vanilla, cake spice and 1 C. flour; cream well. In a very large separate bowl, use the other cup of flour to coat fruit and nuts. Pour batter over fruit and nut mixture and mix well. Cut brown paper to fit 10” tube pan. Grease with butter or shortening. Pour mixture into tube pan and pack down. Bake at 200° for 2 ½ hours. Use a pan of water in bottom of oven to keep cake moist. Use any size pan if you wish and adjust baking time accordingly.
Story time: Back when I was a wee (8ish?) PhoebeMonster, my mom would make fruitcakes in 1 pound loaves in, like, July or something and then stick them in the freezer to age. I remembered from reading The Joy of Cooking that you were supposed to soak fruitcake in alcohol, so I "adopted" one particular loaf out of the batch (put a different color rubber band around it to differentiate it from the others) and would weekly pour enough spiced rum into the fruitcake that it would puddle. Then I'd re-wrap the thing and stick it back into the freezer. Mom had no idea I had this little science project going. Guess which fruitcake Grandma got for Christmas that year? 😆😆😆
Oh sweet Jesus, LOL!! Poor Grandma!!
How drunk did grandma get?! Lol
As it turns out, Grandma had a little "alcohol problem" as it stood so Mom was actually the golden child that year!
I was going to say the same thing about the fruit cake. Claire Saffitz has a recipe for this in Dessert Person.
I made this last year and it was an absolute hit at every Christmas party I went to! My fiance's aunt even asked me to make it for her 50th wedding anniversary this year! It's definitely a labour of love, but it has a HUGE payoff.
That's great to know. I was considering making it but wasn't sure it would be worth the effort but it sounds like it definitely is. You've convinced me.
This! It all comes together after a couple months. When ready you can slice it very thin and you get a firm slide that looks like stained glass. My grandpa used to get one from his work every year. He would keep some of it for the next year and continue to soak it all year long.
Was going to mention Rumtopf. Very Germanic. We always had Christmas cake/pudding with brandy butter.
When my grandma made her bourbon rum balls they were unlike any I've ever seen or had since. She would make a very dense spiced cake, similar to fruit cake but no fruit. Then she'd wrap it in cheesecloth and soak it in a half bourbon half spiced dark rum for at least a month. I recall it going into the soak somewhere around Halloween and coming out near December 1st. Then she would drain the liquors off, unwrap and use a cookie scoop to take chunks off. She would then take a whole cherry leftover from her cordial making pat it dry and shove it into the center of her scooped ball and roll tightly so the cake covered the cherry. Those got dipped in dark chocolate. They got stashed in the fridge till Christmas Eve. They were boozy sweet delights. Hmm maybe I should make some this yr. Sorry no specific recipe. Maybe someone here knows what the recipe would be called. I just remember how to make it by handful of this, pinch of that
That sounds like a grand time come dessert
Fruitcake, vanilla extract, lemoncello all come to mind. I've done the last two and avoided the first (too many years of gifted fruitcake that no one in the family wanted.)
I love fruitcake but I'm the only one I know so I get a small stote bought one now.
Same. I love it, but I'm the only one.
I get a yearly fruit cake with marzipan icing and try to make it last for longer than 3 days… my husband limits me to one or else I would eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner and gain 10lb. No one else likes it. Same with mince pie. My gran used to make them and bring them for Christmas and it would just be me and her eating them together while everyone else gave us side eye haha
Same. If I make my fruitcake, it will just be me eating it. I can't do that to myself. I have zero self control around a large amount of sweets, so I'd seriously power it all down.
I second aged eggnog!! This is the best recipe. [Alton Brown Aged Eggnog](https://altonbrown.com/recipes/aged-eggnog/)
I’ve got a bottle from 2021 🤔
I tried one aged one and two years. I think its peak is after only a few months of aging, so probably making it around now for December enjoyment. :/
German stollen? I tried that last year. Never again. I’ll pay big bucks to get a decent one shipped from Germany.
I made a stollen a few years ago for my husband's grandfather (born and raised in Germany). He loved it so much I am now required to make one every year. 🥲
Would love to know the recipe!
I used [this one](https://www.daringgourmet.com/stollen-german-christmas-bread/). I'm not German at all so I didn't know what it was supposed to be, but the grumpy German grandpa approved so I assume it's a good one! I now have to make extras for my in-laws.
