Okay, here’s my blog post about making Christmas desserts in Canada, written in a casual, personal style:
So, I decided to get all festive this year and dive into some classic Canadian Christmas desserts. I’ve always loved baking, but I wanted to try some things that were really Canadian, you know?
First up, I tackled butter tarts. Oh my goodness. These things are ridiculously good. I found a recipe online, it seemed pretty straightforward. The pastry was a bit of a pain, I won’t lie. I used store-bought because, well, life’s too short. I mixed up the filling – butter, brown sugar, eggs, a bit of syrup. The recipe I used had raisins, Some people add pecans or walnuts. It all went into the oven, filling bubbling nicely.
The tricky part? Waiting for them to cool down enough to eat without burning my mouth! They were sweet, gooey, and the perfect little bite of Canadian goodness.
Nanaimo Bars
Next, I wanted something no-bake. Enter: Nanaimo Bars. These are a West Coast classic, and they seemed super easy. They were a piece of cake compare with the first ones.
Layer one: a crumbly base made of graham crackers, coconut, cocoa, and butter. I pressed that into a pan – easy peasy.
- Layer two, Make the butter icing:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2-3 tablespoons milk
- 2 tablespoons vanilla custard powder
- 2 cups icing sugar
Layer two: a creamy custard-flavored icing. This part was a little messy, but I just spread it on top of the base.
- Layer three, make the Chocolate Ganache:
- 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Layer three: melted chocolate. I just poured that over the custard layer and popped the whole thing in the fridge to set.
Cutting them into squares was so satisfying. The layers looked perfect, and they tasted even better. Chocolate, custard, and that crumbly base…amazing!
Finally, I made is:Sugar Pie,I found this one is so easy to make!
- All ingredients:
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups milk
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
I whisked together brown sugar, flour, melted butter, eggs, milk, and a splash of vanilla. Pour into the pie shell.
Bake until set, then cool completely. I sprinkled some extra brown sugar on top, just to be fancy.
I’m so glad I tried these out! It felt like a little culinary adventure, and now I have a few new favorite desserts to make during the holidays. Anyone else have any Canadian Christmas baking traditions? Let me know!
