If you’re looking for a show stopping winter holiday cake, this peppermint bark crepe cake is the way to go. Layers and layers of delicate crepes sandwich lightly sweetened whipped cream with white chocolate and crunchy candy canes. It tastes just like the holidays are supposed to taste!
I’m so happy it’s December. I’ve already been listening to holiday music for the entirety of November but now I can do it without shame. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the winter holidays. It’s cozy and magical and everything that is right with the world. I’m a sucker for twinkling lights, roaring fires, warm chestnuts, and, of course, candy canes.
Oddly enough, when I was a kid my favorite candy canes were the pink and red ones. Yup, I was (and still am) a lover of artificial cherry flavoring. Cherry candy canes all the way. But, I learned to like peppermint candy canes too and now I definitely associate peppermint with the winter holidays. I think it might have to do with the massive amount of peppermint mochas I consumed in winter while I was in high school. Actually, who am I kidding? I still consume a lot of peppermint mochas. And why not? Chocolate and mint are a classic combination.
So classic that I used them as my basis for this peppermint bark crepe cake. I guess technically there’s no peppermint bark in this cake, but there is peppermint whipped cream, candy canes and white chocolate so I figured, why not call it peppermint bark?
I really enjoyed making this crepe cake. I have been on a crepe cake making roll. I made one for my bestie’s baby shower (it was anko/red bean) and after making this peppermint bark cake, all I want to do is make ALL the crepe cakes. There’s something so relaxing about making crepes. You get into a rhythm and just go. I blasted some holiday pop music (total guilty pleasure) and was a crepe making machine.
Now that I have experience making TWO crepe cakes, here is my advice to you:
- Make your crepe batter the night before. Whip it up in a blender – the best way to make crepe batter – then let it rest.
- When you’re ready to crepe, make sure everything is ready. Get your music on, the crepe batter next to the stove, a 1/4 cup measure on a plate or in a bowl, a measuring cup with melted butter and a pastry brush, and a flexible silicone offset spatula.
- I recommend using an 8 inch non-stick pan. Smaller crepes are easier to make, for me, and you end up with a taller, more dramatic cake.
- Don’t use too much butter. You need a bare brushing, especially if your non-stick is truly non-stick. Too much butter will make your crepes oily.
- Test out which hand gives you a more even crepe. Most people suggest using your non-dominate hand to pour the batter and swirling with your dominate hand, but I find that my left hand is better at swirling. Make sure that your just covering the base of the pan; you don’t want the crepe to go up the sides of the pan.
- You don’t want crispy crepes, so set two timers, one for a minute-thirty and one for thirty seconds (you may need to adjust these times.) The first side cooks for a bit longer.
- Let your crepes cool completely before assembling. And let the whole cake chill out in the fridge before slicing – it’ll help the whipping cream set up and the whole cake will hold together better.
- Feel free to play around with filling ideas. Don’t like white chocolate or peppermint? You can fill you crepe cake with anything.
Anyway, in hopes that you will make a crepe cake this Christmas, we’re doing a giveaway with KitchenAid®.
CLOSED!
Thank you to everyone who entered, I LOVED reading your holiday memories – they gave me the warm fuzzy feels :)
Congrats Cindy McL! Look for an email from me :)
GIVEAWAY: Mike and I are sending out warm holiday wishes with a KitchenAid® Artisan® Mini Mixer and a KitchenAid® Pro Line® Series Blender.
TO ENTER: Leave a comment below with your favorite winter holiday memory. I want to hear ALL the details. A winner will be randomly chosen and notified through email. Open to US residents only. (Sorry international friends, KitchenAid® America agreed to this one) If you’d like some extra entries, follow I am a Food Blog on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest and let me know your user name in the same comment as your winter holiday memory, please don’t submit multiple comments. Contest ends December 10th at 12pm PST. Good luck!
Peppermint Bark Crepe Cake Recipe
makes an 8-inch crepe cake
Crepes:
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 4 cups whole milk
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Stabilized Peppermint Whipped Cream:
- 2 tablespoons cold water
- 2 teaspoons gelatin
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
- 1/2 cup sugar
To Assemble:
- candy canes, pulsed in a blender
- white chocolate, grated
Blend eggs, milk, granulated sugar, and vanilla in a blender just until smooth. Add flour and salt and blend just to combine. Pour into a large liquid measuring cup or bowl, cover, and let rest in the fridge for 1 hour minimum, or if you have the time, overnight.
Prep your crepe station with a non-stick pan, melted butter and a pastry brush, a 1/4 cup measuring cup, and a plastic offset spatula. Heat the skillet over medium heat and brush very lightly with butter. Whisk the batter, the measure out a scant 1/4 cup and pour into the pan. Swirl to coat the pan evenly and cook for 1 minute and 30 seconds, reducing the heat if the crepe browns too quickly. The edges will be lightly golden and the top will look set. Slide the offset spatula underneath the edges, carefully flip, and cook the other side for 20-30 seconds, or until a few brown spots appear. Transfer to a flat surface like a large plate or cutting board. Repeat with the remaining batter. Let the crepes cool completely.
While the crepes are cooling, make the stabilized peppermint whipped cream. Put the cold water in a small microwavable bowl and sprinkle the gelatin on top, letting it bloom. Put the cream and peppermint, in the bowl of a stand mixer. Once the gelatin has set, microwave for 10 seconds, just enough to turn the gelatin to liquid. Turn the mixer on and whip on high for a minute, then pour the liquid gelatin in a slow steady stream into the bowl. Slowly pour in the sugar. Continue to whip until medium stiff peaks.
