Holiday Snack Foods

christmas goodies image by Kathy Burns from Fotolia.com
There is an endless variety of holiday cookies.
Along with presents and spending time with the family, food is among the most important things that many people associate with the holiday season. There is a certain magic to a food that is eaten only for a short time each year, and if your family is looking for a new holiday tradition, consider adding one of the holiday snacks that numerous other families already consider classics.

Cookies
Cookies are a classic holiday snack, and many families have their own traditional recipes. Some of the classic holiday cookies include sugar cookies, oatmeal raisin cookies and chocolate cookies. If you are in the mood for something different, try ginger snaps, which include ingredients such as Chinese five spice powder and crystallized ginger.

Sausage

Sausage has become a traditional holiday snack because of its origin as a way of preserving meat to eat throughout the winter. Today, some mail-order companies capitalize on this by offering selections of sausage along with cheese and condiments such as mustard, marketing heavily during the holiday season. While these companies certainly provide tasty treats, you could also try purchasing a meat grinder and making your own sausage.

Candy canes are so synonymous with the holiday season that many supermarkets do not stock them during any other time of the year. The pleasing shape and red-white color combination of candy canes makes them popular as ornaments when decorating the holiday tree. After tree-trimming night, family members often pluck the candy canes from the tree and snack on them periodically.

Fruitcake has received an unfair reputation as the "holiday gift nobody wants," because of the proliferation of poorly made versions during the holidays. A great fruitcake has a selection of dried fruits and berries, spices such as cloves and sometimes a small amount of a liquor, such as brandy. The flavor of homemade fruitcake is delicious and complex, and improves if the cake is given some time to age before the holiday season.

Eggnog is a classic holiday beverage that incorporates egg yolks. After the yolks are beaten into a thick liquid, add your favorite spirit such as brandy or bourbon, and some milk to thin the mixture slightly. Top with powdered nutmeg and whipped cream before serving.