It’s one of the best times of the year; Christmas! As Christmas approaches and the temperature drops, it’s time to start thinking about warming recipes to help you survive the winter months. Just when we needed them, the Swedish Christmas desserts showed forth!
We’ve got just what you need if you’re looking to add something special to your Christmas table this year.
Our list of Swedish Christmas desserts is sure going to be satisfactory. Let’s dig in!
1. Swedish Apple Pie
It is hard to find more iconic Swedish Christmas desserts than apple pie. The recipe for Swedish apple pie is as follows: cinnamon, sugar, butter, and peeled and cored apples. First, peel the apples and core them, cutting them into small pieces.
Next, mix the cinnamon, sugar, and butter in a bowl until they form a paste-like consistency. Then, put the apples into a pie crust and pour the mixture over it before baking it for 30 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius).
2. Semlor Buns
Semlor buns are traditional Swedish Christmas desserts. They are usually served around Easter but may be served in December or anytime during the year, for that matter.
This is an iconic Swedish dish and one of their most famous desserts. Moreso, these buns are made with cardamom bun dough, filled with whipped cream, dusted with powdered sugar, and topped with almond paste.
When they’re fresh out of the oven, they still have a bit of heat on them. So you don’t want to eat them until they’ve cooled off just a little bit. Because otherwise, it could burn your tongue and mouth, which isn’t very pleasant at all!
3. Sticky Chocolate Cake
Sticky chocolate cake is one of the most popular Swedish Christmas desserts. It consists of flour, baking powder, salt, butter, sugar, eggs, and milk.
The cake is then baked in a bain-marie with a little water or milk. This creates a moist and gooey cake with a sticky chocolate sauce on top. This is often served with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
4. Äppelpaj (Swedish Apple Pie)
Äppelpaj, or apple pie, is one of the traditional Swedish Christmas desserts. It’s made from pastry dough filled with apples and raisins that are stewed until soft and topped with streusel. Not only is it very tasty, it’s also very satisfying!
5. Swedish Christmas Toffee
Among other Swedish Christmas desserts, the most popular dessert is toffee. It’s so popular, in fact, that the Swedish word for toffee is tårta.
This sweet, rich, buttery confection can be enjoyed at many different times of the year with various toppings and fillings.
The most common way to serve it is as a round cake with whipped cream and lingonberry jam. Meanwhile, the dish might have origins in Medieval Europe when sweetened pastries were served during Advent.
In Sweden, however, we’ve taken the concept of this treat to another level. The cake is made by spreading hot sugar syrup over a pan of baked biscuits or crêpes. And then, allow it to cool before adding a layer of chocolate or vanilla custard filling.
6. Swedish Apple Cake
This cake is one of my favorite Swedish Christmas desserts and is surprisingly easy to make. The cake comprises layers of apples, bread, and butter-soaked in syrup.
The syrup is first boiled with sugar, cloves, and cinnamon sticks until it becomes thick before being poured over the apple mixture.
However, the most difficult part is waiting for the cake to cool down before slicing it into it! I recommend baking this delicious cake on Christmas Eve as there will be time to enjoy it after dinner while opening presents. This treat will make you and your guests call for more!
7. Swedish Almond Cake
This Swedish Almond Cake recipe is a favorite among Swedes and is often served for dessert on Christmas.
Of all the amazing Swedish Christmas desserts, it is one of the most famous recipes in Swedish history. These cakes were originally served at the wedding of King Karl XIV Johan and Queen Desideria in 1797.
Going further, this light cake is made from ground almonds, sugar, eggs, flour, butter, and vanilla extract.
The top of the cake is sprinkled with icing sugar before baking to give it a delicate crunchy crust. Served with whipped cream or ice cream, this makes for a great dessert that can be enjoyed any time of year!
8. Swedish Waffles
The Swedish waffle is a popular dessert in Sweden and a staple at the Swedish Christmas celebration Jultomten.
The Swedish waffle can be eaten with jam, whipped cream, ice cream, or nothing on it! It’s one of my favorite things to eat during the holidays, therefore, included in this list of delectable Swedish Christmas desserts!
The recipe for this palatable dessert is very simple and easy to make. It only has four ingredients: flour, sugar, eggs, and butter. First, mix the dry ingredients in a bowl.
Then, you whisk the eggs together before adding them to the dry ingredients. The butter goes into melted form before being added as well. Finally, make sure to enjoy it!
9. Kanelbulle (Cinnamon Buns)
Buns of all shapes and sizes dominate the Swedish Christmas dessert list. Kanelbulle, the most popular bun of them all, is a sweet breakfast treat served with coffee or tea in the morning. They’re typically made from butter, milk, eggs, yeast, flour, and sugar.
Moving on, this mixture gets kneaded into a dough that is rolled out and shaped into a long oval shape. After this is done, it is filled with either cinnamon and sugar or apple filling (although there are many other variations).
A cross-shaped cut is made on top before they get brushed with egg wash (a mixture of egg yolk and water), giving them their signature shiny glaze.
In short, Kanelbullar is sweet yeast bread rolls. These are flavored with cinnamon and cardamom and topped with a white icing glaze. Above all, they are also delicious Swedish Christmas desserts.
