Christmas Desserts from Around the World

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Christmas is one of the most celebrated holidays in the world, but the Christmas treats that we eat vary from country to country.

Swiss roll, Christmas cake, yule log, and Italian panettone aren’t the typical sweets you’d find at an American holiday party.

My great-grandparents shared many wonderful dishes from Italy and Greece. And I’ve always been interested in learning new traditions & creating memories for my children. I believe in handing down the classic recipes from our ancestors.

And so, this list of Christmas goodies is sure to inspire classical holiday traditions. I’m sharing several decadent recipes from some really talented bloggers.

collage of christmas desserts from around the world

Traditional Christmas desserts

You’ll find more than 40 Christmas sweet treats here. Perhaps, it will bring back a little nostalgia with recipes from your youth. This list is sure to satisfy any sweet tooth.

And if you’re looking for a fun new tradition to try with the family, one of our favorites is to make this healthy hot chocolate recipe and go for a drive to look at the Christmas lights in town!

Another favorite is to cozy up with one of these wholesome Christmas movies while snuggling up with our favorite Christmas cookies.

The list below has so many wonderful Christmastime dishes and traditions to celebrate the holidays.

Greek Butter Cookies
These delicious Greek Butter Cookies are made with a few simple ingredients and make a great treat with a cup of coffee or tea. And they also make a nice addition to your Christmas baking tradition.
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Greek Butter Cookies
Vegan Christmas Cake (Irish-style)
A vegan twist on Darina Allen’s fabulous traditional Irish cake, this dark luscious vegan Christmas cake is worth the effort!
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Vegan Christmas Cake (Irish-style)
Healthy Chocolate Raspberry Tart
This decadent healthy chocolate raspberry tart recipe is the perfect sweet treat you need. And made without refined sugars too!
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Healthy Chocolate Raspberry Tart
Swedish Heirloom Cookies
Whether you call these by Swedish Heirloom Cookies or by many of their other names (Snowballs, Mexican Wedding Cookies, Russian Tea Cakes), you just need to try them. The buttery almond flavor melts in your mouth
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Swedish Heirloom Cookies
Dark Chocolate Truffles
Inspired by the traditional dessert from France, these dark chocolate truffles make an excellent sweet treat that are actually pretty good for you – with antioxidant-rich dark chocolate!
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Dark Chocolate Truffles
Walnut Crescent Cookies
Easy walnut crescent cookies dusted with vanilla sugar to make for Christmas. They are crumbly, nutty, powdered sugar-topped little crescent-shaped cookies.
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Walnut Crescent Cookies
Apple Cinnamon Bûche De Noël recipe (Yule log)
This Apple Cinnamon Bûche De Noël recipe is the Ultimate Yule log if you want to make a really fancy and delicious Christmas cake this year!
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Apple Cinnamon Bûche De Noël recipe (Yule log)
Risalamande – The Traditional Danish Pudding Recipe Served On Christmas
Risalamande, which translates to “rice with almonds”, is a type of rice pudding enjoyed by Scandinavian countries; especially during Christmas time. You’ll need a special dessert rice, milk, almonds, sugar, vanilla extract or fresh vanilla pods. Serve with cherry sauce or a jam of your liking.
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Risalamande - The Traditional Danish Pudding Recipe Served On Christmas
Cannoli Filling Dip
This easy to make cannoli filling makes a delicious dessert and you can use it several ways. From stuffing it inside of cannoli shells, enjoying it with graham crackers, or right off of the spoon!
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serving bowl with the cannoli filling cream and broken up waffle cones to the side.
Pastel de Tres Leches Cake
This easy pastel de tres leches cake is a sweet, decadent dessert recipe! Serve with fresh strawberries or blueberries for the win.
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Pastel de Tres Leches Cake
Swedish Saffron Cake (Saffranskaka)
An easy cake recipe for the holidays! Swedish Saffron Cake (Saffranskaka), is a moist and deliciously soft cake that’s great for breakfast, snack or dessert!
