Canadian traditional Christmas sweets spread holiday cheer and spirit. No matter you are 7 years old or 70, you love Christmas sweets – Christmas treats. Edible snowmen and fruit cakes spread holiday cheer and spirit. No holiday menu will be complete without them.
As the snow blankets the landscape and the air grows crisp, Canadians eagerly anticipate the most wonderful time of the year – Christmas. One of the most cherished aspects of this festive season is the array of delectable sweets that grace our tables. From coast to coast, Canada boasts a diverse culinary heritage, and this is beautifully reflected in the traditional Christmas treats that have been passed down through generations. In this article, we’ll explore some of Canada’s most beloved Christmas sweets that not only tantalize taste buds but also spread holiday cheer and spirit.
Butter Tarts
Originating in Ontario, butter tarts are a quintessential Canadian treat that has become a cherished part of Christmas celebrations. These delectable pastries consist of a flaky pastry shell filled with a gooey, buttery mixture of sugar, butter, and eggs. Often studded with raisins or pecans, these tarts strike the perfect balance between sweet and buttery richness, making them an irresistible holiday indulgence. Available in mini-bites or jumbo size these decadent and locally made treats are a roadside staple in Ontario’s cottage country.
Nanaimo Bars
Hailing from the west coast of British Columbia, Nanaimo bars are a layered dessert that combines a crumbly chocolate base, a custard-flavored middle layer, and a glossy chocolate top. Named after the city of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, these bars have become a cherished part of Canadian holiday traditions. Their decadent combination of textures and flavors is sure to leave anyone with a sweet tooth satisfied.
Peppermint Nanaimo bars are a delightful twist on the classic Nanaimo bar, the peppermint version that adds a festive touch to this already beloved treat. By incorporating peppermint extract into the custard layer, these bars take on a refreshing and minty flavor profile, making them a perfect addition to any Christmas dessert spread.
Maple Fudge
Canada’s iconic maple syrup takes center stage in this delectable fudge. Made from a rich mixture of maple syrup, cream, and butter, maple fudge is a melt-in-your-mouth confection that captures the essence of Canada’s natural bounty. Its smooth, creamy texture and unmistakable maple flavor make it a must-have sweet during the holiday season.
Pouding Chômeur
Originating in Quebec, pouding chômeur, or “poor man’s pudding,” is a simple yet comforting dessert that has become a beloved part of Canadian cuisine. Made from a sponge cake-like batter and soaked in a sweet maple syrup sauce, this humble treat is a testament to the resourcefulness and creativity of Canadian cooks.
Gingerbread
Making gingerbread house or cookies for Christmas is fun for the whole family. Actually, there is a wide variety of gingerbread baked goods, but all of them are typically flavoured with ginger, cloves, nutmeg or cinnamon and sweetened with honey, sugar or molasses. Rich and aromatic, gingerbread men, cookies or houses are just a Christmas classic. These traditional treats are perfect for the holiday season and gift-giving.
Cannot help mentioning a couple of lovely sayings about gingerbread from unknown authors:
“Come sit at my table and share with me warm gingerbread cookies and cinnamon tea.”
“Made special just for you, may this gingerbread man bring happiness to you.”
Fruitcake
Fruitcakes are made for big celebrations. Large amounts of dried fruit, nuts, butter, eggs, sugar, spices plus brandy or sherry are all in one amazing treat for the holiday season. It can be covered with marzipan or royal icing. Given their rich nature, fruit cakes are most often consumed on their own. Figuratively speaking, friends and family are the fruitcake of our life – some nutty, some soaked in alcohol, some sweet, but when they altogether sit at the Christmas dinner table, you realize how wonderful to have them in your life.
Mince Pie
This sweet Christmas pie remains a popular holyday treat enjoyed by many across Canada. The traditional filling for mince pies is mincemeat. Originally, mincemeat did always contain meat, though now the only meat present is the suet. Mincemeat is a mixture of a range of chopped dried fruit (such as raisins, dates, prunes, figs, apricots, peaches, apples and pears.), distilled spirits (usually rum or brandy) and spices (such as cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg). Pastry usually makes up more than half the ingredients in a mince pie, so it tends to be higher in fat but lower in sugar and nutrients than a slice of Christmas cake. Homemade mincemeat is the perfect ingredient for all your Christmas baking and makes a lovely Christmas gift all by itself.
Christmas pudding
Christmas pudding, which is often called plum pudding, was a must for Christmas celebrations and contained no actual plums. It happened due to the pre-Victorian use of the word “plums” as a term for raisins. There was no one standard recipe for it and many households had their own one. Essentially the recipe brought together different kinds of dry fruit, eggs and suet, and what traditionally were expensive or luxurious ingredients, such as cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger that are so important in developing its distinctive rich aroma. The mixture had to be moistened with brandy, whiskey or rum. The pudding was aged for months; the high alcohol content of the pudding prevented it from spoiling during this time.
“Hallo! A great deal of steam! The pudding was out of the copper. A smell like a washing-day! That was the cloth. A smell like an eating-house and a pastrycook’s next door to each other, with a laundress’s next door to that. That was the pudding.” ~ Charles Dickens (“A Christmas Carol”)
In Canada, the holiday season is a time of warmth, togetherness, and indulgence, and traditional Christmas sweets play a significant role in creating these cherished moments. Whether it’s the buttery goodness of butter tarts, the layered perfection of Nanaimo bars, or the comforting aroma of tourtière, each of these sweets carries with it a piece of Canada’s rich culinary heritage. So, as the snow falls and the carolers sing, let these delectable treats spread holiday cheer and spirit, bringing joy to homes from coast to coast.
