From the Pantry: Christmas Coffeecake a holiday morning tradition Depression-era French pastry is a hit with young, old

For me, Christmas morning isn't about unwrapping presents. It's all about the unveiling of breakfast - specifically, my Grandma Hazel's French Pastry.

This Depression-era recipe was given to my grandma from her friend, Lois, who served this instead of a cake at her wedding.

My grandma has served it every Christmas morning for more than 60 years. I'm not sure of its exact origin or if it is truly French, so over the years we have fallen into calling it The Christmas Coffeecake.

It certainly deserves a new name as Grandma Hazel truly made the recipe her own, personalizing it along the way.

This coffeecake is a half-circle shaped dough (resembling a calzone in shape) that is filled with meringue, cinnamon, and either a combination of chocolate chips and pecans or just pecans.

Topped with a butter frosting and glittery red and green sprinkles, this decadent breakfast is a glorious start to Christmas morning.

Since my grandma hasn't been able to make this holiday baked good in recent years, the tradition has fallen to my mom and now to me. Of course, me being me (and very much my grandmother's offspring), I decided to give this recipe a few changes. I substituted part of the white flour with wheat, added walnuts in addition to the pecans and toasted them for a more intense flavor.

I was never in love with the thick buttery frosting, so I opted instead for a simple cinnamon-vanilla glaze for a light, sweet crunch. Sprinkles, in my mind, are not optional especially when celebrating. Plus, how else can you differentiate between chocolate-filled or nut-filled? Sprinkles of course.

The recipe makes four coffeecakes, so be prepared to share.

This pastry truly is cause for celebration whether it is marriage, Christmas or a regular Saturday.

I hope it brings as much joy to your family as it has to mine over the years.

The Christmas Coffeecake

Makes four pastries

Pastry

1 packet quick-rise yeast

1 cup milk, plus more as needed

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup whole-wheat flour or whole-wheat pastry flour

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

2 sticks unsalted butter, very cold and cut into small cubes

3 egg yolks, whisked

Filling

3 egg whites

1 cup sugar

3 cups pecans and walnuts, coarsely chopped

2 cups dark chocolate or semisweet chocolate chips

4 teaspoons cinnamon

Glaze

2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

2 to 3 tablespoons milk

2 to 3 tablespoons orange juice

3 teaspoons vanilla

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Sprinkles (optional)

For the pastry, combine yeast and milk in a small bowl and let stand until dry ingredients are ready. In a large bowl, sift together flour, salt and sugar. With your hands, work butter into flour mixture until it resembles a coarse meal and the pieces of the butter are pea size.

Pour in egg yolks and milk and stir with spatula until a dough forms. Add more milk a tablespoon at a time as necessary until dough just sticks together and you are able to form it into a large ball. Wrap in wax paper and stick in refrigerator until well chilled, at least an hour.

While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place nuts on a large baking sheet and bake in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until lightly toasted. Stir at the 6-minute mark to ensure even toasting. Set aside to cool.

Next, continue working on the filling by making the meringue filling. Place egg whites and 1 cup sugar in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until stiff, about 4 to 5 minutes. Place in the refrigerator until ready to fill coffeecakes.

When pastry is chilled, divide into four equal rolls. On a floured surface and using a floured rolling pin, roll out each piece into a 10- to 12-inch circle.

Spread a quarter of the meringue on the entire circle, leaving at least a 1 inch-edge around the perimeter.

Sprinkle the lower half of the circle with 1 cup chocolate chips, 1/2 cup nuts and 1 teaspoon cinnamon, continuing to leave a 1-inch perimeter of pastry empty. (If you prefer no chocolate chips in some of the pastries, omit chips and increase nuts to 1 cup).

Fold top half of the circle over to the bottom just below where the meringue ends.

Fold lower dough up over the top dough and crimp together as you would a pie crust, making sure there is a tight seal and no filling is oozing out.

Place finished coffeecake on a large, oiled baking sheet and repeat until all coffeecakes are made. Put two coffeecakes on each baking sheet. Place in a warm spot and cover with a towel for an hour. It will rise slightly, but the majority of the rising will happen as it bakes.

After one hour, place the coffeecakes in a 350-degree oven and bake for 25 minutes or until lightly browned all over. Halfway through baking, rotate the coffeecakes.

Allow to cool on a cooling rack.

To make glaze, place the powdered sugar in a small bowl. Whisk in two tablespoons each of the milk and orange juice.

Add in the vanilla and cinnamon and whisk until smooth. The glaze should not be too thick (you want it to still drizzle easily from the whisk when you lift it up out of the glaze) so add another tablespoon of milk or orange juice as necessary.

Spread or drizzle on cooled coffeecakes. Immediately top with sprinkles, if desired.