Christmas is a time full of love and joy – but also a time of full bellies! During Christmas period you get the best food, especially the most delicious sweets at the Christmas markets as well as selfmade cookies and candies at home. How about taking action yourself? Therefore, we present you traditional Christmas sweets from all over the world! Maybe try some new ones yourself beside the typical, well-known ones?! Find some inspiration as well as the recipes here!
Germany: Lebkuchen
Lebkuchen is a traditional German baked Christmas treat, resembling gingerbread. There are varieties of shapes as well as types, from spicy to sweet. The typical shape is round. Used spices are aniseed, coriander, ginger or cardamom. Honey and nuts might be added as well. There are some types where the Lebkuchen dough is placed on a Oblate, a thin wafer base – pretty delicious, you should try (you can buy it at Lidl ;))!
See the recipe here.
Iceland: Laufabrauð
Laufabrauð (Leaf Bread) is made of a thin, wafer like dough that Icelander use to eat in the Christmas season. It’s a kind of a crisp flatbread, originally from the northern part of the country. The bread consists of very thin flat cakes cut into intricate geometric patterns so that it looks like a leaf. After, it is deep-fried in hot fat or oil. Traditionally, the whole family including several generations take part making and decorating the Laufabrauð.
See the recipe here.
Romania: Cozonac
Cozonac is a sweet bread that is prepared for holidays in Romania. The dough contains flour, eggs, milk, sugar and salt. Depending on the region, other ingredients like raisins, grated orange, nuts or lemon rind might be added, too. Cozonac is similar to the Italian panettone, but lighter.
See the recipe here
Norway: Krumkake
Though originally Norwegian, Krumkakes are eaten throughout whole Scandinavia during the Christmas season. It’s a kind of waffle cookie, light and crisp, flavoured with cardamon. The dough is made of flour, butter, eggs, sugar and cream. While hot, the Krumkakes are rolled and filled with whipped cream or other fillings. Some even eat them plain.
See the recipe here
Netherlands: Speculaas
Speculaas is a specialty originally from the Netherlands and Belgium, but nowadays it is popular throughout almost all western European countries. It’s similar to Lebkuchen but lighter and more spiced. The cookies use to be formed into bas-relief images of characters and symbols from stories about St. Nicholas.
See the recipe here
Spain/Latin America: Turrón
Turrón is an almond nougat candy made of honey, sugar and egg white shaped into either a tablet or a round cake. There are also types with toasted almonds and other nuts. Turrón was invented more than 500 years ago in Spain from a particular honey brought from the wildflowers growing in the mountainside.
See the recipe here
Denmark: Æbleskiver
Æbleskiver is a Danish dessert usually served during the Christmas months. It looks round and puffy, like a mix of pancakes and donuts. They used to be baked with pieces of apple in the center, that’s where they got there name from – æbleskive means apple slice in Danish. Today they are baked plain, but are then served with a strawberry, lingonberry or raspberry jam or dipped in sugar.
See the recipe here
Ukraine: Kutya
Kutya is a sweet grain pudding from Ukraine, also served in Belarus, Russia and some parts of Poland. It uses to be the first dish in the traditional twelve-dish Christmas Eve supper, and is rarely served at other times of the year than Christmas. It is typically made with wheatberries sweetened with honey. Sometimes poppy seeds dried fruits and nuts are added as well.
See the recipe here
Colombia: Natilla
Natilla is popular throughout almost all Spanish speaking countries, but they use to call it Natillas instead of Natilla, as it it called in Colombia. It resembles a flan or pudding and is eaten with some kind of fried dough balls and Manjar blanco, another typical Colombian Christmas dish. Natilla is made of milk, brown sugar, cinnamon sticks and flour or cornstarch. There are other ingredients that might be added occasionally.
See the recipe here
Which one is your favorite?