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Swedish Saffron Cake (Saffranskaka)
Healthy Hot Chocolate
Hot chocolate doesn’t have to be unhealthy. Learn how to make a healthy hot chocolate that’s deliciously sweet, easy to make, and full of good for you ingredients!
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holding a white mug of homemade hot chocolate with whipped cream on top
Healthy Peppermint Mocha Recipe
Creamy, smooth and refreshing, this peppermint mocha recipe is certainly a treat that you need during the cold winter months. It’s ultra satisfying without all of the unnecessary ingredients.
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two coffee mugs with healthy peppermint mocha topped with homemade whipped cream and crushed candy cane pieces.
Berliner Kranz Cookies – traditional recipe
Berliner Kranz Cookies Norweigan Christmas Cookies or “Berlin Wreaths”. They’re made into wreath shapes & decorated with red & green sugars.
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Berliner Kranz Cookies - traditional recipe
Moist Dark Chocolate Banana Bread
The sweetness of banana bread with chocolate chips is irresistible. Learn how to make this deliciously moist chocolate chip banana bread here.
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slices of banana bread with chocolate chunk pieces on parchment paper.
Gingerbread Hummus
This dessert hummus tastes like gingerbread cookie dough. It’s sweet with those classic gingerbread spices like ginger, nutmeg & maple syrup.
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Gingerbread Hummus
The Best Cranberry Orange Bread
Moist & delicious Cranberry Orange Bread recipe with Orange glaze and a wonderful festive decoration is the ultimate holiday favorite!
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The Best Cranberry Orange Bread
Honey Butter Cookies (no processed sugar!)
These honey butter cookies are perfectly soft and incredibly delicious. But best of all, they are free of processed sugar and easy to make!
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Honey Butter Cookies (no processed sugar!)
German Christmas Cake (Stollen Recipe)
You’ve never tried Stollen? You’re missing out! This German Christmas treat is packed with candied fruits and marzipan.
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German Christmas Cake (Stollen Recipe)
Italian Anise Cookies
These classic Italian anise cookies are tender, easy, and covered in a glaze with sprinkles. Enjoy these cookies during the holidays or year-round.
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Italian Anise Cookies
German stollen with prunes
Stollen is Germany’s Christmas cake – this version made with prunes, lemon zest & cardamon. Wonderfully aromatic, moist & delicious, and easy to make too.
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German stollen with prunes
Chocolate & Peanut Butter Chip Skillet Cookie
Decadent giant chocolate chip cookie recipe that is sure to win over your entire family. It is both soft and sweet, plus incredibly simple to bake in a cast iron skillet!
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slice of skillet cookie with glass of milk in background
Traditional Christmas Pudding
It wouldn’t be Christmas without this traditional steamed pudding – packed with dried fruit, nuts, spices and with a hidden silver sixpence for good luck.
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Traditional Christmas Pudding
Traditional Czech Kolachkes
Traditional Czech kolachkes (kolache cookies) filled with jam, cheese or nuts and dusted with powdered sugar, a favorite at Christmas time!
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Traditional Czech Kolachkes
Brandy Aged Fruitcake
Brandy Aged Fruitcake is so rich & delicious. Brandy softens the fruit and mellows the cake part of the fruitcake. You’ll become a fruitcake convert.
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Brandy Aged Fruitcake
Speculoos – Speculaas
Speculoos, also known as Speculaas or Dutch Windmill Cookies, are a holiday cookie that is traditionally made for the Feast of St. Nicholas in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Austria.
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Speculoos - Speculaas
Icelandic Christmas Cookies
Icelandic Christmas cookies with meringue, cornflakes and chocolate are easy and delicious. These traditional Christmas cookies are Marens Kornflexkokur.
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Icelandic Christmas Cookies
English Christmas Trifle
