Twelve Must-Try Christmas Treats From Around The World

Twelve Days Of Christmas

“On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me” the idea to bring together a few of the most famous Christmas treats from around the world.

Christmas is indeed the most wonderful time of the entire year. It is a time of reflection, a time of remembering why we even celebrate Christmas in the first place. A time for being grateful for what we have, for being together with the loved ones, for sharing the love for one another and of course, for eating the foods that we love. But most of all, it is the best time for giving!

Click the links to the recipes, have fun preparing some desserts and enjoy sharing them at your Christmas table!

In the most challenging year of our generation, I hope you are well, healthy, happy and on Santa’s “nice” list.

P.S. I could never remember the order of verses in this carol, so I’m giving myself (and anyone else who might fancy it) a chance to get it right finally. Sing along the carol and enjoy your treats!

Merry Christmas!

A Partridge in a Pear Tree

ROMANIA: COZONAC

Provided by https://theworldisanoyster.com/

Cozonac is a beautiful Christmas culinary delight I grew up with as a child – a Romanian tradition that meant on each major holiday mom would bake the best treat there could be. Each important religious holiday (be it Christmas or Easter), the house would smell incredibly good, filled with delightful flavours escaping from the oven. And I would wait impatiently for the festive dinner to finally savour the best treat created by humankind!

To me, cozonac is the best festive treat there can be, and I can never get enough of it! You can offer me the most elaborated sweet made by the most in-demand French pastry chef at a fancy king’s court, and I would always choose cozonac! Nothing beats the aromas that fill the air when you bake it and the taste offered by the combination of spices used in preparation!

Link to recipe here.

Two Turtle Doves

GERMANY: STOLLEN

Provided by https://mydinner.co.uk/

Do you want to learn how to make stollen? Great! I did too, so I asked my uncle Heinz, a retired German baker. He walked me through the steps of his German recipe. I am happy to share what I have learned! 

A quick backstory:  My father was born into a family of bakers in Bremen in the 1950s. His father was a baker, and his two brothers followed in his footsteps. Until recently you could visit the “Bäckerei Jünemann” in Bremen, but my uncle has now retired. 

You will, of course, have heard of stollen. The white powdered German Christmas cake. It is available to buy in Lidl and Aldi at Christmas time. Try homemade stollen, and you will never buy one again.

Link to recipe here.

Three French Hens

ITALY: PANETTONE

Provided by https://theworldisanoyster.com/

As is the case with everything Italian, the nation’s Christmas traditional dessert, Panettone, has its own history that goes back to the fifteenth century. 

A legend has it that one Christmas Eve, while the entire court and guests of Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan were sat at the festive table, disaster stroke in the kitchen. The cook managed to accidentally burn the dessert! 

While the unfortunate cook was pulling his hairs off, a kitchen helper, Toni, threw a few ingredients in a bowl and made a soft dough he baked and served to the potent rulers of Milan. 

The sweetbread was so successful among the guests that the Sforzas called it Pan di Toni (The Bread of Toni) which remained in history as the rich people’s traditional Christmas bread. Today, it is the classic Italian dessert the entire world knows as Panettone.

Link to recipe here.

Four Calling Birds

SCANDIVAVIA/FRANCE/GERMANY: YULE LOG

Provided by https://starfishinthekitchen.com/

The Yule Log or Bûche de Noël tradition goes back centuries – with layers of chocolate, cake and cream, there’s a reason why it endures! This Keto Yule Log cake recipe is the perfect low carb and sugar-free version of this traditional holiday dessert.

The tradition of the yule log literally goes back centuries and originally started as a Norwegian celebration of the solstice. The tradition involved burning an actual log, a tree really! Like so many great pagan traditions, it got absorbed into the Christian tradition (like the very date of Christmas which was originally the Roman holiday Saturnalia!). And now, rather than burning a log, we just eat a log cake – makes perfect sense!? The tradition of making a log cake at Christmas continues in France and across the world in many families.

Link to recipe here.

Five Gold Rings

IRELAND: BARMBRACK BREAD

Provided by https://coffeefitkitchen.com/

This Chocolate Irish Barmbrack Bread is a rendition of a traditional holiday tea loaf! It’s full of semi-sweet chocolate, raisins, and topped with melted chocolate too! This bread is not overly sweet or sugary, but the flavours of the fruit and chocolate shine through!

It’s a perfect bread to share during the holidays or whenever you want a sweet treat. The most traditional holiday it is served on is Halloween, but it’s also included in other holiday celebrations as well.

Since my heritage is about 80% Irish, I was really excited to try out this recipe! I took inspiration from the recipe on the show, and of course, added chocolate to my barmbrack too.

Link to recipe here.

Six Geese a-Laying

GREAT BRITAIN: MINCE PIES

Provided by https://theworldisanoyster.com/

As a migrant who settled in the UK, of course, I got to learn and appreciate local traditions. But I remember staying away from mince pies for several years. The reason? I did not get why a meaty thing would be placed in a pastry sheet and have sugar sprinkled on top! My prejudice wilted when I decided it was time to do some research and get to the bottom of the story! 

