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Traditional Greek Christmas Desserts

Christmas is a time when many people around the world enjoy traditional foods from their culture. For Greeks, that means celebrating Christmas with some delicious food that is unique to their country.

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Christmas is a time when many people around the world enjoy traditional foods from their culture. For Greeks, that means celebrating Christmas with some delicious food that is unique to their country. While there are many different types of Greek Christmas desserts, some of the most popular include melomakarona, vasilopita, and kourabiedes!

Read more: A Complete Guide for a Magical Christmas in Athens

Each of these sweets has a unique flavor and texture that makes them special during the holidays. If you’re looking for a new way to celebrate Christmas this year, why not try some of these traditional Greek Christmas desserts? You might just find that you love them!

Top Greek Christmas desserts!

1. Galaktoboureko

Another popular Christmas dessert is Galaktoboureko. This dessert is made with layers of custard and phyllo dough, and it is usually served with honey syrup or syrup made with orange juice.

2. Kourabiedes

Greek kourabiedes are made with one part sugar, two parts butter, and three parts flour. The eastern origin of kourabiedes, on the other hand, demands sheep and goat butter in addition to almonds, which distinguishes it from European biscuits of the same family. They are often decorated with powdered sugar and cinnamon before they are baked.

Although kourabiedes are not the healthiest choice, they are popular because of their rich flavor and peculiar, crumbly texture. If you’re looking for something a little bit different, why not try kourabiedes?

3. Melomakarona

melomakarona
image source

Melomakarona and kourabiedes are classic Greek Christmas desserts that are regarded as very important in every household, especially during the Christmas season. In English, this sweet delicacy is known as the miniature honey cake.

This sticky delight was, is, and will always be our favorite Christmas treat. The flavor of melomakarona in Greece is strongly associated with the pleasure of the Christmas holidays. Nonetheless, their history is somewhat surprisingly gloomy. It is one of the healthiest alternatives since it has the fewest calories. It consists mostly of flour, semolina, olive oil, orange juice, and honey.

4. Diples

Diples is one of the few famous Greek Christmas desserts to have originated in the Peloponnese, using thin dough as the primary component. The dough is folded into different forms before being fried in hot oil, drenched in syrup or, more traditionally, honey, and then topped with cinnamon and chopped almonds. The folds may take several forms, but the most prevalent are spirals, bowls, and flowers.

5. Klostari

Klostari, a traditional Christmas dessert, is formed with a crust sheet and filled with a generous amount of shredded walnuts, honey, and cinnamon. It gets its name from how it’s created since the walnut filling and sheets are “spun” and squeezed like a thread. If you happen to be in the lovely city of Ioannina, you should certainly try it.

6. Christopsomo

christopsomo greek christmas bread

Although not usually seen, this delicious spiritual Christmas bread may include raisins, cinnamon, and even anise. It is lovingly prepared and baked because, as the name Christopsomo says, it is Christ’s bread. Families cook it on Christmas Eve and serve it at the Christmas Day meal to bless the whole family.

7. Mamoulia

Mamoulia are a sort of filled pastry made by Chios residents using traditional ingredients like nuts and almonds, and occasionally mastic. Mamoulia are famous in Chios, but they may also be found on numerous other Greek islands.

The traditional New Year’s Greek dessert!

Vasilopita is a New Year’s Eve pie, usually cooked by Christian, nations and sliced immediately after the year turns. Because it is the first item we taste, it must be as delicious as we want the rest of the year to be. It is composed mostly of wheat, eggs, sugar, and milk in Athens. It may come in a variety of sizes and shapes, but it is often fluffy and delicious.

This New Year’s Day treat is loved by everyone, particularly children, in almost every Greek home. The Vasilopita cake is famous not just in Greece, but also in neighboring Balkan nations. Vasilopita, a pound cake-like dessert, is sliced on New Year’s Day and is always created with a concealed penny within.

When the Vasilopita is sliced and served on New Year’s Day, the person who gets the piece with the coin is regarded to be the fortunate one. Along with ‘winning the coin,’ ‘the fortunate one’ will enjoy good fortune for the remainder of the year.

Greek Christmas desserts – Vasilopita: Recipe

Ingredients:

300 butter, at room temperature
250 g icing sugar
1 tablespoon(s) granulated sugar
7 g mahlab
2 g mastic
1/2 teaspoon(s) nutmeg
2 tablespoon(s) all-purpose flour
orange zest, of 1-2 oranges
1 g vanilla powder
eggs, at room temperature
75 g milk, 3.5%
400 g all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
icing sugar

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 180 °C.

Beat the butter and icing sugar in a mixer using the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Scrape down the edges of the bowl and resume pounding. 5 minutes more beating (It is critical that the butter is at room temperature.) The fluffier your combination will be, the softer it is.

While you’re waiting, combine the remaining ingredients from the first batch (excluding the orange zest) in a blender with a tablespoon of sugar until powdered. When ready, stir in the orange zest. Mix this powdered mixture in the mixer at a low speed.

In batches, add all the components from the second mixture. Remove the mixing bowl from the machine and add the items from the third combination. With a big spoon, combine everything. Grease and flour a circular 25 cm spring-form baking pan. Place the batter in the baking pan.

45-50 minutes in the oven.

Remove from oven, sprinkle with icing sugar, and serve!

No matter what your taste buds are longing for, you’re sure to find a delicious Greek Christmas dessert to enjoy!

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