Trifle is a classic English dessert, with layers of pound cake, Creme Anglaise, fresh fruit, and whipped cream. This holiday trifle uses raspberries and poached pears, making it as delicious as it is beautiful.
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English trifle in a glass bowl
Low Carb Gingerbread Cookies Keto, Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free
German Gingerbread Cookies: Easy to make those homemade Low Carb Gingerbread Cookies are a must on every Christmas table in most of the European Countries.
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Low Carb Gingerbread Cookies Keto, Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free
Italian Butter Cookies
These Italian Butter Cookies are perfect anytime. Serve them as a holiday cookie or with tea or coffee in the afternoon. Yes now these are the cookies that every Italian loves and knows how to make.
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Italian Butter Cookies
Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake with Toffee Sauce
Sticky Toffee Pudding is a deliciously moist, date-speckled cake drenched in a warm butterscotch-toffee sauce and iconic in Britain, Scotland and Ireland!
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Sticky Toffee Pudding Cake with Toffee Sauce
Traditional Lussekatter, Swedish saffron buns
Traditional Swedish saffron bun called Lussekatter (named after Lucia cats) is the ultimate saffron-infused fluffy yeasted brioche to try!
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Traditional Lussekatter, Swedish saffron buns
Greek Almond Cookies (Amygdalota)
Greek Almond Cookies (Amygdalota) are crunchy, chewy classic Greek cookies made with only 5 ingredients, and they’re naturally gluten-free!
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Greek Almond Cookies (Amygdalota)
Napoleon Dessert | Classic French Pastry
Sheets of puff pastry layered with vanilla pastry cream. The classic French Napoleon (Mille Feuille) is one of the most delicious desserts you can make.
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Napoleon Dessert | Classic French Pastry
Delicious Breudher Cake with Blood Orange Glaze
This Delicious, buttery Sri Lankan Breudher Cake is a yeasted cake that’s soft & bread-like, and is covered in a citrusy blood orange glaze!
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Delicious Breudher Cake with Blood Orange Glaze
Instant Pot Arroz con Dulce Instant Pot Arroz con Dulce
Fragrant with warm spices and ginger, this Instant Pot Arroz con Dulce (Puerto Rican Rice Pudding) gets its creamy richness from coconut milk and eggs. Your Instant Pot/pressure cooker saves you the time spent stirring at the stove, and the resulting pudding will rival the best!
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Instant Pot Arroz con Dulce Instant Pot Arroz con Dulce
Chocolate, Caramel & Peanut Pavlova
If you love Picnic chocolate bars… then say hello to the most delicious CHOCOLATE, CARAMEL & PEANUT PAVLOVA!!! A super easy 10 minute dessert!
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Chocolate, Caramel & Peanut Pavlova
Cozonac Recipe – Romanian Sweet Bread
Cozonac or Romanian sweet bread: this is the most traditional Romanian pastry, a soft yeast dough with a sweet walnut filling.
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Cozonac Recipe - Romanian Sweet Bread
German Christmas Cookies: Lebkuchen
German Christmas Cookies: Lebkuchen. Authentic recipe of the most popular German cookies: spicy, soft and incredibly flavorful. Spice mix recipe provided.
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German Christmas Cookies: Lebkuchen
Christmas Fruit Mincemeat Pies
Christmas Fruit Mince Pies are sweet, fruity and traditionally served not only on Christmas, but Easter as well.
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Christmas Fruit Mincemeat Pies
Buche de Noel Recipe in 3 Days
A chocolate Buche de Noel cake recipe with Hazelnut Cream. It’s made from a rich cholate sponge cake, filled with a light and fluffy chocolate hazelnut pastry cream, and decorated with the most charming homemade forest-themed confections. Learn how to make this show-stopper across 3 days to help manage the prep!
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Buche de Noel Recipe in 3 Days
How to make Dutch Letter Pastries
Dutch Letter Pastries are one of the most beloved holiday desserts of all time. These traditional pastries are light and airy and are filled with a delicious marzipan filling. 
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How to make Dutch Letter Pastries

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