A Christmas Tradition Steeped in Love… …and Sauce

Some recipes are more than instructions on a page — they’re heirlooms. This Christmas pudding is one of those. Pulled straight from my mom’s family cookbook, it’s a dessert that has graced our Christmas table for generations. My mother made it. Her mother made it. Her grandmother made it long before that. In our family, this pudding is as much a part of Christmas as the tree itself.

This pudding is not flashy. It doesn’t chase trends. It simply shows up, year after year, exactly as it always has, and somehow that makes it magical.

Now let’s be real for a moment. Christmas pudding isn’t everyone’s first choice. Raisins? Dense texture? We get it. But here’s the thing: the sauce. Oh, the sauce. This is where believers are made.

You might swear you don’t like pudding. But, one spoonful of this sauce will make you reconsider all your life choices up until now. Warm, rich, indulgent, and unapologetically nostalgic, it transforms the pudding into something truly special. In our house, people who “don’t like raisins” mysteriously go back for seconds — strictly for the sauce, of course.

That’s the beauty of holiday traditions like this one. They invite us to slow down. To sit together. To share something familiar and comforting at the end of a long, joy-filled day. This pudding isn’t meant to impress — it’s meant to connect. It’s meant to taste like memories. It tastes like laughter around the table. It also tastes like generations gathered in spirit, even when they can’t all be there in person.

This Christmas pudding reminds us that food can be a bridge between past and present.

Whether you grew up with a similar tradition or you’re discovering Christmas pudding for the first time, we hope this recipe finds a place at your table. And even if you’re on the fence about pudding — trust us — the sauce alone is worth the journey.

A Newfoundland Christmas Tradition, reimagined

If you’ve just watched the video, you already know — this isn’t your average Christmas Slush.

In Newfoundland and Labrador, Tibb’s Eve marks the unofficial start of Christmas. It’s the night when friends gather, the holiday spirit kicks in, and long-standing traditions take centre stage. One of those traditions, for many households across NL, is the beloved Christmas Slush.

It’s familiar. It’s festive. And it’s been part of Tibb’s Eve celebrations for generations.

This year, we wanted to honour that tradition — while giving it a fresh, modern twist. All thanks to the Wanda Baker, out of the Newfoundland Herald 1998 Christmas Cookbook.

From the Classic Christmas Slush to Something a Little More Refined

Most of us grew up with some version of Christmas slush: a tried-and-true recipe, shared between friends and family, pulled out year after year. There’s comfort in that familiarity, and we wouldn’t change it for the world.

But we also love exploring how classic recipes can evolve.

Wanda’s Singapore Sling Slush takes inspiration from the flavours of a Singapore Sling cocktail, bringing together bright citrus, cherry notes, and a smooth frozen texture. The result is a drink that still feels unmistakably festive, but with a more elevated, cocktail-forward profile.

It’s everything you love about a Newfoundland Christmas slush — just reimagined beyond the same old same old.

Traditions Worth Celebrating — and Evolving

One of the things we love most about Newfoundland traditions is how they grow with us. They’re deeply rooted in history, but they’re also meant to be shared, adapted, and enjoyed in new ways.

This slush is another way of celebrating a beloved NL holiday tradition while letting it evolve — keeping the spirit of Tibb’s Eve alive, with just a bit of a glow-up.

Because sometimes, the best way to celebrate the season is to take something familiar — and make it feel new again.

Cheers to Tibb’s Eve, to Christmas Slush, to Wanda Baker, and to traditions that keep bringing us together. 🍒❄️🥂

After a Summer (and Fall) hiatus, we’re back with our weekly throwback series.

If you love easy holiday baking and nostalgic Christmas treats, you’re going to adore this week’s Throwback Kitchen feature. We cracked open the 1998 Newfoundland Herald Christmas Cookbook and rediscovered a classic recipe that deserves a place on every holiday dessert table: old-fashioned Butterscotch Squares, brought to us by Karen Hefford of Dunville.

These butterscotch squares are soft, chewy, and perfectly sweet — the kind of retro Christmas dessert that instantly brings back warm memories of family kitchens, cookie exchanges, and handwritten recipe cards. Holiday baking has a way of grounding us, and this simple but delicious recipe is a reminder that sometimes the best Christmas treats are the ones that have been around for decades.

What makes these vintage butterscotch bars so special? They come together with minimal ingredients, fill your home with the cozy aroma of butterscotch and butter, and deliver that melt-in-your-mouth texture everyone loves. They’re an ideal addition to your holiday cookie box, festive bake sale, or Christmas morning snack plate.

As we decorated the kitchen with lights and queued up the holiday playlist, baking these squares felt like stepping back into a simpler time — one where tradition mattered and every recipe came with a story. That’s exactly what Throwback Kitchen is all about: celebrating tried-and-true favourites and sharing the nostalgic treats that shaped our holiday seasons.

If you’re looking for a quick Christmas dessert recipe, a retro holiday bake, or simply the best butterscotch squares to share with friends, this one is a must-try.

Stay tuned — more vintage holiday recipes are on the way! 💚✨

Butterscotch Squares

• Graham wafers (enough to line an 8×8 dish)
• 6 oz butterscotch chips
• ½ cup melted butter
• 1 egg
• ½ cup icing sugar
• 1 package small coloured marshmallows
• Coconut, for sprinkling (optional but encouraged!)

Prepare the base:
Line an 8×8 baking dish with graham wafers. Set aside.

Make the butterscotch mixture:
In a saucepan, combine the butterscotch chips, melted butter, egg, and icing sugar.
Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, stirring constantly to prevent sticking and egg scrambling.

Add the marshmallows:
Remove from heat and quickly stir in one full package of coloured mini marshmallows until fully coated.

Assemble the squares:
Pour the warm mixture over the graham wafer base, spreading evenly.

Finish with coconut:
Sprinkle coconut over the top.

Chill:
Refrigerate until fully set, then cut into squares.