In the spirit of Christmas in July — which is all about good company and good food — I thought I’d ask what your favourite cold weather treats are — your “Christmas pleasures” as the Victorian Christmas card says.
Hot chocolate is probably my favourite winter warmer, made with full-fat milk, cocoa, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. Yum. But apple crumble comes a close second.
I make the world’s laziest crumble. In fact, it doesn’t crumble at all! Rather than rub the butter into the flour, I melt it and pour through the dry mix. No one complains. I use a pie dish for about four good sized apples chopped small and sprinkled with cinnamon. For the crumble I have a small mug each of rolled oats, shredded coconut and flour, a pinch of salt and a quarter mug of sugar. Then I bake at 180 Celsius for thirty to thirty five minutes.
If someone would bring a roasted chestnuts vendor to Perth, then hot chestnuts would go to the absolute top of my winter treats list. I hate (and fear) putting that cross in the top of them and roasting at home.
And of course, chocolate is good any time of year ๐
***Don’t forget to visit my Antipodean Steampunk Christmas post and leave a comment for your chance to win a copy of A Clockwork Christmas in which my dauntless suffragette heroine and rascally Steampunk inventor celebrate their own Christmas in July.
4 responses to “Christmassy Treats”
Around Christmas, it's all good. ๐ I love hot chocolate on a cold day, me still in my jammies, and reading a good book. Heaven!
Definitely heaven ๐
Hope you're surviving the heat. They've been showing us America sweltering on the news for days. Take care
I melt the butter for my crumble topping too. Much quicker and easier.
Hmm, chestnuts would work for me too. During the winter I like to make mulled wine. Very drinkable.
Shelley, you just made my day! I thought I was the only lazy cook to melt the butter. Feel much better knowing "Shelley does it, too" ๐