To assemble, place a crepe on the plate or cake stand, anchoring it down with a bit of whipped cream. Add a generous 2 tablespoons to the top and use an offset spatula to to spread evenly across the crepe. Top with another crepe and repeat, this time topping with a generous grating of white chocolate. Repeat, and for the next crepe, add a light sprinkling of candy cane powder. Repeat until all of the crepes are used. Leave the last crepe naked, lightly cover with plastic and chill for 2 hours to let the cake set.
When ready to serve, remove the plastic, top with the remaining whipping cream and a sprinkle of powdered candy canes. Slice and enjoy.
I don’t do much traveling but I had decided to go with a friend to Utah one winter to enjoy their excellent snow and ski. It was a lot of fun, the snow fluffy and fun to play in.
jslbrown2009 at aol dot com
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Lots of snow here in Buffalo, NY! Love this recipe, beyond beautiful. Thank you! Favorite winter memory is getting snow days off from school. I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to win. Never dreamed I own a kitcheaid and with 3 kids, can’t buy one now. Thank you all for this contest!!!!!! New follower on Pinterest and Facebook under my name..Laura Sproull. THanks again!
following on pinterest as https://www.pinterest.com/lisalu24/
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I live in south Louisiana, so we don’t really have cold winters. My fondest memory of a real winter was when I traveled to Colorado at age 17. It was first time experiencing a blanket of snow and I didn’t even have to wear a coat during most of it. Here, if it even bothers to snow. it’s so incredibly cold and nothing sticks.
I follow you on Pinterest.
https://www.pinterest.com/polishedgirl/
I liked you on Facebook.
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my first christmas i england is my fave winter memory..havin grown up in india, everything about the english christmas – the snow, the smells, the music, the vibe, the food – was new, different and magical..spending it with my beloved aunt & uncle made it so much more pecial
follow on pintrest – Sj Dc
I always remember making coffee cake on christmas eve with my whole family. One year, the dog found the cake in the middle of the night…….
!!
The best part of my holidays is always making the trip back home to see family. I don’t get home as often as I’d like but the holidays are never missed.
My favorite memory is our first Christmas after my daughter was born. It was a lot of fun to have both of our children and enjoy the Christmas tree and seeing/helping them open their gifts.
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My favorite memory is baking homemade Christmas cookies with my daughter. I love seeing the joy in her eyes while we bake.
One of my favorite holiday memories is having some of my nieces & nephews (young adult ones included) come over to help me and my daughters decorate sugar cookies. I’d decided that it was taking way too much time since there were at least 4-5 other types of cookies to be baked and they weren’t willing to give those up. Not sure it was a timesaver since it ended up being a party on its own and then I had to feed all of them to boot!
When we were kids, my brother and I created a gingerbread mansion over several days. It was huge and detailed, with tons on candy and icing. Then we wrote a story about it, pretending that Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus and elves lived there and what adventures they had. :-)
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I love Christmas! Favorite memory is decorating the tree with my family with our vintage ornaments.
My favorite Christmas memory is when my family has Christmas dinner. We eat a grand meal together and then play white elephant. Our White Elephant game is always filled with funny things like chocolate covered grasshoppers, to canned Taco Bell beans, and the beanboozled game, which of course we end up playing too! It’s always so special to be with family on Christmas day
my favorite christmas memory is just all the collective memories of decorating the tree with my mom, and then sitting under the twinkling lights eating persimmons and drinking tea! winter persimmons are the best.
ps i follow you on instagram @shanole
One year my sister and I decided to make homemade fondant for Christmas cupcakes, but it was much stickier than expected. Our hands became giant globs of marshmallow stickiness, there was powdered sugar everywhere, and our mom had to come in and save the day!
OK this cake is just stunning and you photographs are exceptional ♥
thank you so much natalie :) so happy you like the cake!
Christmas has always meant gingerbread men! As a young girl, my father would buy me gingerbread men from a local German bakery. Even when we traveled, I got one. San Francisco’s was the best. I’ve baked them every year since I got married and it’s been 31 years now!
My favorite winter memory was when I was a kid living in the country. We lived at the middle of a big steep road that was gravel. It would become a sheet of ice from the winer snows which would make it the BEST sledding hill. We would all pile onto our big toboggan and the last would give a big shove and then run and hopefully jump on too. We would all end up in a great heap at the bottom of the road. The grown ups would see us and sometimes join in on our fun too. So great…
I’m already a FB follower and liker!
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One year we got snowed in and ended up with an extra week off of school in addition to winter break. We baked tons of cookies to deliver to our snowed in neighbors while taking breaks for sledding, hot chocolate, and playing games. We also curled up by the fireplace to sleep one night when the wind knocked out the power for a few hours.
Following on IG (@cjg221)
my favorite winter memory is opening presents with my whole family on christmas eve! there were 30 of us and we all would gather together to give each other gifts.
i also follow on pinterest @huynhtonnu and instagram @ttonnu2043
My favorite holiday memories involve baking cookies and making candies with my mom, dad, and siblings. Now that my parents have passed away, their recipes keep them close.
My fondest memory is of eating cheese fondue on our balcony, wrapped in layers and layers of blankets. And it snowed that year, too, so we made mini snowmen for our table decoration.
Also follow on IG (aber.hallo)
My favorite tradition is how we start celebrating the season as a family – by watching Home Alone after the Thanksgiving meal is cleaned up.
Favorite holiday memory is Christmas Eve with my family. We have snacky dinner and play cards and listen to Christmas music.
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My favorite holiday memory is my mom reading me the book, “The Littlest Angel” every year. And her never being able to finish it so I would have to take over the reading, because she’d be crying to much about halfway thru.