It turned up they were only called mince pies because, historically, they would contain minced meat (mainly mutton). In time, dry fruits would replace the meat and people would start adding booze to the fruity filling.

Mince pies seem to have made it to Britain in the middle ages, brought by the crusaders from the Middle East. At the time, they were filled with meat, fruits and spices and were not a dessert but the main course.

Link to recipe here.

Seven Swans a-Swimming

PHILIPPINES: PUTO BUMBONG

Provided by https://therunningbaker24.com/

One way of knowing that Christmas is getting nearer is when you see local vendors near churches selling puto bumbong delicacy. A unique sweet delicacy made of purple steamed rice cake usually eaten after attending simbang gabi.

For those living abroad, many miss this traditional delicacy puto bumbong. As we approach the holiday season, especially Christmas, I will be sharing this simple yet easy puto bumbong without a bamboo steamer.

This puto bumbong recipe is originally from the Philippines and plays a significant role in Filipino Catholic practice as a tradition. After attending simbang gabi or 9 traditional novena mass stores are open outside the church to sell puto bumbong, and mass goers will buy and eat right away.

Link to recipe here.

Eight Maids a-Milking

POLAND: RUGELACH

Provided by https://missourigirlhome.com/

Rugelach. Pronounced “Rugala”. Learn it well because once you have made and shared this cookie, everyone will be asking its name. Time and time again.

I made these for my work Christmas potluck last year and I bet I said “Rugelach” at least 100 times.

So what exactly is Rugalach? It is a Polish cookie made with a tender cream cheese dough that is filled with the filling of choice and then rolled into a tiny crescent shape.

The version we are making today is a little less traditional, but it is my personal favourite: Cinnamon and brown sugar with a hint of nutmeg and ginger.

Link to recipe here.

Nine Ladies Dancing

USA: SUGAR COOKIE TRUFFLES

Provided by https://blueworlddreams.com/

Who else loves sugar cookies? Well, I’ll be honest, they only recently came into my life after my husband requested some sugar cookie truffles.

These truffles are totally versatile. Decorate them for whichever holiday you want by switching the colour of the chocolate wafers and decorative toppings.

In my local area, they only sell frosted sugar cookies, so I purchased those and scraped off most of the icing. I left a little green so that my dough would have a nice light green festive colour to contrast the ruby-red exterior. 

Link to recipe here.

Ten Lords a-Leaping

MEXICO: VEGAN CARLOTA

Provided by https://www.conflictedvegan.com/

A “Carlota” is far from Mexican; in fact, it’s origin is still debated as possibly being from the United Kingdom. Vegan Carlota is also known as “Charlotte Russe”. Not the store at the local mall ladies and gentlemen.

You will not need a stove. What you will need is a large baking dish. A favourite kitchen helper is also allowed as this dessert will not require heavy machinery but the blender. A Vegan Carlota is made with wheat flour cookies; the brand I used was El Mexicano. If you are following a vegan lifestyle, make sure you double-check as the traditional Gamesas are not vegan. You will need vegan condensed and evaporated milk. Soy or coconut will be just as delicious along with lemon or lime. The mango in this recipe is interchangeable with any other fresh fruit. It was solely used as a topping for aesthetics. I left it in the fridge overnight because it was for a work event but 2 to 3 hours to settle should be fine. Shall we begin?

Link to recipe here.

Eleven Pipers Piping

USA/FRANCE: APPLE BLACKBERRY PIE

Provided by https://cheapdeliciousdinner.com/

This recipe is my take on this famous recipe called Apple pie by Grandma Ople. I love it because it is simple and easy. I fell in love with making pies by following this recipe. But I have made some changes to it, so I hope you will like this version. 

The holidays are coming up, and I tend to stress about not finishing all the food on time; I try to make my holidays as stress-free as possible.

If someone invites us for dinner, this is usually the dessert that I make and bring because of its affordable price and deliciousness. 

Link to recipe here.

Twelve Drummers Drumming

USA: BUTTERCREAM COOKIES

Provided by https://buttercreamparties.com/

I am IN LOVE with these cute sugar plum fairy buttercream cookies! I think it’s mostly because the colours are so beautiful. I love to see pastels pulled off correctly during the Christmas season.

This set of sugar plum fairy buttercream cookies would be great for a kid’s birthday party as well! Or maybe even as a baby shower for a little girl on the way!

This tutorial is beginner-friendly, so don’t be worried about all of the steps! I will have a video tutorial plus step-by-step photo series for each of these sugar plum fairy buttercream cookies. Follow along for the detailed tutorial!

Link to recipe here.

The Twelve Days Of Christmas is an anonymous cumulative British carol published in the eighteenth century and still played by carollers today. Hopefully, this tradition will continue for many years to come!