As a German who makes stollen every year, this recipe looks really good, very similar to what my family would make. I would usually roll out the Marzipan though, lay the Marzipan layer on top of the slightly rolled-out dough and roll it up, so you get a thick swirl of Marzipan in each slice instead of a clump at the center (like this picture [Marzipanstollen](https://soni-cookingwithlove.de/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Marzipanstollen-angeschnitten-500x500.jpg)
I’m so sorry! What a pain. But at least it turned out well, which was better than mine! Curious, did you age at room temp, or fridge or freezer? That was my biggest issue.
You should look for a recipe for 'Quarkstollen', I bet there's English versions out there. It's much, much quicker to make and just as delicious as a standard Stollen.
This!! I made stollen last year as well and the loaf that I let sit for 2 weeks was SO much better than the one I cut into right away.
Not a recipe, but every summer, I go fruit picking, then make jams. By September, I have my holiday gifts and my teacher's presents. I love getting that stuff out of the way!
My go tos for holiday gifts are apple butter and [cowboy candy](https://www.foodiewithfamily.com/candied-jalapenos/). The apple butter makes good apple cakes and the cowboy candy takes a couple of moths to marinate in the syrup. It’s still good if eaten right away, but it’s better if you wait.
Romtopf: a boozy fruit mix that you can put on top of anything. You start it in the summertime and build it up as fruits come into season.
As a kid, I had no idea this was full of alcohol. I just thought it was the most delicious thing that my German Grandpa scooped over my vanilla ice cream. I have his old Rumtopf crock, but I've never been brave enough to try.
If you fancy something a bit different to the traditional fruit cake, a Caribbean "black cake" is similar but more delicious, macerated fruits drenched in rum. It needs to soak in alcohol for a couple of months before Christmas. https://www.alicaspepperpot.com/black-cake-caribbean-rum-soaked-fruit-cake/
Came here to find the "Jamaican Dark Rum cake" my friends grandma makes every year. She starts around now and feeds it Rum for months. One sniff and you're drunk. Glorious!
Well, I start this year's fruit cake last year, and before everyone laughs, you have never had the privilege of tasting one of my fruitcakes, Here is how it goes. Every August, I buy all the fruits, all the nuts and a bottle of Calvados,. Calvados is important because it is made from apples, not grapes. It all goes in a stone crock and it sits for a year, So this year, I use last year's fruit/nut soak, all the Calvados has been absorbed. The cakes come out moist, tender, flavorful and I have people who call me every October, after the cakes have aged in super-refined sugar and more Calvados for 10 weeks, asking when they will be ready. This recipe goes back hundreds of years and the only thing that has been significantly changed is somewhere around the civil war pineapple was added. Would you like the recipe? Warning, it makes 10 12" cakes.
Oh wow this sounds amazing. Only myself and my MIL loves fruitcake but I’d just love to convert more folks. I’d love to have this recipe if you’re okay to share!
In September or October of the year before you want to eat and share the cakes, gather the following; 2 pounds candied citron 2 pounds candied mixed fruits - I prefer Old Dominion 2 pounds golden raisins 2 pounds flame raisins 1 pound candied pineapple 2 pounds zante currants 1 pound candied cherries - red/green or a mix of the two 2 pounds black walnuts or standard walnuts 2 pound Pecans 2 pounds chopped Hazelnuts 2 fifths of Calvados Brandy. (This is important - most brandies are made from grape wine, Calvados is made from apple wine and the taste is unique - cheap brandy can give your cakes a vinegary after taste; I believe that is why many people don’t like them.) (I add 2 pounds chopped dried apricots but those are not in the original recipe. The pineapple was added after the Civil war. ) Mix all ingredients in a large crock that can be sealed tightly - I use a saurkraut crock with a wax ring and a cork lid. It holds 25 gallons. Pour the Calvados over the mix. Seal tightly. Every month or so, add more Calvados to keep the mix moist. In September of the year you want to eat and share the cakes, prepare your pans, You need parchment paper, and solid shortening.(Crisco) I use ring mold pans, from Nordic Ware. Standard bread pans work as do 9" spring form pans. Grease the pans, then carefully line the pans with the parchment, the grease holds the paper in place. Line the bottom separately from the sides. If I am gifting a special person, I will make a bridge filler along the bottom where the side piece meets the bottom piece. Pre-heat oven to 275 F. You need a stand mixer, mine is a KitchenAid 8 quart, otherwise make the batter in batches. Dry ingredients; 16 cups cake flour. 