Though the house is much quieter this year than the bustling Christmas mornings of recent memory, December is still a time to celebrate the holidays. The seasonal treats are in the house, but not as frequent or in nearly as large of quantities as usual. Seeking ways to bring the best tastes of the season to a smaller meal, don’t forget to add your Christmas cheer to breakfast as an additional way to celebrate the day.
While you may not serve three styles of casseroles to visiting family from out of town, you can still make your breakfast plans special using ingredients already in the house for the winter months. Bring your favorite holiday flavors to breakfast—each paired with a glass of real milk, of course.
Parfaits are an easy breakfast to make for one or many. Depending on your ingredients, parfaits can even act as a dessert instead of breakfast, providing plenty of excuses to snack on this sweet treat all day long. For a parfait with a holiday twist, combine eggnog, cinnamon and nutmeg with your base, such as cream cheese or thick Greek yogurt. If you don’t have eggnog on hand, this homemade eggnog milk recipe can be used in the holiday menu for both sipping on and biting into.
If making a hot breakfast with those not too preoccupied with new gifts, raid the pantry. Add nutmeg, cloves, and ginger to your usual French toast recipe to create a delectable breakfast of gingerbread French toast. When blueberry pancakes and maple syrup won’t do, bring shaved peppermint and white chocolate chips to your pancake game to create a peppermint pancake wonderland. For a family brunch, top your crepes with sliced cranberries and yogurt.
To create a traditional holiday breakfast, combine warm spices like allspice, cinnamon, ginger and cardamom with pumpkin for bread pudding, another recipe that plays hopscotch with the line of breakfast and dessert.
You can still enjoy your favorite holiday flavors during more intimate family gatherings. What flavors will you pair with dairy?