I already follow you on FB; Meagan Fujimoto.
I already follow you on IG; nutm3gz.
my boyfriend and our extended family cousins have a white elephant party every year. we’ve been doing it for the better part of a decade and it’s a raucous way to force everyone together once a year. everyone really puts out for their best dish, and ridiculous gift, and we have embarrassing memories to talk about for the rest of the year. happy holidays!
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Growing up I couldn’t help myself to try and find the presents my parents got for me. I knew I shouldn’t do it but for some reason the hunt to figure out where my parents hid them that year was more exciting to me than the surprise on Christmas morning. I used to even try on the clothes and dance around the house with my new “fancy” clothes. Once I tried on a sweater that I loved and couldn’t wait to get it Christmas morning, only to find out my mom had bought it for my uncle instead. Oh well, karma I suppose. Anyway love the blog!
My favorite memory is cooking and baking in the kitchen with my mom while telling my childhood stories.
I always spent a day baking Christmas cookies with my dad. I loved that it was something just the two of us did together.
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one of my favorite memories is when my dad would go up on the roof and drop a speaker down the chimney pretending to be santa claus. he would talk with all the little ones, and they were so amazed!!!
I love decorating the christmas tree with popcorn garlands! My username is kaela kim and I followed your on pinterest!
Dressing up in holiday onesies with the entire family :)
I followed you on instagram! My username is cakedinflour
Those layers!! How in the world were you able to get that perfect slice?! Crepe cakes are always so much fun and yours is so festive and gorgeous. Such a great giveaway too! My favorite winter holiday memory was the Christmas we spent in Whistler with my family. My dad had just been diagnosed with late stage lung cancer and we knew it was likely our last Christmas together. He was too weak from his treatments to go skiing, and I was pregnant at the time, so we were able to go through long winter walks through the woods together, just me and him. It was indeed our last Christmas together and I am forever grateful for that week together. So, kind of a weepy memory, but also one of the best. :)
I remember the New Year’s when my dad was traveling and we got such a huge snowstorm that the back (main) exit door was totally drifted in. My mom had to crawl out a window to shovel our front door so we could get out in an emergency, then my parents hired someone with a bucketloader to clear the back door and steps.
the special Christmas Eve dinner I always do with my parents!
My favorite winter holiday memory is picking out the Christmas tree with my family. There’s a garden store in town that always has a mini-festival inside with a model train set up, rides, animals, and fun vendors. It was always a fun treat!
Following you on Instagram as @seeshoploveblog, on Facebook as Danielle Sauers, and on Pinterest as Danielle (pinterest.com/sixfourthree)
We were kids and i was with my aunt and the road out here in rural texas was froze over and she said come on yall were going sking i said what she said look just hold my hand and we went sliding down that little hill i swear she could make anything out of nothing fun best memory i have i follow on pinterest ccntx
So happy I stumbled across your blog! What a beautiful, creative & inspiring post. I absolutely love the photos, gave me major winter/holiday feels! Awesome looking crepe cake too!
i remember one year i made a LEGIT IGLOO in my yard and it was the best thing ever. there is nothing better as a kid to play in the wet snow and then come inside to hot chocolate
My favorite memory is baking tray after tray of cookies for my mom’s friend carol’s party every year. Chocolate chip, 7-layer bars, meringues, and oatmeal raisin cookies!
My fave holiday memory is, one year in middle school, asking my (newly-divorced) mom if we could just open presents on Christmas eve and to my surprise she said YES! We made hot cocoa and stayed up until the middle of the night opening gifts, snacking on treats, and watching holiday movies in the background. It was so out of the ordinary for us and felt incredibly special.
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xoxo :)
My Dad, the perfectionist, sawed a branch off the back of our six foot Christmas Tree in order to fill in a spot in the front of the tree. He started drilling a hole to accommodate the branch but it wasn’t big enough.The hole got bigger, and bigger, until finally the tree split in two. We now had a perfect four foot tree. Needless to say it got pretty quiet in the house until my sister, arriving home from college, walked in the door and broke out laughing as hard as possible. It broke the ice for the rest of the holiday.
My favorite memory is my (now) husband proposing to me on Christmas Eve!
My favorite memory was always decorating the tree with my family. We put Christmas music on and my dad would put up the tree and fluff out the branches and we would all grab some ornaments and start placing them on the tree. It’s nothing extravagant but it’s something I looked forward to every year. I miss doing that now.
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my favorite winter holiday memory is going to seattle, vancouver, and whistler with my family!
my instagram username is @loiskimmy, my pinterest username is @loiskim98, my facebook is Lois Kim :)
Oh my goshie this looks insane!! Amazing!!
Rebecca
xx
http://www.peppermintdolly.com
I’m just gonna say it: this is a christmas miracle, which has come early. It’s beautiful! As for my favorite memory: one year, my bratty older sister counted how many presents she’d received versus how many my sister and I Had received. Disappointed by the fact that she had less (regardless of the fact that some of hers were more premium presents) she stalked out of the house yelling “MERRY EFFING CHRISTMAS!” (she did not say “effing”, not really ;-) . The neighbors all heard and in succeeding years it became a neighborhood joke to say “merry effing christmas” to each other. I should mention perhaps that she was about 25 when this happened – LOL
I love baking cookies and making a popcorn and cranberry chain for the tree.
For a few years while working on my BA I lived with my grandmother. Every holiday season we would bake a ton of different cookie recipes. We would use these as gifts throughout the season.