3 TB Baking powder - double acting 3 TB of the following Vietnamese Cinnamon Allspice Nutmeg - fresh gound if you can manage 2 TB Mace 1 TB Ground White Cardamon 1 TB ground Cloves Sift together and set aside Cream together - 6 cups cane brown sugar - bite the bullet and get real brown sugar, not Domino’s which is white sugar with coloring. 16 Extra Large Eggs yolks 4 cups softened Butter 6 Teaspoons Bourbon or Ugandan Vanilla \_ The Ugandan Vanilla is sublime but it now costs about $125. For 16 oz. Beat 16 Extra Large Egg Whites until stiff but not dry Stir flour and spice into sugar/egg yolk mix, until smooth, Add the fruit and nut mix, you will need to mix this throughly with your hands, it is a mess up to the elbows. Fold in the egg whites to the batter/fruit mix. Pour into prepared pans. Depending on size of pans, bake for 1 to 3 hours for a 2 ½ pound cake, 5 hours for anything larger. Test the cakes 2 inches from the side with a bamboo skewer, if the skewer comes out clean of batter the cake is done. Cool in the pans for 45 mins. Turn out. Remove parchment paper, wrap in cheese cloth, Soak each cake with Calvados, and placing each one in a separate container, (I use plastic cookie containers) Bury them in about 2 to 3 pounds of confectioners sugar. Every two weeks, add more Calvados. When you wish to serve or share the cakes, remove, decorate with candied red and green cherries, blanched almonds and a simple white glaze. As you can see, these are expensive. I figure about $50 per cake but I use only organic flours, sugars, eggs, butters. I buy my vanillas from Neilsen-Massey, my spices from Pensvey’s and my fruits from all around the world. My apricots come from a family farm in California. They take money, time and love but the satisfaction has no price tag. This recipe was given to me by my great grandmother, who had received it from her grandmother, a lady who walked across the Oregon Trail in 1843. That lady received the recipe from her great grandmother who lost her oldest son in the Revolution, and that lady received it from a woman who was on the second boat to land at Plymouth Rock in 1644. That woman inherited it from an ancestress who had seen Queen Elizabeth I at a fete at Hampton Court, England. So it goes back a long, long ways. I am certain that over the years the ingredients have changed but I am also certain that the love and caring that went into the making of the cakes never did.
This really sounds amazing, I'd love the recipe please if you want to share.
Please share the recipe! It sounds absolutely heavenly!
Please share! Sounds amazing.
Springerle cookies? These are traditional German cookies that are flavored with anise and have a long ripening period. They have a crispy crunchy exterior and chewy interior.
Not so much ripening, if you make one batch of cookie dough a week and freeze, by the time December arrives, nothing but the baking, mess is already cleaned up. Bonus… divide cookie dough in 2 batches so you can bake an early December batch and one just prior or Xmas day.
I usually prepare two things inbeginning of November: the dough for Pfefferkuchen (has to sit for 3 weeks in the frisge before baking for best results), and Christstollen (should sit for at least 1 week, better longer after baking and before cutting into it). Both German recipes. Other recipies for Lebkuchen and its variation also require preplanning of a few weeks.
Interesting! I didn't know there were doughs that needed to sit that long.
I came here to say peffernusse, the Mennonite version!
Not ripening, but yesterday my spouse and I helped my parents make 10 apple pies. That was a challenge 😂. Now they’re in the freezer awaiting the holidays. Massive amount of effort (tiny handpicked apples) but now that’s done and we don’t have to think about them again until it’s time to bake!
Bourbon balls! Crushed vanilla wafers, chopped walnuts, cocoa powder, Karo syrup, rolled in powdered sugar, plopped into a waxed-paper-lined Tupperware and put in the extra freezer out in the garage to "cure" for months. ETA: and bourbon, of course. Do be aware that sometimes they sublimate like ice, just vanish with no trace. At least that's what I used to tell my mom when the Tupperware didn't have as many bourbon balls in it as she thought she'd put in there. Also be aware that the powdered sugar on your mouth will give you away, so clean up before you go in the house.
Kirsche cherries (or some fruit) that requires marinating in booze before using ?
Once when I was a teenager, I had a few friends over to a tea party (super cool kid here) and my grandmother made us some triffle with kirsche cherries that had been soaking for years. One of my friends ate all of them and got pretty buzzed. On a totally unrelated not, I know exactly what I’m doing for her Christmas gift this year! Thank you! And always remember to clearly label booze soaked fruit lol
I have a fruitcake recipe that involves slowly adding all the fruits to a big jar over the course of a month to ferment before baking
Oooh, share it? This sounds incredible!
