Now I know that the Netherlands isn’t exactly world-renowned for their fine cuisine, but there is one thing they do very very well.  And that something is baking. From rich grainy brown breads, to appeltaart, stroopwafel, koekjes of all shapes and sizes, the Netherlands has an endless supply of carbohydrates to fill your tummy.

One of my favorite Dutch specialties is kerstbrood (kerst = Christmas, brood = bread).  Kerstbrood is a sweet spiced bread stuffed with raisins, nuts, and almond paste, and topped off with powdered sugar. This is the stuff dreams are made of!

Now if you’ll pardon me, I have a date with a very large chunk of this kerstbrood.