I follow on pintrist bethanykocher
One of my favorite holiday memories was making gingerbread houses from scratch with my mom and my sister. It was a total disaster and we had so many laughs that day that 20 years later I still remember it.
My favorite memory is Christmas breakfast with my family.
My favorite holiday memory is eating ramen with a close friend who was also stranded in NYC for Christmas. We went to the movies, then sank into hot bowls of fatty ramen broth and perfectly chewy noodles. It was as glorious as it was spontaneous.
Favorite memory is somewhat recent. My husband and I decided to host Christmas Eve as part of our holiday tradition when we got married. It’s been a fun experience and our guest list seems to grow every year! While there are some dishes we repeat, we try and come up with a new theme each year. Sometimes the theme starts with a cocktail! Following IG @quintessencepapers
Favorite holiday memory is singing, cooking and dancing with my mom in the kitchen around the holidays. One year we really tore it up trying to breakdance (reindeer style) around the kitchen island while making cookies and my mom ended up breaking one of her shoes. It was amazing, hahah!
Anyways I super follow you.
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This sounds odd…but my favorite holiday memory is of the first Christmas I spent away from my family. It was terrible and I was so sad that whole week. It made me appreciated the traditions my family shares and spending time with my family.
I follow on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook. User name is brknopf for all three
Coming from an asian immigrant upbringings we never really knew how to celebrate the holidays properly but my siblings and I would always try our best to imitate what we saw on tv and what we learned from school. On one very lucky snow day, my brother and I woke up early to play in the snow and we spent the entire day trying to attempt to make an igloo/snow fortress from a cartoon we saw – didn’t really turn out well but we tried our best and managed to make a little cave enough to fit one of us fully (or both of us if we just stuck our heads in). We were determined to live in it for as long as we can before our parents yelled at us or the sun melted it. We only lasted a few hours but managed to get in a nap and drink some hot chocolate in it before we were called in.
Christmas Eve, my roommates and I exchanged gifts. That year we decided to only do homemade gifts. Everyone’s gift really reflected her special personality. The next morning, we were all planning on heading to the airport together to visit our families. The next day, on our way to the airport, we went to get our friend R from her job at the grief center. D’s mom waited in the car for us because she’s old. R was with a client, so we had to wait when a Santa popped in! He had gifts, but then he held up the center at gun point bc he wanted ppl to spend Christmas with. Thankfully, D’s mom came out the car , impatient, and walked into the office, immediately noticed the gun was a toy. Italian moms FTW. We all rushed to the airport only to find we ALL MISSED OUR FLIGHTS. Angry and feeling sorry for ourselves, we had dinner at a nearby diner. The waiter/cook/owner/only person working commented that we were such a nice family and that’s when we realized we were fortunate to have each other. We decided to do something nice and watched the diner for him while he spent a few hours with his family. Then it started snowing. IN MIAMI! A real mircale.
Anyways, number #1 tradition is definitely watching the Golden Girls
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My family doesn’t do traditional holiday meals anymore, so my favorite part of Christmas in recent years has been the homemade pizza party we have. My sisters and I each bring a different component, someone makes dough, my parents provide the oven, and we create a shit ton of pizza.
Now following on Pinterest: /florivore/
My favorite winter holiday memory is going to the spa with my mother. It’s our annual tradition to make a trip to the Korean spa the day after Christmas to relax after a busy few days of cooking and eating. The two of us usually have some pretty light Korean food and sweat off all the dirt from the year. It’s also a great time to catch up with my mom, who I don’t see often in a year.
My mom always gets creative with Christmas gift tags – my sister and I have received presents addressed to us that always hinted at the gift inside – presents from George (Lucas – usually something Star Wars related) or Ina (Garten – a cookbook). It is always so fun to guess what the gift is!
I follow you on Pinterest – username sophialucchesi
This cake looks AMAZING. My favorite memories all revolve around baking cookies with my mom. Early in my life they mostly revolved around eating chocolate off the side of a mixing bowl. Later there are lots of funny moments of me messing up recipes when she let me try to do things on my own for the first time. I’m following on instagram as @telligt. Thanks for the giveaway!!
My favorite Christmas was the year my family skipped the presents and went on a cruise to Tahiti and Bora Bora. No holiday pressure and lots of together time, warm beaches, and the best snorkeling of my life!
My favorite holiday memory is making rugelach cookies with my mom and three sisters-it’s an annual tradition, and we use the same recipe every year. We always get the kitchen very messy and there’s usually some arguing involved but the cookies always turn out deliciously!
My mom used to leave a trail of glitter from the chimney to the Christmas tree… Santa’s path!
Every year when I head home for Christmas, we spend a night driving around the most well-lit neighborhoods in my hometown to see the beautiful light displays!
I follow you on both Instagram and Facebook (@sarahbyrd for Insta, and same name for Facebook)
My favorite winter holiday memories involve making edible gifts with my mom. Folding dozens of fortune cookies, rolling 700+ truffles, packaging pounds of peppermint fudge, etc. Every year we’re exhausted, crying, and laughing and promising not to make edible gifts the following year. I wonder what we’ll make this year. :)
My favorite holiday memory is gathering with my siblings on a cold winter night for hot pot and a full night of mahjong. As we grow older, it becomes more difficult to fit this in our varied schedules. Following on FB and Instagram as p0kaman
My favorite holiday memory… it’s hard to choose! I think it has to be when my siblings and I gifted my mom a bunch of professional pictures of us (that she didn’t know we had taken). She was so touched by it (aka tears). They are still hanging in our house.
