Breakfasts to celebrate

With all of its long weekends and family time, the holiday season just invites cozy breakfasts that involve quality time during both prep and eating. The recipes below—some decadent, some healthy—are just as fun to make as they are to eat, and definitely promote some slowed-down relaxation in the morning.

Coffee Cake
The perfect compliment to hot coffee or tea, coffee cake is a deliciously decadent breakfast pastry. Make it in a circular or 9x13 baking dish, and serve with coffee. So simple—so delicious!

Serves 10

For the cake:
1 cup sugar
1 stick butter, room temp
3 eggs
2 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1 ½ cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
For the topping:
¾ cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
½ stick butter, room temp
1/4 cup molasses

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream butter and sugar together in a large bowl or stand mixer until light and fluffy, then gently fold in the eggs and molasses until thoroughly combined. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and spices into a large bowl, then stir to combine. Gently stir the flour mixture, a scoopful at a time, into the wet ingredients until everything is combined. In a separate bowl, combine topping ingredients and stir until crumbly but not thoroughly mixed.

Butter a 9x13 baking dish or circular pan, then dust with flour and tap out the excess. Pour batter into the pan, then scatter the topping mixture over the top. It doesn’t need to be even! Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the middle comes out clean. Let cool before serving.

Nutritional info per serving: 330 calories, 15 g fat, 85 mg cholesterol, 138 mg sodium, 90 mg potassium, 1 g fiber, 34 g sugar, 4 g protein.

Winter Fruit Salad
Sometimes after the food-laden days around the holidays, it’s nice to bite into cool, crisp, sweet fruit. Put this salad together and enjoy for breakfast, a snack, as a topping for vanilla yogurt, or heat in a saucepan and use over vanilla ice cream!

Serves 6

4 ripe pears, cut in bite-sized pieces
3 oranges, sliced, middle section and seeds removed, inner flesh separated from peel (discard peel)
½ bag (about 8 oz) cranberries
2 tbsp honey plus a few more squeezes
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tsp cinnamon
1 pinch nutmeg
Splash of pomegranate juice (optional)

Place the pears and orange pieces in a large bowl. Pulse the cranberries in a food processor with the honey until just barely broken down—about 2 or 3 pulses. Taste-test to make sure the honey has taken the tart edge off of the cranberries to your liking, and add more honey if necessary, stirring to combine or pulsing again. Add the cranberries to the bowl of pears and orange pieces.

Pour the orange juice (and splash of pomegranate juice if using) into a separate smaller bowl with the cinnamon, nutmeg, and an additional squeeze of honey and whisk to combine. Pour the mixture over the fruit in the large bowl, stirring gently to combine. Serve cool.

Nutritional info per serving: 134 calories, .6 g fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 1 mg sodium, 302 g potassium, 34.5 g carbohydrates, 5.6 g fiber, 14 g sugar, 1.3 g protein. 76.7% DV Vitamin C.

Crepe Bar
Making crepes is easy and fun! For a sweet option, try the above winter fruit salad! For a savory option, a simple filling of cheese and some chopped green onions would suffice. More suggestions below. Use a small frying pan (6-8 inches), cast iron or nonstick, though crepes are possible in other pans—just experiment to get it right!

Makes about 12 crepes

1 cup flour
2 eggs
½ cup water
½ cup milk, warm (heat in microwave for 15-20 seconds)
2 tbsp melted butter
1 tbsp vegetable or canola oil

Topping ideas:
Winter fruit salad from above, whipped cream, cheese, veggies like peppers, onions, zucchini, tomatoes, nutella, fresh or frozen fruit, jams and jellies

Whisk the milk and butter together, then add to the eggs and water and whisk. Gradually whisk in the flour until it’s all combined. At this point, if you can, start in the evening to let it rest overnight, letting the flavors combine.

When ready to use, heat a small frying pan over medium-high heat, lightly oiled with some of the vegetable or canola oil. Pour in about ¼ cup of batter, tilting the pan so the surface is evenly coated with batter, and cook until beginning to brown on the bottom, about 1 minute. Flip and cook for a few seconds on the other side, then remove to a plate. Repeat with the rest of the batter. Top with fillings while still warm, or begin to stack the crepes so they stay warm until you’re ready to serve.

Nutritional info per crepe: 82 calories, 4 g fat, 36 mg cholesterol, 29 mg sodium, 40 mg potassium, 8.4 g carbohydrates, .3 g sugar, 2.5 g protein.

What’s your favorite breakfast to make and share on a lazy weekend? Share below!