GATHERINGS

baked breads including julekake, a traditional Norwegian Christmas bread, which will be sure to fill your room with a sweet scent. Call a few days ahead to place an order or stop by to see what they have available.

“For a last-minute dessert, we try to always have fruitcake. It holds up pretty well. It’s what people want for a real old-fashioned type of Christmas,” Johnson said. And he would know.

“This will be our 75th Christmas season; we’ve been doing this for a while,” he said with a laugh.

Another option for a traditional holiday dessert is ordering a homemade pie from Rustic Inn Café. The types of pies to choose from include cream pies, crumb pies and fruit pies. Traditional favorites are pecan and pumpkin.

“The pies from the Rustic Inn are delicious and they even have some gluten-free options,” Superior resident Alexandra Taylor said. “My son, Caden, always requests one for his birthday.”

Either take a drive up the shore and visit the café, located in Castle Danger, or pre-order through Whole Foods Co-op in Duluth and pick it up there.

Cookies, specialty cupcakes

Want to make your dining room table stand out this season? Twisted Pastries, located on Tower Avenue in Superior, provides an assortment of holiday baked goods, including holiday cookies and specialty cupcakes.

“The bakers switch up the cupcakes to include holiday versions,” owner Annette Jacobson said. “For example, pecan pie, apple pie, eggnog, spritz cookies, chocolate candy cane mint and more.”

Individual treats are becoming more commonplace at gatherings.

“People are moving to more individual sweet treats for dessert options. There is less touching and handling of the food,” Jacobson explained. “Plus, it gives the party a variety of flavors instead of just getting stuck with one type of dessert. Each one can look so beautiful and enticing.”

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