my favorite holiday memory was christmas morning as a kid. my grammy would spend the night on christmas and wake up suuuper early with my sister and i to help us sort out all the presents. we’d snuggle on the couch and watch christmas movies (usually rudolph! the claymation version, of course) until my parents woke up and joined us. to this day, fresh brewed coffee still reminds me of my grandma, since that was the first thing we could smell on christmas morning. :) *following on insta as @juliannecara and FB as julianne casey*
I have always loved my family’s Christmas celebration together. Even now that all of my siblings are in our 30s, we still get together and exchange gifts with everyone (my parents, and sister’s kids too). One person hands out all of their gifts to the rest of the family members, then we one-at-a-time open them so that we can get in our ‘thank yous’ and hugs. We try to keep things moving along, but it can take a long time to be honest, haha. Sometimes we take a break for breakfast or a snack! But it also means we’re taking care to acknowledge the thought and the gift-giver, not just the stuff we get. I know it’s tough for my nephew’s to not just tear through every gift at rapid pace, but I like to think that we’re passing along the happiness of giving the gift as well as receiving. Hopefully they’ll have the same appreciation for it when they’re older :-)
I follow you on pinterest and instagram: mccindy620 for both
holy moly! i’ve been dying to make a crepe cake but have been intimidated. thank you for sharing this because now i reaaaallly want to make it!
* my favorite holiday memory: when i was little & our family first started to celebrate christmas with our first tree! my family are immigrants from laos & being born here i wanted to experience what everyone else in school experienced. i remember the joy of seeing lights all on the tree & thinking it was silly but so magical! so thankful for the life i’ve been given by my grandparents’ & parents’ bravery to come to america.
happy holidays to you & yours!!
oops, my ig is: @favjeans ! & i follow you errrrrwhere!
When 7 year old me knocked over the Christmas Tree and my brother helped cover for me. Haha.
My sisters are 8 and 11 years older than me. I remember one Christmas where I was so excited, my oldest sister let me sleep on the floor in her room. I remember listening to the Muppets sing the “12 days of Christmas” on her radio as I lay on the carpet in the dark, too excited to sleep. I remember her gasping and saying she thought she heard something up on the roof. I remember her and I jumping all over my other sister in the morning to wake her up. <3.
My favorite winter holiday memory is sledding in our backyard growing up! Some winters the snow would drift so much we could start from our second story deck and (with a bit of air time!) sled all the way to the bottom of our hill. The hard part was the walk back up as some parts are steep, it’s filled with bushes and weeds and it’s pretty far. Having a hot chocolate after we were done was heaven!
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My favorite winter holiday memory is listening to Hanson’s Christmas album – Snowed In. I was a huge Hanson fan in middle school and even went as far as to wrap myself and my sisters up in Christmas lights, like they do on their album cover (3 brothers and we are 3 sisters with long hair) so it worked out well. I’m 32 now and nothing says holidays more to me than that album. We still love dancing around to it.
Oh my goodness! A dream come true! This cake looks and sounds so amazing.
I have so many favorite winter holiday memories, but one that comes to mind is baking holiday treats with my grandma. She has this recipe for rocky road fudge that can stop time because of its deliciousness. She stirs it by hand so make it super glossy, but it takes so much stirring power that we all sit in the kitchen taking turns stirring. This includes me, my grandma, and my mom and sisters! The conversation is always fantastic!
The crepe cake looks amazing!
My favourite winter holiday memory is the family ski trip I took when I was 14. My parents spent weeks planning the whole trip and even packed a little tree and our presents in our car so we could have the full Christmas experience on the hills. In their hype, they overlooked the fact that most stores/restaurants would be closed on Christmas Day. We were lucky enough to find a small bodega that was open and bought out their entire to-go food selection. Our Christmas dinner was an eclectic mix of cold cuts, sandwiches, brownies, and dips, but it was such a fun, relaxed celebration that I remember it fondly. Following you on Insta (@jdpursuit)
sledding with my friends.
going home for the holidays and watching all the xmas movies with my family
going out to eat chinese food and see a movie on christmas
Beautiful cake! My favorite memory is going skiing with my family for the first time in Korea, and landing face first in the snow the moment I stepped off the ski lift! Terrifying experience, but getting to try new things made it worth it.
Instagram: dd__z
One of my favorite holiday memories was going to New York with a partner. I got to experience some highly entertaining and extremely Italian traditions. So many brothers and scratch-off tickets and pasta! Plus, on Christmas Eve, my boyfriend and I stopped for the biggest slice of pizza I’ve ever seen. Just an unassuming spot in a strip mall. So memorable.
I also follow on Insta (@zoesessums), Facebook (zoesessums) and Pinterest (zoesessums).
One of My favorite Christmas memories is going to my Grandmothers house who is deceased now on Christmas Eve she would make these huge pound cakes and I have never seen any bigger than hers and my cousins and I would fight over who would get to lick the bowl and mixing blades then when the cakes where done we would wait until they cooled and eat the crumbs around the edges of the pan. It’s funny how just little things were back when we were going the smallest things made us happy. Can’t wait to make this cake !! Username kenyashoff on instagram.
This crepe cake looks UH-mazing. My Christmas holiday memory that I have loved the most growing up has been helping my grandmother decorate her tree. All of her ornaments have a story, and each year I get to listen to a new story about an ornament I am putting up on her tree. Learning the history of my family and growing closer to my grandmother reminds me what the holidays are all about.
One of my memories was the year Christmas ended early at my Grandma’s because the weather turned icy. I was devastated but we ended up having a cozy Christmas dinner at my parent’s house. Best meatloaf my mom has cooked.
