Nuts were a big item in Christmas bakery but also just for snacking during my childhood. Hazelnuts were cheaply available anywhere, whether grated or whole. Californian almonds were an all-year-around treat, too, their price just as low as that of hazelnuts although imported from so far away! And we received boxes of nuts from my aunt in Maine sometimes as well – Macadamia and pecan nuts made it into our homes that way, too. Only our native nuts were used in the Christmas bakery, though. Whether in the dough or as a decoration on top, whether finely grated, chopped, or shaved, they lend great flavor to any cookie or cake.
We also always had walnuts at home around Christmas time. A nutcracker was one of the tools I learned to use very early. We cracked the shells carefully, and if we managed to keep them whole, we’d glue them together again with a hanger fastened inside, and lacquer them with fake gold. That way, apart from the culinary delight, we had a longer lasting one for the eye as home-made ornaments on a bouquet of evergreen branches.
Susanne, you forgot to mention the discomfort of stepping on bits of shell in the kitchen in your stocking feet.
Because I never had that experience, Ray. You make me giggle. It must be almost as bad as stepping on a Lego …