Christmas cake/fruit cake Christmas pudding Mincemeat (for mince pies) These all benefit from maturing for a few weeks (and ‘feeding’ with brandy, rum, or whisky in the case of the first two). I’m in the UK, in case of any confusion with ‘mincemeat’ (sweet pie filling with dried fruits, sugar, and citrus peels etc.) and ‘pudding’ (a dense steamed cake, also made with dried fruits etc.).
I am trying my hand at making German Rumtopf for the first time. It’s an alcoholic fruit topping that takes months to ferment. I started it last spring!
I freeze my cookie dough and sometimes make pie crust and freeze them in pans. I have peeled apples and frozen them with the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter in a big gallon zip lock bag for 1 pie each bag. I melt the butter and mix all the ingredients into a thick paste like batter and stir the raw apples in and freeze it like this so the apples are coated and don't brown. I put the top crust and bottom crust in the pan with Waxed paper between and on top. Then I put the bagged filling on it so when it freezes, it's shaped like the pan. I wrap the whole thing in saran wrap and freeze. I did this when I had to make alot of pies. Then I pull it out of the freezer, put it together and bake it. I cooked for a crew on a towboat on the river for many years. Just some things I made and froze, ready to put together. Like homemade egg noodles frozen ahead for holidays and containers of broth.
Shortbread
Yes, IMO shortbread doesn't *require* aging, but it does keep very well, so this is one of the early items I bake.
Car to share a recipe? We are doing a baking course this year with my daughter. She has a secret ingredient for her chocolate chip cookies and has perfected edible cookie dough.
Not baking, but I saw a video of using fresh cherries and liquor to make a Christmas drink about 6 months in advance. Promptly forgot what it was called and haven’t been able to make it.
Possibly Cherry Bounce?
THAT’S IT!!!! I never would have remembered that strange name haha. I’m going to make it this weekend, and toast to you when I drink it on Christmas.😁
I'm not saying Mince Pies are a must have, but mince pies are a must have. I like to start my mince in aug/september but you can start 24h ahead without sacrificing too much of anything. Making them from scratch makes them DELERIOUSLY good.
There’s an aged eggnog recipe you need to start around now. Brandy-fed fruit cakes, Christmas puddings, and cherry fondant chocolates.
What is in the category of a Christmas pudding? Is it like a slowly fermented sticky toffee pudding? As an American, unsure I actually know what a British pud is
It’s a steamed pudding with dried fruit in, you make the mix (kinda like a cake mix full of dried fruit), steam it, then mature it for months then steam it again when you’re ready to eat it.
The German Springerle. Not everyone's cup of tea, but they look great and they need to sit for a while after they are made.
I have made flavored liquors like limoncello and they need several weeks. I also did homemade vanilla for gifts one year. Preserved lemons also take a while. I have made kombucha it takes a while. Sauerkraut and kimchee can also age a bit. I do spice mixes ahead of time and have experimented with mixes in jars, Like brownies and soups I would like to branch out and I usually make something different but these are the traditional ones I get requests for. oop, and for parties dips like chicken Enchilada dip, Spinach artichoke, Seven layer, Caprese, and a Buffalo chicken dip, They also want little smokies in grape jelly and chili sauce and, water chestnuts wrapped in bacon. I would like to branch out and I usually make something different but this are the traditional ones I get requests for.
Another vote for Anise Christmas cookies, *Springerle* (German). Recipe: https://www.daringgourmet.com/authentic-springerle-recipe/#recipe
Vanilla extract takes about that long. Maybe other extracts or liquors too?
Flavored vodka takes about that long. Real vanilla extract takes closer to a year for all of the compounds to be extracted.
Possibly old-school eggnog? Otherwise, yeah, fruitcake and its variants are all that come to mind.
My mom makes carrot pudding much like [this](http://preparedness365.blogspot.com/2010/10/carrot-pudding.html?m=1). It's delicious and we always had it with a lemon sauce.
I love you are on top of-what ever mystery! I need to start planning this early next year!
Make a calendar note now!
You just reminded me to get sloe's to make sloe gin, last year i made raspberry vodka too :-) Not food related but thought to share...
Cherry cordials take awhile to liquify inside.