Favorite winter memory was last year when my now fiance and I had a snow day and worked from home. We made trays of wontons and froze them outside in the snow (freezer space issues). Naturally he forgot we did this and proceeded to step on the perfectly lined trays of wontons when letting the dog out! Following you on instagram (@alexisyingsun), facebook and pinterest :)
My favorite winter memory is sleigh riding at my grandparents’ house. They have the steepest hills at their farm, which provided some of the biggest thrills of my childhood. We don’t get nearly as much snow in Virginia anymore, but those winter snow days are some of my fondest memories.
My favorite holiday memory is always Christmas dinner. Our family always makes something over-the-top special and there is so much pride in the beautiful meal we make together and then as we all sit down and say a toast my dad always gets teary-eyed being so grateful to be gathered together with our family on a special day with a special meal. I’ll treasure these moments with my family forever.
My most memorable Christmas memory was when I was 7 years old. I kept waking up to some noise. I told my mom, I just knew Santa was here. She said don’t be crazy, Santa only comes when children are asleep. In the morning, I was so happy and shocked to see a battery powered Jeep parked next to the tree, fully assembled. I remember racing my little brother who was 4 at the time to the jeep. Once he realized it wasn’t his, he ran away crying (someone snapped a picture of it) now, looking back I don’t know why my parents picked me to get it. (8 of us siblings) Maybe because I was the youngest of the girls. I look back and appreciate my hard working parents always trying to make Christmas memorable, festive, and always so full of food. Turkey and Tamales!
instagram lizdogg25
Favorite winter memory was during a huge snowstorm in my city, and my roommate and I made hot chocolate and sat next to our first floor bay windows to people watch: kids dragging sleds, neighbors shoveling snow, small dogs jumping out of snow banks.
My favorite winter holiday memory is the Christmas my family spent in Hawaii. Eating tropical fruits, roaming the forests, and lounging on beaches made me feel like I was in a bubble of warm air, insulated from the cold and the rain of our usual Seattle winters but enjoying the holiday spirit all the same.
Hands down my favorite winter memory is the year my family did 2 Christmas trees. We have a tradition that has been 32 years of having a bear tree– a tree/ window completely covered with different teddy bears. However, when you say it out loud people tend to think “bare”, which is ironic since it technically is bare branches covered in bears :) Anyways, as a kid I always envied every kid’s traditional Christmas tree.. so there was a year my parents bought a tree that snows little styrofoam balls from the top! It was a blast, till I threw the “snow” all over the living room and had to clean them up off all the bears.
Now every year that we put up our bear tree, I’m glad that it’s unique and special to our family. Friends and family often buy us bears from different locations/ trips, and it adds more meaning to the holidays
Hope you enjoy this holiday season and thank you for sharing such a wonderful recipe and a chance to win!
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My favorite memory was showing my daughter snow for the first time and seeing her play in it. I can’t wait to build a snowman with her this year.
We don’t celebrate Christmas at my parents’ house. So now that I have two littles, I’m learning to make my own traditions. It seems that our thing will be going to the the last tree at Home Depot (definitely lopsided) and decorate it with taste and flair (much like a retro bus crashed into the tree and tinsel explosion ensued). I’ve been following you for a while and recently made the Vietnamese beef stew! @yayaleeadventures
The first thing that comes to mind is one winter when my family went to Mammoth, CA for a ski/snowboarding trip. It was the first time I’d gone and honestly, didn’t love it. I had a brief skiing lesson and I was struggling and the instructor just said it was because I was out of shape. Anyway. My sister chose to snowboard and loved it, so while I went with my parents inside to enjoy some hot chocolate, she was going up and down the mountain having the time of her life. And from then on, I decided that if my friends ever wanted to go on a snow trip, I’d be the one to stay at the cabin and cook for everyone else. :)
This is so beautiful! My favorite Christmas memories are every year when our family unwraps gifts together with hot drinks.
FB: Jena Rose
My favorite holiday memory is playing dreidel, a game that is traditionally played on Chanukah, with my grandparents. We only see them on the holidays because they live in Canada. They are so lovely, and spending time with them is always special.
My friend and I ran a 12k last year dressed in festive attire. We spent the whole race quoting elf and pointing to Santas and yelling “I know him!” (Elf ref.) It was super fun and afterward we got hot cocoa.
My favorite holiday memory was when I was around 7 we lived in California and went to my Aunt and Uncles house in Washington and it snowed that year, we went sledding down their hill and made a giant snowman with my cousins. Following on Instagram avosslm, Facebook Annamarie Portolese Voss and Pinterest Annamarie Voss
You sure have a lot of wonderful stories to read here!
I can be a bit of a Grinch at Christmas time, mostly because I grew up without much family, and the family I do have isn’t very celebratory. But the past few years I have made up for it. I have joined one of my small town’s cafes to host a Free dinner on Christmas Eve. The entire town is invited, it doesn’t matter who you are, everyone is welcome. We make a entire feast, with several roast turkeys, ham, stuffing, lots of veggies, and loads of cookies and pie. It’s eat as much as you can, donate some dollars if you have them and laugh smile and sing. There are games for the kids, musicians playing beautiful music, fairy lights and good cheer. It’s the best. Every kind of person shows up, from the mayor to homeless folks. I can’t wait to do it again this year.
@crustpiespt on Instagram
kelliwinter on Facebook
Kelli Winter on Pinterest
My favorite winter memory actually involves my birthday, which is on December 22. When I was about 10 years old, my parents surprised me with tickets to Disneyland as a birthday present, which I remember opening beneath our Christmas tree. We stayed at Disneyland through Christmas, and loved every bit of their magical Christmas decorations. Every winter now still reminds me of that magical feeling, and eating caramel apples while watching fireworks. (My Instagram handle is @nataliehchoi!)
