Anne Hjernøe shares four Christmas classics to prepare early
Sunday 8th November 2026 on 20:15 in
Denmark
Cookbook author and TV chef Anne Hjernøe recommends starting four Christmas recipes in November, when extra preparation can make December less busy, DR reports.
Some traditional Christmas flavours take weeks to develop. Hjernøe says getting started early can also ease a month filled with shopping, visits, guests and Christmas lunches.
Honey hearts
For homemade honey hearts in December, prepare the dough well in advance. Mix flour and honey and leave the dough in a sealed container in a cool place for about a month. During this time, changes in the flour’s starch help give the cakes their distinctive texture.
After the dough has matured, add ingredients including egg yolks, spices and a raising agent such as potash or baker’s ammonia. Let it rest for a couple of days before shaping and baking the cakes. Hjernøe says skipping the wait would leave the dough stiff and difficult to work with.
Mulled wine extract
For a spiced mulled wine, steep cinnamon sticks, cardamom, cloves, vanilla, star anise and dried orange peel in red wine and port for about two weeks. Strain out the spices once they have released their flavours, then mix the extract with more wine before heating.
Hjernøe recommends adding rum only when the mulled wine is heated. Strong alcohol can draw bitter compounds from the spices, she says.
Christmas cookies
Make a large batch of cookie dough in November, bake some of it and shape the rest into rolls to freeze. When needed, slice the frozen dough and bake the cookies straight away.
Freezing the dough is practical, and Hjernøe says it can also deepen the flavour as the aromas develop in the spices.
Christmas snaps
To make a flavoured spirit, add dried orange peel, a vanilla pod, cardamom pods, dried apple slices and a little liquid honey to neutral schnapps or vodka. Leave it to steep for around two weeks or longer, tasting every three or four days.
Remove the spices once the flavour is right, as leaving them in too long can make the drink bitter.