21 Food Bloggers Share Best European Christmas Sweets
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! The time where century-old traditions come back into play and you’re allowed to consume as many Christmas sweets as you can manage. Christmas is a special holiday for many and no one does Christmas sweets better than Europe (sorry America). We wanted to do something special this year – we asked over 20 food bloggers to share their absolute favorite Christmas sweets of our European Spotahome cities. You can find the result below ? Warning: don’t read this while hungry.
The UK
Christmas Pudding – Also known as Plum, Christmas Pudding is one of the most beloved UK desserts, going way back to 14th century. People also like to traditionally put a coin in the pudding – whoever finds it first, will be very lucky in the next year. Originally made of beef and mutton, the recipe for Christmas Pudding came a long way – check out Deliciously Ella, A Mummy Too, Simply Homemade's best Christmas Pudding recipes! In the words of The Daily Spud, don’t forget to add some drama to the ingredients for a true Christmas dinner!
Mince Pie – Mince Pie is another staple in UK’s households during Christmas. Mince pies were normally round, however, in the old days, the rich people liked to show off their skills by putting them in different shapes. Our Heritage of Health has one of the best old-fashioned mince pie recipes!
Ireland
Trifle – It all started in mid-1700s and cake, alcohol and were combined in the trifle bowl. Someone must’ve been having a very bad day, but we bet they didn’t realize they just made a traditional dish! Farmette’s Sherry trifle recipe is definitely the go-to!
Christmas cake – Christmas cake is very much beloved tradition in Ireland – the spices in the cake represent the spices the Three Wise Men brought to the king! The Irish Food Guide Blog has a perfect Christmas cake recipe!
- Special award goes to The English Kitchen, for combining Christmas pudding and trifle!
Italy
- Pandoro & Panettone – Pandoro prevails as the favorite choice in an Italian Christmas setting. The main difference between pandoro and panettone is the ingredients – while panettone tends to look more like a fruitcake, pandoro is considered to be more of a Christmas cake. Vintage Kitchen Notes and Manu’s Menu both offer fantastic pandoro recipes.
Austria
- Vanillekipferl – Going far beyond Austria, vanillekipferls can be also found in Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. The secret behind their popularity is the vanilla sugar powder coating! Cooking Melangery, Curious Cuisiniere, Masala Herb and The Ambassador’s Table all have to-die-for Vanillekipferl recipes.
Spain
- Roscon de Reyes – Traditionally eaten on January 6th for King’s Day (NOT Christmas), Roscon de Reyes is a beloved sweet. As usual, Spanish cities battle it out which shop has the best Roscon de Reyes, but while you’re at it, you should also check out the recipes by the following bloggers: The Winter Guest, Bake to the Roots, Lavender and Lovage and Always Order Dessert.
Germany
- Stollen – If you’ve ever been in Germany during Christmas you probably overdosed on Stollen at some point. Symbolising the Infant Jesus, the history of Stollen dates back to 15th century. There’s fruit. In bread. Sold! Wild Yeast Blog and A Sausage Has Two both feature wonderful Stollen recipes to make this Christmas.
France
- Buche de Noel – And the award for the most magical Christmas European sweet goes to France. If you’re not familiar with Buche de Noel, you should really browse through the photos of these next bloggers – Delicieux and French Foodie in Dublin.
Brussels
- Pain D’Epice Don’t be fooled by this simple Christmas dessert, we can guarantee it’ll hit all your sweet and spicy spots! Its history dates back to 1700 and this cake bread is still a very much beloved treat in Brussels. Learn how to make it with Amateur Gourmet!