What a beautiful cake and gorgeous post. It’s giving me all the ‘Nigella Christmas’ feels. : ) Christmas is the most beautiful time of year. We had the best time a couple of years ago when my family and I were home for a long break from school and work, and we just spent so much time playing board games, eating Christmas treats, and really just spending quiet time together. It’s the little things…. : ) Happy Holidays!!
I grew up in California where we didn’t really have much of a winter but I recall one time where it got cold enough that it froze outside and my brother and I tried to spray water on the back deck to make an ice skating rink…it did not work…surprise? My favorite holiday memory in general was every year my mom making sugar cookie dough and allowing us to dye it all sorts of fun colors for cookies. My favorite one to make in the end was a simple candy cane where I would twirl two different colors together and bend it.
I follow you on instagram – gristandgreens, pinterest – Joan | Grist and Green
I have fond memories of going over to my grand-parents house (father’s side) on Christmas eve. He is one of 7 children so you can imagine it was very lively. My grandparents have since past and most of that side has moved out of state so we don’t get together much… but during this time of year I think back to those festive Christmas eves.
My favorite holiday memory is getting a letter from Santa that said he preferred French Vanilla cappucinos over milk, and that his favorite cookie was oatmeal raisin. And so every year, my family and I would make oatmeal raisin cookies and french vanilla cappucinos just for ol Saint Nick!
I follow you on instagram – @kendallleesi
My favorite holiday memory is baking Christmas cookies with my family.
We spent the Christmas Holiday in Colorado skiing the year I was 15. My Aunt & Uncle had an exchange student from Norway staying with them, so he came along on the trip. I learned quite quickly that I couldn’t keep up with a Norwegian on skis! We hit a double black slope and I basically rolled all the way down hill. Hitting every mogul on the way down. Ski patrol thought I was dead, all I could do was lay there and laugh as more and more folks brought my stuff to me… I was totally fine, but never wanted to brave another double black slope. The Norwegian was baffled by my response to the entire episode, concluded that I was a crazy American. :)
So my wife is making me enter this contest because she never got a kitchenaid when we married 10 years ago. My co-worker just said to me “What your wife doesn’t have one….don’t all brides get one”….nope, we don’t know anyone who wanted to spend that kind of money on us! We got headless angels and broken DVD players. Anyhow, favorite memory is pulling my now 7 year old daughter in a sled when she was a baby. Now it’s my 6-month olds turn New follower and Pinterest and Intragram follower under Tom Sproull. Thanks.
I have a sad, but happy story. When I was young, my cousin became I’ll with a heart disease. My uncle couldn’t handle the pain, as he blamed himself for her suffering. He ended up commiting suicide in the summer. That year for Christmas, we did not want my aunt and cousin to spend the holiday alone. So that year, the entire extended family stayed at my house. Grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Every bed, couch and spot on the floor was full. The next morning when we got up, I had never seen so many presents in my life. We spent all morning opening gifts. We took tons of pictures and played all morning. It was the best Christmas, my aunt and cousin were surrounded by family and Joy. I know presents are not the point of Christmas or this story. But waking up to a FULL house of love was the best gift given that year. Merry Christmas Uncle, I think of you every time I see my cousin, strong and beautiful.
My favorite memory is dressing up silly with my boyfriend as a prank and going into a supermarket to buy Christmas lights :) And then stringing them up together!
Every year the whooooole extended family gathers on Christmas Eve to go ice skating. We enjoy Italian sausage made by my Italian grandmother, and every single member of the family has to give a little speech about what they’re thankful for before opening their first present. The years run together, but this little holiday tradition is a lifelong memory and great reminder to be mindful about togetherness and blessings during the holidays!
I follow on Instagram under username @snuggerson!
Every year when I think about making Christmas cookies, I am reminded of my favorite memories of making cookies with my grandma when I was little. She died when I was 10, but I clearly remember how she prepped for an entire evening of fun, mess making and cookie consumption. I have tried to do this as an adult with my nephews. Such a mess, such fun!
My favorite memory is making dinner for the dogs. They were happy and ate at the table with us. We also let them wear Christmas lights.
I follow on IG under carlcastro
Bringing sparkling cider to all our neighbors when we were kids! We moved to a new neighborhood when I was 8, right before Christmas, so we introduced ourselves at Christmas time with a gift of a bottle of cider! It was fun to meet our neighbors (and see their houses).
IG: cmanhow
My favorite holiday memories is when me and my cousins used to get together and bake. It started when they were younger and ‘helped’ me but it was still tons of fun. It’s said that we don’t do it anyone since we’ve gotten older, but I’m thinking of receiving that tradition.
My favorite Christmas tradition started about 5 years ago when my cousins and I wore pajamas to Christmas dinner to play a prank on our old fashioned grandmother who loves when everyone dresses up nice for Christmas. Luckily she took it better than we thought she would and we’ve carried on this tradition ever since and hopefully for many Christmases to come! Merry Christmas to everyone and their families.
I have the fondest memories of making Christmas sugar cookies with my mom & sneaking raw cookie dough pieces because they tasted better than baked! Also, my brother & I would read the same Christmas stories every Christmas Eve before we went to bed.
I follow on Instagram as @jillcornelius
When I was 10, my youngest sister was sick with the flu over Christmas break so my other two sisters & I made snow angels for her as she watched from her bedroom window.
Caroling. This one neighbor with a guitar would round up all the neighborhood kids a couple weeks before Christmas and we’d practice every night and go caroling Christmas week. It was lovely.