10. Swedish Ginger Cookies
Ginger Cookies are traditional Swedish Christmas desserts that have been around for centuries. They’re made with ground ginger, sugar, eggs, and butter.
These cookies became popular after the 17th century when people could afford things like butter and sugar. The cookies are usually sprinkled with powdered sugar before being eaten.
What’s more? Ginger Cookies come in various shapes and sizes, but most people are familiar with thin rectangles. Those are about the size of your palm or smaller.
They’re typically decorated by pressing a cookie cutter into dough to create shapes before they bake. For example, they can be decorated as stars or snowflakes before baking to add texture and flavor.
11. Swedish Butter Cookies
Butter cookies are a Swedish delicacy that is often served during the Christmas season, and for a good reason. These buttery treats are perfect for enjoying with a cup of coffee or tea or as an after-dinner sweet.
Butter cookies can be whipped up in no time at all and taste equally delicious when made with either butter or margarine.
Just follow these simple directions below to learn how to make this one of the Swedish Christmas desserts from scratch!
First, in a large bowl, mix the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg until well combined. Secondly, beat the butter and vanilla extract together until light in color and fluffy in texture; set aside.
Next, add eggs to the mixture one by one, mixing thoroughly before adding another egg. Lastly, add milk and beat until smooth before adding the dry ingredients.
12. Swedish Pancakes
Swedish Pancakes (typically served with a Lingonberry sauce and whipped cream or jam). These delicious, fluffy pancakes are typically eaten at breakfast time in Sweden. Equally important, they aren’t left out of this list of the various Swedish Christmas desserts!
13. Advent Calendar
We aren’t finished with these Swedish Christmas desserts, and the Advent Calendar is next! These are popular traditions for both children and adults alike.
The advent calendar is typically filled with 24 little chocolates or treats. This represents one for each day of December leading up to Christmas Day.
It is said that if you have an advent calendar with small pieces, it is easier to resist the temptation to eat them all at once.
14. Saffron Buns
Saffron buns are also one of the most popular Swedish Christmas desserts. They are a Swedish specialty that is traditionally served with coffee or tea.
You will need dough, butter, saffron threads, milk, eggs, and sugar to make it. To make: Melt the butter in a pan and add the saffron threads to it.
Then, add milk to the pan and let it simmer for 15 minutes until half its original volume reduces it. Afterward, remove from heat and allow to cool before adding to your dough mixture along with eggs, sugar, and salt.
Next, knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth; finally, roll into a rectangle shape about 12 inches by 8 inches.
15. Princess Cake
Princess Cake is a traditional Swedish dessert served on Christmas Eve. It’s made with sponge cake and whipped cream and covered in marzipan. The marzipan is often molded into a crown shape for a nice decorative touch!
Princess Cake can be found all over Sweden as one of the Swedish Christmas desserts, but it is most popular during Christmastime.
It’s commonly eaten at dinner parties, family gatherings, and on holidays like New Year’s Eve and Midsummer Eve. Princess Cake is a simple yet delicious dessert that goes great with coffee or tea.
Princess Cake pairs wonderfully with any other Swedish Christmas dessert or any desserts you may have!
16. Swedish Almond & Cardamom Mini-Cakes
The Swedish almond and cardamom mini-cakes are a perfect way to indulge in the holiday season while staying healthy.
This recipe is not only easy and delicious, but it’s also vegan, gluten-free, and dairy free! I like to make these little cakes because they are so simple to whip up with just a few ingredients.
Meanwhile, all you need is almond flour, coconut sugar or cane sugar, cardamom seeds, coconut oil, applesauce (or any other fruit puree), vanilla extract, and salt.
The first step to making this delicacy on the Swedish Christmas dessert list is mixing all of your dry ingredients.
These include almond flour (or substitute for oat flour or rice flour), coconut sugar or cane sugar, cardamom seeds (grind them first!), and salt.
Next, add in your wet ingredients: coconut oil, applesauce, or another fruit puree (any kind should work), and vanilla extract.
Mix everything until well combined. Lastly, scoop the batter into cupcake liners that have been lined on a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes before letting cool and frosting them with whipped cream icing. Or simply dust some powdered sugar on top!
With these, you have made yourself a very sumptuous dish that is one of the Swedish Christmas desserts!
17. Swedish Cheesecake
It’s Christmastime! And what better way to celebrate the holidays than with a special dessert? Swedish cheesecake, one of the delectable Swedish Christmas desserts, is a delicious and popular choice that many people will enjoy this holiday season. But what is it, exactly? Let’s take a closer look.
Traditionally, Swedish cheesecake is made from cream cheese, eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract. The mixture is beaten until light and fluffy before being poured into a pie crust or cake pan.
This pan is lined with parchment paper and baked for about 45 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. The finished product should be smooth on top with a brown crust underneath, posing as one of the best Swedish Christmas desserts!
Conclusion
Whether you’re familiar with Swedish Christmas desserts or not, this list of popular holiday treats will help you find the perfect dessert. Especially to complement your favorite holiday treats like glögg, Julmust, and pepparkakor.
Swedish Christmas desserts are easy to make and pair well with other traditional Swedish foods like pickled fish and flatbreads. This ensures that all will enjoy the food you bring to your holiday celebration!
