Last year, I got hooked to the German tradition of baking a variety of different Christmas cookies, or Plätzchen. I tried out 17 different German and non-German recipes, and it was a great experience. After that experience there just isn’t a way back to the Finnish only-one-type-of-gingerbread-cookies tradition.So this year, there will be a variety of Plätzchen as well.
But in a slightly different way: this year, it will be a sort of reverse advent calendar!
Let me explain.
When I was a kid, I used to get an advent calendar every year. Some of my friends got a candy calendar, but mine only had pictures. I was so jealous!
This year, it was my kids turn to ask for an advent calendar with candy - or even worse, with Legos/Playmobils/some other plastic stuff in them. I will stick to the picture calendar, but at the same time, I’m going to offer a different kind of advent experience to the whole family and to myself. I’m going to bake cookies or cakes every day in December until Christmas, as if it were an advent calendar. I will bake only small or at least moderate amounts, and will store a certain amount of each, so that on Christmas Day we’ll have 24 different Christmas cookies, sweets, or cakes. A Christmas present for myself, how cool is that?
At the same time, during these 24 days there will be some leftovers to taste, (almost) every day! And hopefully a consolation for the kids ;)
I have a challenge for YOU: Join me in making your own advent calendar in reverse, with your own favourite recipes – or with the ones you always wanted to try but didn’t find the time yet. It doesn’t have to be every day, either: even if you make one contribution every three days, you’ll have 8 sorts by Christmas. Not bad, huh?
The picture in this post is one of my attempts to make a perfect Panettone, during last year's Christmas bake-off. My biggest challenge this year will be to finally manage to bake a perfect one! Stay tuned!
Count me in, I have to try this (thank you for allowing lazy bakers like me to not have to bake every single day!). And about the panettone, good for you that you bake your own. They make it just to easy for us here in Italy to simply go out and buy them.
ReplyDeleteGreat, glad to hear!! Panettone has been my favourite Christmas cake almost 20 years, but until last year or so, I didn't even think it would be possible to bake it at home. But you're right, in Italy it wouldn't make much sense to go through the trouble :D
ReplyDelete[…] of time and wanting to get more bang out of my baking, I was really happy to come across the post Christmas Cookie Calendar in Reverse. Kaisa (the author) suggests a new take on the Advent calendar. Starting from December 1st, bake […]
ReplyDelete[…] cookie project is done! I may have taken a lazy approach to Kaisa’s cookie calendar but I’m quite proud of myself to have followed through to the very end. It gave me a good […]
ReplyDelete