Hello. How are you feeling?
I hope you have entered the Christmas month well and that the snow has put you in the Christmas spirit. So it just feels a little more like Christmas, doesn't it?
We got a good amount of snow here in Helsingør, and it is still on the city's many roofs, because the cold has also come. It's starting to resemble real Christmas. Although the snow makes driving somewhat difficult, I hope we have a white Christmas this year. I actually took the opportunity to take pictures for next year's packing calendar, for the shop which I will probably start planning in January. The snow on the Christmas tree in front of my little shop in Anna Queens Stræde, the big elves that my mother-in-law made many years ago and a basket full of exciting big and small packages just fit perfectly, I think.
This year I have not made our packing calendar myself (Bjørn, our daughter Anna and I share one), but I have instead bought it at the Strandvejsristeriet near Kronborg. A nice and cozy café where you can come in and have something nice and warm to drink if you're out for a windy walk along the Øresund with a beautiful view of Sweden. We often make that trip, and Strandvejsristeriet has both nice coffee and plenty of sweets for the palate, so a packed calendar from there is perfect for a family like ours. Our 2 older girls who have moved away from home have received a parcel calendar in the mail, but it is also a little easier when they have moved away from home. There are so many things you want when you read and maybe can't afford it, so there's everything from marzipan and wine to cotton pads and toothpaste in the packages.
I'm slowly starting to buy Christmas presents and I've made brownie dough and actually baked an almost full tin yesterday. Here you can still smell the lovely dark spices in the cake batter. The recipe is from my grandmother and it is just perfect. I love brownies! They really taste like Christmas.
I have also made shortbread for gingerbread, but I got started a little late. The dough must stand for 1 month. Have you tried it? It's Meyer's recipe and I can't start baking gingerbread until around December 20th. They must be left in the fridge for a few days after baking with a damp cloth over them, and then they must be coated with dark chocolate. Something of a process. I really hope they are good. Now I have written it in the calendar for next year, so I will start at the beginning of November.
And then I baked the finest braided heart cookies. They were easy, and the dough is actually the same as for Håkonkage. So they taste good.
If you are in or coming to Helsingør tomorrow, I will serve a glass of mulled wine or coffee in my shop from 10 - 14.
Have a great weekend when you get there 
Greetings Bettina from Butik Box Quiz
