Almond Crescents

Traditions are the one thing we keep coming back to during this strange year, and we are excited to share with you a tradition from our friend Daniela.

At the age of 24 Daniela decided to follow her heart and take the unexpected move from Croatia to Utah to be with her love. As any of us can imagine – moving away from all those you know and love can feel lonely and hard. But Daniela has found the best way to stay connected to Croatia and her family by sharing the recipes she grew up making with her Mother and Grandmother back in that Croatian kitchen.

“I’m sharing our customs and a favorite Christmas cookie- Vanilla Crescents. I think they are a German influence on our cuisine, because I’ve seen them called Vanillekipferl and all I can say is thank you wherever you came to Croatia from- you’re the best little cookies ever.

“I learned how to make them from my Mom and Grandma, who learned from their Grandma. It’s one of my dearest recipes and almost every household in Croatia has their own version. Mine is made of ground walnuts (what a surprise).”

Hop on over to Daniela’s blog to find the recipe and learn a few more traditions from her Croatian Kitchen.

Want to incorporate some other new traditions in your own kitchen? Here are a few more ideas:

Celebrations start in Croatia on Dec 6th. They celebrate St Nicholas’ Day by leaving out their boots overnight and waking to them filled with a branch, orange and, of course, some treats!
For St Lucia’s Day on December 13th, they plant wheat grass in a decorative pot and watch the wheat grow. Legend has it that your next years harvest can be predicted by the wheat seeds growth during that time.
By Mid- December winter baking is in full force! Most households will bake a variety of treats to share with friends and family.
The biggest takeaway is that no matter where you celebrate, one thing is for certain, food brings people together and is central to Holiday memories- so create food that brings the joy and love.