What is your holiday tradition?

I was recently at a Christmas party over the weekend and the discussion came up about holiday traditions... and it got me thinking – I'd love to know your favorite holiday traditions! Is there something special you do on Christmas day? What does your family bake/cook?
I thought it would be fun to spotlight some of your traditions this year and spread some holiday cheer! If you have a photo that you’d like to share with all of us, attach a link in your comment below and I will feature a few in an upcoming blog post!
In my family, it's become a tradition that my siblings and I take turns every year requesting a special holiday treat that my mom will make from scratch. Nothing like home-made baking at this time of year! My favorite holiday cookie is Gevulde Koek, a Dutch recipe that has been passed down through the generations. Try making your own batch this year! I always like to top off the cookies with half of a candied cherry — which adds a bit of festive colour.



Gevulde koek
(Recipe adopted from mydutchbakingblog.blogspot.com)


For the dough:
2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of baking powder
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon of cold water
1 3/4 stick of butter

For the filling:
1 cup of almond paste*
2 tablespoons of sugar
1 egg white
2 tablespoons of water
1 teaspoon of almond essence

For brushing:
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon of milk
8 sliced or whole almonds/ candied cherries

Mix the dry ingredients and cut the butter into the dough, until it has the consistency of wet sand. Add a tablespoon of icecold water and knead the dough into a cohesive whole, making sure all the butter is well mixed in. Pat into an oval, cover with plastic film and refrigerate while you make the paste.

Now crumble up the almond paste and beat it with the rest of the ingredients foamy and thick. *If you don't have access to canned almond paste, you can easily make your own by processing two cups of slivered raw almonds, adding 1/4 cup of sugar and three tablespoons of water to make it into a thick paste. If you think it's too runny, add a tablespoon of flour, but not more.

Set your oven to 350F and turn it on. Take the dough out of the fridge, cut it in half and roll one half out, to about 1/8 of an inch and cut out eight rounds. I use the canning ring for a wide mouth jar, it's approximately eight inches across. Roll the other half out and cut another eight rounds (or more of course!). Place one huge heaping teaspoon of almond paste mix in the middle of one cookie, place a second round on top and carefully seal the edges. You can do this with a fork or gently tapping it with your finger.

When all are done, place them on a parchment lined baking sheet or on a silicone mat. Beat the egg yolk with the milk and brush the top of the cookies, then place an almond or cherry on top. Bake for about thirty minutes or until golden.

Let them cool a little bit and enjoy this typical Dutch treat!