Homemade treats at Christmas time with recipe

When it gets dark earlier outside and the first snowflakes make their way down into the valley, our kitchen at home is transformed into a Christmas bakery. Advent has a very special flavor for us, namely Zelten, apple bread and, of course, cookies. Each of these specialties has been with me since I was a child - and I look forward to it every year when my mom, dad or children prepare them with us.

The recipe we use comes from my grandmother. My father bakes several loaves of this traditional pastry in winter. I love the smell of fruit and spices and can hardly wait for the first tray to come out of the oven. A slice of Zelten with fresh butter on top is a real treat for me.

Our recipe:

Ingredients:

• 500 g raisins
• 2-3 wreaths of figs
• 250-500 g dried pears
• 500 g whole hazelnuts
• 1 pkg. candied lemon peel
• 1 pkg. arranzini
• 1-2 pkg. tent spice
• ¼ l rum
• one teaspoon each of new spice and clove powder

Dough:

• 2 kg rye flour
• 2 pkg. dry yeast
• 1 tsp salt
• 2-3 tbsp bread spice

Crust:

• 1/8 - ¼ l lukewarm milk
• 9 heaped tablespoons of wheat flour
• 1 egg
• a little salt

Preparation:

Cut the fruit, mix with spices and rum, cover and leave to stand overnight.

Dissolve the yeast in lukewarm milk with half a teaspoon of sugar and leave to stand for a quarter of an hour. Then mix with rye flour, salt, bread spices and lukewarm water to form a dough. Leave to rise for half an hour. Then mix with fruit in loaves and shape. Spread with crust mixture. Bake the loaves for one hour at 180 degrees.

When my parents received apple bread as a gift many years ago, they were immediately won over by its tangy, fruity taste. And it's not just them: the rest of the family also enjoy this juicy bread. Since then, it has been baked every year at the end of November. Grandpa grates the fruit with his grandchildren, chops the nuts and mixes it into a smooth dough. As the grated apples with cinnamon and cloves slowly draw juice, the whole kitchen smells wonderfully of fresh fruit and spices. The bread itself is wonderfully moist and stays fresh for days - if it survives that long at all. For me, it goes perfectly with a cup of tea after a leisurely walk in the cold winter air.

Our recipe:

Ingredients:

• ½ kg raisins
• ½ kg figs
• 30 dag hazelnuts, chopped
• 2 tbsp cocoa
• 1/8 l rum
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp clove powder
• 1 tbsp new spice
• 1 kg plain flour
• 2 pkg. baking powder
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1.5 kg grated apples with peel
• 100 g sugar

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 160 - 180 degrees top/bottom heat. Mix the ingredients and work into a dough. Pour the dough into loaf pans - the mixture is enough for about three stollen - and bake for about an hour.

Every year we resolve to bake just a few varieties and every year we bake more. But let's be honest: we can't have Advent without cookies. My children, especially my six-year-old daughter, love to shape crescents or cut out cookies with Grandma or Mom. Here are two of our favorite classics:

Ingredients:

Dough:

• 30 dag flour
• 10 dag grated nuts
• 7 dag sugar
• 1 pkg. vanilla sugar
• a little salt
• 25 dag butter

For topping:

• 15 dag powdered sugar
• 1 pkg. vanilla sugar

Preparation:

Sieve the flour onto a work surface. Add the nuts, sugar, vanilla sugar and salt and then add the cold butter cut into small pieces. Starting from the center, quickly knead all the ingredients into a smooth dough. Shape the dough into pencil-thick rolls and cut into evenly sized pieces (approx. 5 cm). Shape into croissants and place on a greased baking tray. Place the baking tray in the middle of the oven and bake in a preheated oven at 160 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Roll the hot croissants immediately in the sugar mixture.

Ingredients:

• 25 dag plain flour
• ½ pkg baking powder
• 18 dag butter
• 10 dag powdered sugar
• Vanilla sugar, cinnamon
• 1 egg
• 3 tsp milk
• 10 dag almonds, grated

Preparation:

Prepare the shortcrust pastry and leave to rest in a cool place for half an hour. Roll out the dough thinly, cut out rounds and make three holes in half the number of slices. Bake in the oven at 180°C until golden brown, sprinkle with sugar and assemble with jam.

For me, these delicacies are more than just pastries. They are a piece of home, a piece of memory and, above all, the opportunity to forget the hustle and bustle of everyday life for a moment. The smell and every time I cut the first apple loaf or take the warm cookies from the tray, time stands still for me and I simply enjoy the moment of the beautiful, contemplative Christmas season with my loved ones.

Speaking of Christmas time, of course this also includes a visit to the Christmas market and you can read about the Christmas delicacies there here.