No holiday is complete without some baked goodies. Traditions differ, but sharing homemade treats brings universal joy.
Today, I’m taking you on a delicious tour through some of the most iconic holiday treats around the world. Warning: You might work up an insatiable craving by the end!
1 – Christmas Cookies, USA
First stop, USA!
What screams holiday louder than Christmas cookies? We just can’t get enough of these sprinkle-covered, frosting-drenched delights.
Cutout sugar cookies, crunchy gingerbread men, and everything in between don’t stay long in the cookie jar. They get swapped at parties and often leave kids (and kids at heart) in a sugar coma!
2 – Butter Tarts, Canada
Leave it to our friendly neighbors up north to contribute such a delightfully ooey-gooey confection.
These little handheld phyllo cups are essentially miniature pecan pies, with a sticky filling made from butter, sugar, and eggs.
3 – Buñuelos, Mexico
Fried dough gets the holiday treatment south of the border with these crispy tortilla fritters called buñuelos.
After frying up the puffy disks of yeasted dough, they get showered with cinnamon sugar.
4 – Mince Pies, UK
Don’t let the name fool you—these dainty little British pastries are stuffed with boozy, fruity, spicy goodness rather than actual minced meat.
A dollop of brandy cream on top makes these warmly spiced treats extra naughty and nice.
5 – Bûche de Noël, France
The Bûche de Noël from France is a log you tackle with a fork, not an axe! This fluffy sponge cake is rolled up with a creamy filling and dressed like a festive tree trunk.
You can decorate your yule log however you like, but chocolate bark and powdered sugar snow are absolute musts!
6 – Panettone, Italy
You can’t skip this towering, fruit-studded sweet bread at an Italian Christmas brunch!
Soft and fluffy with a hint of sweet citrus—no wonder everyone’s crazy about these domed loaves during the holidays.
They also make a stellar base for next-day French toast or bread pudding!
7 – Medovik (Honey Cake), Russia
Here’s a holiday dessert fit for tsars and mere sweet tooths alike!
Feast on layers of honey-infused sponge cake piled sky-high and frostings made with whipped cream, dulce de leche, and burnt honey.
The decorations are also extra special: more swirls of frosting, a drizzle of honey, and a dusting of toasted cake crumbs.
8 – Christstollen, Germany
The Germans go all out on their signature Christmas bread. This dense, yeasted fruit cake has dried fruits, nuts, spices, marzipan, and lashings of brandy.
Enjoy it with a warm cup of tea and repeat after me, “Danke schön, Germany!”
9 – Melomakarona, Greece
These walnut-topped Greek cookies are a honey-drenched, spiced-out flavor bomb! It’s impossible to have just two—they’re that addictive.
Grab a strong Greek coffee for dipping and enjoy the sweet treat well worth the inevitable sticky fingers.
10 – Bolo Rei, Portugal
Translated as King Cake, this ring-shaped holiday treat rules the Portuguese table!
Traditionally served during Three Kings’ Day, the brioche-like dough hides a tiny gift for one lucky person, amidst dried fruits and mixed nuts.
But the real crown jewel? Colorful candied fruits adorning its golden crust!
The Bolo Rei deserves to be treated like royalty.
11 – Pan De Pascua, Chile
Studded with candied fruits and chopped nuts, this Chilean Christmas bread is dense and sweet.
Its unmistakable domed shape comes from baking it in a wood-fired oven or traditional clay pots. A warm slice with a cuppa makes for a filling holiday breakfast.
12 – Pavlova, New Zealand
The Kiwis couldn’t let the Aussies have all the glory for light, bright summer holiday desserts!
This lofty, crisp-shelled meringue “cake” gets piled high with billowy whipped cream and loads of fresh berries. Delicate yet decadent!
13 – Joulutorttu, Finland
The star of any proper Nordic Christmas is an adorable pinwheel-shaped Finnish puff pastry.
A spiced, buttery cardamom dough gets rolled up with a tart prune or lingonberry filling to create these precious swirls. Be sure to make plenty—these Christmas tarts disappear fast!
14 – Cougnou, Belgium
When Belgians do baked goods, the Belgians don’t mess around!
This twisted, glazed sweet bread gets its golden, crunchy exterior from a caramelized sugar coating that shatters with each bite.
15 – Graybeh Cookies, Middle East
Get ready to go nuts for these melt-in-your-mouth Middle Eastern shortbread cookies!
Ground-up pistachios give the dough its pale green hue. A sprinkling of coarse sugar adds crunch to the nutty, crumbly little discs.
16 – Black Cake, Jamaica
Jamaicans don’t just drink their rum—they eat it too! A generous glug gives a boozy punch to this dense, decadent holiday fruit pudding.
Raisins, prunes, currants, and burnt sugar take it to an even darker level of richness. Let’s just say it’s called “black” cake for a reason.
17 – Bibingka, Philippines
You can tell Christmas has officially arrived in the Philippines once the intoxicating aroma of “bibingka” fills the air outside churches.
These chewy little rice cakes get their signature texture from finely ground sticky rice mixed with creamy coconut milk. Banana leaf cups cradle the batter as it steams over smoldering coals until perfectly puffed.
The finishing touches? A smothering of margarine, salted egg slices, and lots of shredded cheese!
Final Thoughts
There you have it—a flavor-packed world tour of famous holiday sweets! And I hope you’re craving it all!
Sarah is the founder of Baking Kneads, LLC, a blog sharing guides, tips, and recipes for those learning how to bake. Growing up as the daughter of a baker, she spent much of her childhood learning the basics in a local bakery.