Christmas Favorites from Around the World

Explore the world from the comfort of your own kitchen with these five tasty ways to celebrate Christmas.

Linzertorte
Named for Linz, Austria, the linzertorte is the oldest pastry in the world, dating back to at least 1653. This version features rich almond flavor and a blackberry jam filling. Frohe Weihnachten!

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup ground blanched almonds
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup tub-style light cream cheese
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg Cooking spray
1 1/4 cups seedless blackberry jam
1 teaspoon sifted powdered sugar

Preparation
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine the flour, almonds, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder in a bowl.

Combine granulated sugar and cream cheese in a food processor; pulse 4 times. Add vanilla and egg; pulse 3 times. Add flour mixture, and pulse 10 times or until combined. Gently press two-thirds of the dough into a 4-inch circle on heavy-duty plastic wrap, and cover with additional plastic wrap. Chill for 30 minutes. Gently press remaining one-third of the dough into a 4-inch circle on heavy-duty plastic wrap, and cover with additional plastic wrap. Roll into a 9-inch circle. Chill 30 minutes. Roll the larger portion of dough, still covered, into an 11-inch circle. Chill for 10 minutes or until the plastic wrap can be easily removed.

Preheat oven to 325°.

Working with larger portion of dough, remove 1 sheet of plastic wrap; fit dough into a 9-inch round removable-bottom tart pan coated with cooking spray. Remove top sheet of plastic; fold edges under. Spoon jam into prepared crust.

Working with the smaller portion of dough, remove 1 sheet of plastic wrap. Cut dough into 1/2-inch strips. Gently remove dough strips from bottom sheet of plastic; arrange in a lattice design over preserves. Seal dough strips to edge of crust. Place tart on a baking sheet.

Bake at 325° for 50 minutes or until the crust is browned and filling is bubbly. Cool on a wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Bûche de Noël
Bûche de noël is the traditional French Christmas cake. Slather a freshly baked sheet cake with chocolate buttercream frosting, then carefully roll it up into a log shape and cover with more frosting. Sprinkle with crushed pistachios (meant to look like moss) and decorate the cake with "mushrooms" made from meringue. Joyeaux Noel!

Get Recipe: Bûche de Noël






Mini Cranberry Panettones
This Italian sweet bread originally hails from Milan and is a Christmas favorite. A yeast-based dough is brightened with fresh flavors from orange rind, dried cranberries, and crystallized ginger. Baked in muffins tins, these little wonders are easy to serve and a great excuse to have seconds. Buone Feste Natalizie!

Recipe: Mini Cranberry Panettones






Julekage
This fruit loaf is a Christmas classic in Scandanavia. It's packed with almonds, raisins, and candied citrus rind for a festive flavor explosion. Top it all off with a powdered sugar glaze and you'll be ready to celebrate the season like a true Dane. Glaedelig Jul!

Get Recipe: Julekage

Keep Reading: Christmas Favorites from Around the World




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