My Favorite Holiday Treats Pt. 1

Happy Holidays my FRIED peeps! I want to write a little bit about my favorite holiday treats. Not all of them are classic holiday treats, but they are the things my family eats around the holidays. There are so many holiday treats I want to discuss in detail that I may have to break this into a few separate posts.

An absolute staple and truly the only holiday food item I can confidently say I have EVERY year ON Christmas is the Trader Joe’s Croissants. Both the Almond and Chocolate flavors. Trader Joe’s never seems to fail us. Could I learn how to make my own croissants for Christmas? Yes. Would it ever live up to the nostalgia and pure childhood joy a Trader Joe’s croissant brings me? No. As you can tell, I am very passionate about these croissants. They are flaky and fluffy and easy. You simply set them out to rise the night before then pop them in the oven the morning of Christmas. Open your gifts, have a coffee or hot cocoa by the fire and then they’re ready. It’s seriously the perfect start to a holiday morning.

Christmas cookies are a classic. Hot take… they’re not that good. The icing is too sweet and tastes too much like powdered sugar. Icing is a tricky thing for me, it is easily too sweet. It’s often paired with something else sweet. I think they are a fun bonding exercise for many American families. I love the creativity when it comes to the shape of the cookie and styles of decorating. From a taste standpoint, I don’t understand the fascination. However, I don’t think most people crave Christmas cookies. They crave the bonding event of making and decorating Christmas cookies. I have fond memories of making cookies with my mother in our kitchen. I would fight with my little sister about who gets to use which cookie cutter and how many we get to make. Christmas cookies are for bonding, let santa do the eating. But also… don’t waste food. If you don’t want them, bake them for a local homeless shelter. Many shelters have a Christmas event where you can bring food and blankets to give to anyone who needs them. Give them out to friends and family who do like Christmas cookies. It’s a bonding exercise for you and your peers as well as a cleansing exercise for your soul.