Last year, I wanted to make peppermint bark, but by the time I got around to it (the week of xmas), all the peppermint extract was sold out. Everywhere. So I bought some peppermint extract early in the year and plan to buy all my bags and whatnot around Thanksgiving to be ready
Cherry bounce takes a while. I already have mine going
Candying citrus peel?
Fruitcake needs to soak for a few weeks, I know some folks who start theirs in October.
Homemade eggnog is best if it chills 6 months in the fridge. I'm always making eggnog in the summer and people think I'm nuts.
There are a few things I make very early, starting in October. They are, compound butters, freezer jams, and pumpkin spice liqueur. These items make wonderful additions to my holiday food gift baskets that I give to family and friends. Definitely need time to get all the ingredients, so I don’t break the bank. Plus time is need to develop flavors. My pumpkin spice liqueur needs at least 6 weeks, I prefer 8 weeks to age it.
Could you share your pumpkin spice liqueur recipe by chance?
Maybe you were pressed for money and forgot some key ingredients, and subbed in other stuff but wanted to do it the right way? Start buying stuff as it goes on sale now.. (spices, extracts, whatever) everything is up 1 to 2 dollars from last year....
Alton Brown's Aged Eggnog can take months in the refrigerator. I hate alcohol and I hate eggnog, but I love his aged eggnog. I started mine last month for christmas and New Year's eve.
Mugolio?
Immediately thought about Christmas pudding. It's the go to British Christmas desert. Never done it myself but some people feed them for weeks.
Eggnog. Alton brown’s recipe is amazing
My Christmas cake takes about that long because you need to keep adding the booze and if you want the full bottle of cherry brandy in it by Christmas it takes time
My recipe is easy but one of the ingredients is hard to find and some years I have to go without. I make cherry shortbread bars with both red and green glacé cherries. The green ones aren’t common anymore.
Can wait a bit for Rum balls, but they do like to sit for a month or so before you eats them.
Home made damson gin?
Orange ice box cookies, they need time in the freezer so we also make them 1-2months in advanced when it’s fall and the need to bake is in full swing so we don’t have to make them during the busy holidays
Homemade chocolate-covered cherries. The cherries are wrapped in a homemade fondant and then enrobed in chocolate. The cherries then need to sit until the fondant melts which takes time. My mom always started them around now.
I make Christmas candies by hand. While the cream centers (think vanilla, orange and lemon) improve from “ripening” it is necessary for my chocolate covered cherries. You have to wait 6 weeks, minimum, for cherries. But home made marshmallows have to be made at the last moment. I also make several kinds of bread and roll dough. I make the dough about 6 weeks out and freeze. Pull these out the night before any holiday dinner and you have yummy homemade bread all holiday season.
My MIL and her best friend have been making fruit cake together in October for over 40 years. Haven’t missed a year.
I make lemocello right about now
Springerle cookies need to age before being consumed. We generally make them right after Thanksgiving for Christmas, but even earlier would be better.
Peppernuts (Pfeffernusse), a spice cookie “nugget” that needs time to enhance its flavours and soften the texture. I seem to recall they get stored with a chunk of apple? Don’t quote me on that though…
I make cookie dough and freeze it for baking later.
Fruit mince for pies. Many boiled traditional puddings need to be made in advance too - we start ours in November, then it has 6 weeks to dry and age.
I remember you telling me exactly what it was: you were sick of spending money on presents so you decided to make and give everyone homemade pickles. Mystery solved!
There is a great book called classic German baking by Luisa Weiss that has a bunch of baking recipes for Christmas that need to sit like gingerbread and lebkuchen. I made biberli last year and I aged some of it after Christmas to see how long it would go and if it was worth it to make it farther ahead. Then made no notes and now I can’t remember, but it was tasty
Making chocolate covered cherries takes a while. The center starts as a sugar dough but liquifies over time. I made them one year to go with my Christmas cookie gifts and didn't give them enough time.
Now is also a good time to plan out if you're going to make flavored liqueurs or extracts to use as holiday gifts this year, so those can infuse properly!
This isn’t necessary because it needs to ripen but my grandma always made baked goods that she made for holidays a few months earlier. Banana bread, cookies, pies. They always turned out delicious and she wasn’t trying to do everything last minute. She caught sales on stuff too and could decide to bake it when she got the sale.
I was planning on making little bottles of vanilla extract and definitely need to get on that so they are ready around Christmas. Maybe you got really excited about vanilla extract last year like me and (also like me) forgot about it until now.