{shortcode-22017f629992956cfca3edd0229e61a372834656}This reading period, you may have fewer (as in, zero) formals and gatherings to attend, so what should you do with the extra few hours? Make your life a little sweeter by eating delicious goodies. Rather than simply scrolling through Pinterest and saving photos of aesthetic holiday desserts, go out and actually enjoy a few treats from this list. This semester may not have been a piece of cake, but you certainly deserve one for making it to the end.
Apple Cider Donuts
Your class year may not be the apple of Harvard’s eye for Spring 2021, but these donuts are definitely ours. Filled with cinnamon and sugar, apple cider donuts embody warm fireplaces, cozy socks, and cute Gossip Girl-style coats. This dessert is far from your basic Krispy Kreme glazed donut, and it is a cold weather staple, especially if you’re feeling nostalgic for the apple-picking season in New England. Enjoy a donut with a glass of milk, a mug of coffee, or even a cup of apple cider.
Jam Thumbprint Cookies
Sad that you won’t be able to leave your mark on campus this year? Leave it on a cookie instead! Jam thumbprint cookies are small, adorable treats with a tasty surprise in the middle. If you’re up for a challenge and looking for a tasty study break, try to bake them yourself with this recipe. Fill the little crater with apricot, strawberry, or blueberry preserves. If none of those options are your jam, try something unique, such as a Hershey Kiss, peanut butter, or leftover Halloween candy — with final exams around the corner, it’s safe to say that our lives are still pretty spooky anyway.
Custard Pies
Due to their popularity during the flapper era, custard pies were featured in Season 7, Episode 5: “Roaring ‘20s Week” of the Great British Baking Show. This semester was far from easy as pie, but this yellow baked good will help you forget all of your woes by bringing you back to the age of jazz, the Charleston, and feather headbands. The baking show’s white tent also bears a striking resemblance to the plaza tent in front of Harvard’s Science Center, which hurts a bit, but the sweet filling makes up for the painful reminder.
Tiramisu
How can you resist a cake that tastes like coffee, that’s a favorite during the holiday season, and whose meaning in Italian is “pick me up?” You can’t! A delicious HUDS specialty, tiramisu is bound to make you reminisce about the good ol’ days on campus. We can’t count the number of times we went back for seconds of this dessert in the dining hall, whether it was over a meal with friends or as comfort food on a stressful night. Bring a slice of Harvard to your home by treating yourself to some savory tiramisu. Harvard tira-misses-you too, boo.
Gingerbread Cookies
Very much like the fabled gingerbread man, we want to run far, far away, especially from all of our final essays, psets, and projects. 2020 has been a pretty rough year, so go ahead and add extra sugar in this batch.
Life hasn’t been a cakewalk, so you should reward yourself with some sweets. If possible, ask a family member or friend to try a new dessert together; not only will your taste buds be happy, but you also get to spend some quality time with someone special. Two birds, one scone.