My fondest memory is when my grandparents came from Japan to celebrate Christmas. I watched the quiets streets of SF outside while the windows were all foggy from the cooking that was happening in the kitchen. It was fun to see my mom be my grandpa’s sous chef (since he’s actually a cook), when usually that’s her role. He would be fussy with her, but it was fun to watch the father-daughter dynamic. We have no extended family in the U.S., so that is one of the warmest Christmas I remember having.
My favorite winter memory is watching Elf with my little sisters every year!!
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My favorite memory is my first time seeing snow. Growing up in Hawai’i, I had no idea what to expect at all. The snow was heavy and came down in cottony tufts, it felt so magical. I loved watching snowflakes float down onto my outstretched palm, and I’d squint down at them to see if I could see their one-of-a-kind patterns. The snow was so beautiful, and I still daydream about getting to see snow again. :)
I follow you on instagram @gardenaisle
My favorite was when it actually snow on Christmas day and that said alot. Because we really really don’t have real winter in Southeast Texas
my favorite holiday memory is my family’s secret santa tradition. each year we wake up super early, head to gramma’s in our p.j.s and eat my favorite breakfast of the year: grampa’s huevos rancheros and gramma’s pancakes. then we do a secret santa swap with all the aunts, uncles, and cousins! it’s always warm, cozy, and welcoming in that house, utter holiday perfection.
oh! and I also follow you on insta :) such beautiful content
– @vitality.blog
Fave holiday memory: being in the kitchen with my mom.. making dumplings or helping her with something.. now we live in Wisconsin so don’t see her much but we will see her this Christmas and I’m so excited!
My favorite winter holiday was when my family was able to get together and celebrate after many years of celebrating apart. A handful of my family members lives in North Carolina and some live in New York, so it’s very rare for me to see them. That year, we decided to meet up together every Christmas for a celebration, and the tradition still lives! Grateful for family.
Instagram — menofcar
Sliding down the driveway of my childhood home on cookie sheets on snow days!
My favorite winter memory is when we got a snowstorm in 2007-ish so our school cancelled for an extra week after winter break was supposed to end! My sister and I tried to use my mom’s skis to ski down the hill on our street and my family would take lots of walks and make plenty of snowmen. This was when I was still in elementary school, so it’s been a while.
Instagram: park.kimmy
My favorite Christmas memory was a giant family sleepover. My mom is one of eight, and our family is very close. One year for Christmas we had the whole family over for festivities. As the night went on, Wisconsin winter decided she wanted to come to the party and brought an ice storm as her dish to pass. None of the 40 aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins could leave the house. So my mom took it upon herself to find sleeping room for everyone. She just kept pulling air mattresses and blankets out of nowhere! I was about 15 at the time, and spending Christmas as a sleepover with my cousins was a dream come true. The next morning we had coffee cake, eggs, and coffee (the real mvp) before everyone left. I was astonished that my mother pulled it all off with grace. I know it wasn’t what she would have hoped for, but it makes for a great memory now. Xoxo, Bethy.
I follow you on Instagram @messofbethy
I follow you on Pinterest messofbethy there too
My favorite holiday memory has become my favorite holiday tradition: making a big batch of sugar cookie dough, making a big mess on the counters cutting out various shapes, then spending way too long decorating them while swearing I’ll never do this again. We have so many pictures of my sisters and I in huge aprons doing this very thing growing up, and it always makes me feel close to them when I do it now.
(I also follow you on Instagram as @twopercentmelk!)
Last winter there was a huge snow day- a first for my big doggie, and we spent hours and hours frolicking around in the snow and chasing the flakes and exploring our favorite spots. Then we napped by the fire. Best day of my life!
My favorite memory was getting snowed in at my parent’s house on Christmas eve during the Christmas blizzard of 1982 in Denver. We were supposed to fly out Christmas morning on a long awaited and long planned trip to Hawaii with our whole family and we couldn’t get out of our garage because of the drifts! Luckily, our neighbor (who had just lost 2 fingers in a snow blower accident!) had a four-wheel drive vehicle and heroically came and drove us to the airport! I hadn’t been able to get back to my apartment to pack anything so I had to borrow some clothes from my younger sister and buy a bathing suit when we got there!
Love the look on your face while killing candy canes in the blender ?
Making lefse with my Nana.
We didnt have many Christmas traditions growing up but I always recall my parents working on Christmas – since it was one of the busiest days of the year. We always were around to help out during the day and then we would have chinese food for dinner!
ps already follow you everywhere :P @jchongstudio
First of all, this looks DELISH.
My favorite holiday memory has to be cutting down our tree. I always travel to my hometown to be with my parents a few weeks before Christmas. I’m always the one to cut the tree but this year I had a knee injury so I couldn’t bend it to crouch down and cut the tree. Instead I had to sit right up and it looked as though I was just hugging the tree. My parents just stood and made different jokes about me as a tree hugger. That time laughing and being together is what the holidays means to me :)
I follow you on instagram (lindseyhildebrand) and on facebook (Lindsey Hildebrand)
Waking up one morning to find my door sealed shut with a mix of tape and a blockade of saran wrap around various household objects and a chair. My siblings and I had joined rooms (through a bathroom) and both our doors and the hallways had magically become an obstacle course/ escape act as our parents had figured it’d buy them some precious time to sleep. Unconventional, but my siblings and I spent a few hours just running back and forth speed obstacle course-ing through the whole things. Honestly, ripping through the saran wrap and dodging and weaving through the taped together chairs was more fun than unwrapping the presents!