Oh, the weather outside is frightful. But not all foods are so delightful. As the holiday season approaches, supermarkets, bakeries, and families are starting to celebrate with various holiday-special goods — especially desserts. Which ones, however, are actually worth the hype? Here’s my very subjective ranking of popular holiday treats, from worst to best.
Definitely my least favorite holiday treat is any peppermint-related desserts (e.g., candy canes and peppermint barks). Although they may be good for a small topping on hot chocolate, peppermint alone is essentially a sweet version of a breath mint. It’s like sugary toothpaste and leaves your mouth with nothing but a weird aftertaste.
A slightly better but still not great treat around the holidays is gingerbread cookies. Stop pretending they’re good so that you don’t feel left out of the holiday spirit. The first bite may be okay, but starting from the second bite, the weird spice hits your throat, and the excessive sweetness hurts your head. I’m wondering who decided to combine ginger, a type of spice, with cookies in the first place. Just because they look cute doesn’t mean they’re good, and gingerbread cookies are a prime example of this fact. And don’t even get me started on gingerbread houses. Why make them out of food when nobody is going to eat them?
Next up is apple cider. I don’t really know how to feel about this one because I do sporadically enjoy it, but I don’t really see a difference between regular old apple juice and apple cider. I get that ciders are supposed to be more “organic” and all that, but juice is juice, and just because they’re warm and brown doesn’t really change anything.
The same logic applies to frosted cookies. They are pretty with all the colorful frostings and delicate Santa hats, but you could also get a dozen pink sugar cookies from Target for a quarter of the price, and they’ll give you the same exciting sweetness. Honestly, I’m more of a taste-than-looks person, so if they taste the same, I’d go for the more affordable ones. If you’re different, I understand. We’re all different.
Now we’re getting to the good list — let’s start with (non-alcoholic) eggnogs. I may have said sweet and spicy don’t go well, but hear me out. This is the only exception. They’re rich, creamy, and give you the short delusion that you’re actually on the Polar Express rather than studying for your math final exam. Although they may not be for everyone, eggnogs are a special delicacy during the cold months.
This brings us to another great beverage: the one the only, hot chocolate. All the stores sell it year-round, so it’s not really a “holiday special,” but this just shows how good, approachable, and easy they are. Hot chocolate is also very customizable, so you can have it vegan, topped with marshmallow, with milk or water, etc. It’s even served in the StuFac, so any CA member can have it for free; it’s a staple beverage that nothing can really beat.
Now it’s time for the grand reveal: the best one out of all desserts out there — yule logs. Nobody talks about them enough; also known as Buche de Noel, they originate from France and consist of an airy sponge cake, rolled up and incorporated with chocolate ganache and cream. Their creative shape, perfect balance between the cake sheet and cream, and the perfectly balanced amount of chocolate (which is a lot) make them the best treat of all time, of the holiday season. Its shape, which resembles a log, is a beautiful symbol of luck and fortune for the holidays and the new year. If yule logs aren’t the best dessert, I don’t know what is.
All in all, thank you for reading my ranking of holiday desserts. Whether you agree or disagree, have the happiest holiday season and good luck on your finals!