With less than a month until Christmas, families are already planning their holiday schedule. And of course, among all the activities leading up to the celebration is organizing a delicious dinner. A moment use to spent with family, exchanging gifts and stories, and ultimately eating very well.

Like many modern holidays, its origin is intertwined with the Roman celebrations of the pagan festival Saturnalia, held in honor of the god Saturn, which marked the beginning of the winter solstice. During this festival, people held banquets and carnivals, exchanged gifts, and even decorated their homes with candles, torches, and plants such as holly and ivy (for those who don’t know, holly is the plant commonly known as Christmas mistletoe). It also connects to the winter feasts of Yule and Koleda, celebrated in ancient Nordic and Slavic cultures, where they honored the rebirth of light after the shortest day of the year. These festivities were later merged with the Catholic/Christian celebration that commemorates the birth of Jesus, symbolizing hope and abundance with Jesus arrival.

And well, who doesn’t enjoy Christmas? Personally, I consider it the best time of the year with the decorations, the movies, the tree with its lights and ornaments, the gifts, spending time with your loved ones, and finally enjoying delicious food.

For that reason, I’ve decided to put together a collection of the 2 best Christmas dessert recipes, so that this holiday season you can surprise your family during dinner. I’ve also included Christmas songs from YouTube to accompany you while preparing these delicious desserts.

Christmas log

It is also known as Yule log, Bûche de Noël, or tronchetto di Natale. It is an iconic European dessert of the season. Its base is a Genoise sponge cake, which is filled with cream, dulce de leche, meringue, or jam, then rolled and decorated with buttercream, chocolate, or ganache to give it a log-like texture. Below, I’ve included the recipe: 10 Serves

Ingredients:

• White sugar – 100 grams
• Water – 100 milliliters
• Orange  – 1 unite
• Heavy cream –  250 grams
• Dark chocolate –  155 grams
• Butter without salt (soft)  –  50 grams
• Eggs (separate the whites from the yolks) – 8 unites
• Sugar for the whites  –  80 grams
• Sugar for the yolks – 70 grams
• Flours- 150 grams
• Vanilla extract  – 5 milliliters
• Decorations of your choice (cherries / mint leaves / strawberries / raspberries / chocolates / meringues)

Procedure:

1. Prepare a syrup by placing 100 milliliters of water, 100 grams of sugar, and the orange peel in a pot. Bring it to a boil; when it reaches 110°C, turn off the heat and let it rest. Allow it to cool before using.
2. To make the ganache for covering, place 155 grams of chopped chocolate in a bowl. Separately, heat 150 grams of heavy cream in a pot. Remove it from the heat and pour it little by little over the chocolate to melt it. Once melted, add 50 grams of butter. Mix until smooth and let it cool.
3. For the sponge cake, first preheat the oven to 200°C. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Now, beat the egg whites with 80 grams of sugar until you obtain a French meringue. In another bowl, beat the yolks with 70 grams of sugar until they reach ribbon stage (thickened and doubled in size). Gently fold the yolks into the whites in 3 additions. Then add the sifted flour in 3 additions, mixing gently. Add the vanilla extract. Spread the mixture onto the baking sheet and bake at 180°C for 12 minutes.
4. Once the sponge cake is done, remove it from the oven. Place a clean towel over it and roll it up while it’s still slightly warm (carefully to avoid burning yourself). Let it cool.
5. Whip 100 grams of heavy cream with vanilla extract and sugar to make the filling.
6. Finally, unroll the sponge cake, moisten it with the syrup, and spread the cream filling. Roll it back up and moisten the outside with more syrup. Then, using a piping bag, decorate it with the reserved ganache. Cut off a piece from one end and place it on the side to resemble a branch. Lastly, add the decorations of your choice.

Gingerbread house

Who hasn’t seen lately that many coffee shops in their city are promoting plans to build gingerbread houses for a small fee? But isn’t it even better to enjoy this beautiful activity at home? And even better, to bring one as a dessert to your Christmas dinner, made and decorated by you from scratch. Below, I’ve included the recipe so you can make it, along with a link where you can get the gingerbread house template to cut out and be ready to start baking.

Ingredients:

• Butter without salt (soft and at room temperature ) – 110 grams
• White sugar – 150 grams
• Egg – 1 unite
• Vanilla extract   –  10 milliliters
• Salt  –  1 little spoon
• Baking powder  – 1 spoon
• Flour – 500 grams
• Whites of egg – 30 grams
• Powdered sugar  – 400 grams   
• Liquid or gel food coloring
• Water
• Decorations of your choice (chocolates / candies / gum / gummies)

Procedure:

1. Using a hand whisk, beat 110 grams of butter, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 150 grams of granulated sugar until creamy.
2. Add the egg and mix until fully incorporated.
3. Add the vanilla and mix again.
4. Add 250 grams of flour and 1 tablespoon of baking powder, and mix with a spatula. Finish mixing with your hands.
5. Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
6. Cut out the gingerbread house templates with scissors and preheat the oven to 180°C.
7. Roll out the dough on a floured surface until it is 2–3 mm thick. Cut out the house pieces using a knife.
8. Use a thin metal spatula to lift the cookie pieces off the surface.
9. Place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
10. Bake the cookies at 180°C for 8–12 minutes or until lightly golden.
11. Let them cool completely before decorating, otherwise the icing will melt.
12. Begin preparing the icing while the cookies cool.
13. Place 30 grams of egg whites in a bowl and add 200 grams of powdered sugar.
14. Beat until combined, then adjust the texture as needed. Add food coloring and transfer to piping bags for decorating.
15. Once the cookies are cool, assemble the house using the royal icing as glue. Then decorate as you prefer.

To make your christmas party more funny I recommend you to play the secret santa a game created to have an special moment with your friends or family.

Below I’m including a link for those who, beyond cooking, want to learn a bit more about one of the ingredients they’ll be using in these desserts. Chocolate just as delicious as its name suggests, is one of everyone’s favorite sweets. Its origin dates back to pre-colonial times, and today it’s an ingredient found in many children’s breakfasts, while for adults it brightens our day on a rainy or cold night.