Collections: Christmas Baking

Last week I asked readers to share their ultimate beaded Christmas treat ideas, for a chance to win a copy of my newest beading tutorial - beaded strawberries.

The winner is RuxyPixy, who chose either chocolate Santas, or cozonac - a traditional Romanian bread. Though the name might not ring a bell, most of us are probably familiar with at least one Christmas treat similar to cozonac. It’s a little like banana bread or fruitcake, and reminds me a lot of Oliebollen - Dutch dumplings with raisins or dried fruit.

With a craving for holiday baking, I went on a treasure hunt to find some delicious, fragrant and downright yummy handmade creations. Here’s what I found:

One of my all-time favorite holiday goodies is actually a newer addition to my must-have Christmas fare. A very good friend makes the most delicious, creamy pistachio cake with pudding and an almond crust. It’s so delicious, I could eat a whole pan. In fact, I once ate an entire cake to myself over the days between Christmas and New Year's.

So, for today’s necklace, I tried to recreate that sweet and nutty goodness. I used an assortment of pale, dusty green beads - shell coins, druks and seed beads. For a little color I added some antique brass Swarovksi pearls, then finished the palette with ivory 8/o seed beads and crystal AB fire polish rounds. I’d say it looks good enough to eat!

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