Holiday Mail Order Sweets
There are certain foods – usually sweets – that we buy or receive once a year around the holidays that lend nostalgia to the season (and a few inches to the waistline). In our home, we usually kick off the season in mid November with the purchase of a sweet Italian cake called Pandoro that my daughter sprinkles confectionary sugar over.
Sweet, airy, and buttery tasting, a pandoro or panettone (pandoro with dried fruit) has the texture of an egg bread but the flavor of a cake. Delicious with sliced berries, sprinkled with confectionary sugar, or just plain, we first discovered pandoro while living in Spain and can’t imagine the holidays without indulging in these Italian treat.
In the summer of 2010, Eataly, a 50,000 square foot Italian marketplace opened up at 200 Fifth Avenue between 23rd and 24th Street in New York City and has been described as both a foodie and non-foodie paradise. For those that can’t get to New York City but want an Italian pandoro or panettone, go to the store’s website: eatalyny.com. 
Click on “SHOP” and then “GIFT BOXES” and a selection of the holiday sweet breads pops up.
Eataly has a pandoro (pictured left) and a panettone (a pandoro with dried fruits and nuts), as illustrated above. Prices are $19.80 per cake (700 grams or 1 pound, 8 ounces) plus shipping.
Williams Sonoma also sells a variation” of the panettone with glazed chestnuts (as illustrated below) that is excellent. Made by a “pasticceria” called “Scarpato” from Milan, Italy, the panettone is light and airy despite its large size. 
Each cake comes in a decorated tin to prevent the cake from being crushed during shipping. Simply remove from the tin, unwrap, place on a cake plate, sprinkle with confectionary sugar (packed enclosed), and serve. The best way to cut these cakes is with a bread knife.
Almond Toffee
Every year, we receive a box of Enstrom’s Milk Chocolate Almond Toffee from my husband’s Aunt Mary and if the box doesn’t arrive my mid-December, everyone is asking where the almond toffee is. 
Enstrom’s is a family owned business based out of Grand Junction, Colorado that has been operating for more than 80 years producing their signature product: milk chocolate almond toffee made with five ingredients: almonds, butter, sugar, milk chocolate, and salt. The toffee is a simple, old-fashioned delicious treat that we never tire of. When the box is empty and there are only fine crumbs in the bottom, sprinkle over ice cream for a final “au revoir.”
The almond toffee is sold in a variety of sizes and boxes. A one pound box is $19.95 plus shipping. Order on-line at www.enstrom.com.
Hammond’s makes traditional candy canes in peppermint flavor but also makes the canes in cinnamon, cherry, root beer, cranberry, pomegranate, butterscotch, and more.
Each candy cane is $2.75 each or 12 for $30 plus shipping. Hammond’s also makes Hanukkah candies which can be ordered through the website listed below. If traveling in the Denver area, consider taking a free tour of the candy making operation. The tours run every half hour, Monday – Friday from 9:00 – 3:00 and on Saturdays from 10:00 – 3:00.
Even though my daughter outgrew peppermint (and went on to chocolate, finally), I continued to order the ribbons because the broken pieces make for great toppings on cookies or homemade peppermint bark. The F.B. Washburn Candy Corporation of Massachusetts has been making peppermint and other flavored candy ribbon for more than 150 years. The candy is widely available across the United States at most retailers or order on-line from www.ribboncandyman.com. The Thin Peppermint Ribbon Candy is $14 for three 4-ounce boxes, shipping and handling included. The regular ribbon candy is $21 for six 7-ounce boxes, shipping and handling included.
We sat down one day and ate most of the box while watching our kids play and we definitely had more fun than they did.The bark is only available during the holiday season. Each tin has one pound of peppermint bark and retails for $26.95 or two tins for $46.00. The bark is also sold in individually wrapped 1.2 ounce packets (4) that sell for $10.00 at www.williams-sonoma.com.
Amy’s Cookies out of Brooklyn, New York makes fabulous cookies and during the holiday season, this star cookie maker produces gingerbread men - 24 cookies, 6 of which are decorated so the other 18 cookies can be decorated at home with your own icing. The 24 cookies arrive in a beautiful box tied with a grosgrain ribbon. Each box is $40 plus shipping and can be ordered on-line at www.amyscookies.com.
Amy’s Cookies also sells other holiday assortments (see photo, upper left) that include a variety of decorated cookies. See the website for other holiday gift sets and cookies – especially the Viennese Crescents.
Polvorones are Spain’s version of shortbread - but with a hint of cinnamon and a bit more crumbly.
Individually wrapped like a piece of salt water taffy, polvorones derive from the word “polor” which means powder and are made from almonds, shortening, sugar, salt, lemon, and usually cinnamon although there are many varieties.
Polvorones are traditional holiday almond cookies made in Spain - primarily in the southern part of the country where almonds are abundant. The cookies can be purchased on-line at www.latienda.com. Each box contains about 20 individually wrapped cookies and sells for $20 – $22 plus shipping.
Most people will question why the most dreaded holiday gift is included here as there are more jokes about fruitcake than any other holiday sweet. I used to wonder why America got stuck with the fruitcake when Italy got the panettone, Spain the polvorone or Pan de los Reyes (Bread of the Kings – a rich coffee cake ring that melts in your mouth and can only be purchased fresh to enjoy properly), and France has La Buche de Noel (the chocolate and chestnut cake shaped like a log). As a young adult, I thought America got the short end of the stick on holiday desserts.
Fruitcake is one of those holiday treats that one may (or may not) acquire a taste for unless your first taste of a fruitcake is from a mix that King Arthur Flour of Norwich, Vermont (www.kingarthurflour.com)sells.
King Arthur Flour sells a basic mix for $5.95 that requires the addition of butter, eggs, light corn syrup, milk and the dried fruit and nuts of your choice to make two cakes. Or, a complete fruitcake mix is available that includes the dried fruit (apricot and pineapple chunks, golden raisins, cranberries, and dates) and candied cherries. The complete kit sells for $19.95 and makes 2 loaves. If you’ve never tasted a good fruitcake, King Arthur Fruit Cake will change your mind - it did mine. The cake is moist, buttery, and delicious without the offensive bright green alien fruit. And, when you finish that last bite, you won’t think that America got the short end of the stick on holiday desserts.
We’ve all seen those theme-inspired canisters overflowing with iridescent colored popcorn that tastes even worse than it looks. Garrett’s Popcorn is differentt. Based in Chicago, Illinois, Garrett’s Popcorn has been making incredible tasting popcorn since 1949. 
Try the cheddar cheese, almond caramelcrisp, or the pecan caramelcrisp: all three are positively addicting. Garrett Popcorn stores (9) are located throughout Chicago and even at O’Hare Airport but can also be purchased on-line in 1, 2, 3.5, or 6.5 gallon tins from $26 and up plus shipping.
