When the Christmas and New Year holidays approach, the scent of cinnamon invariably begins to waft through the air. It is added both to traditional Christmas cookies and Christmas pastries, and to the aromatic mulled wine, without which we cannot warm up in winter.
Yes, there is nothing more pleasant than the smell of cinnamon everywhere, but is it the only necessary spice for preparing our Christmas cookies? No, it may be the queen among Christmas spices, but this does not mean that you cannot add other flavors to it. In fact, it is almost mandatory.
When you have decided to roll up your sleeves and start preparing Christmas cookies, in addition to products such as cinnamon, eggs, sugar, flour and butter, you will also need other additives. For example, you cannot prepare your favorite Christmas honey cookies without the presence of honey in them or gingerbread cookies without having ginger.
In fact, Christmas cookie recipes are countless and can vary from the aforementioned honey cookies to shortbread cookies. Very often, it turns out that right when you have chosen a specific recipe, you find that you are missing a large part of the Christmas spices that it requires. Most of us quickly lose interest, because winter weather is not a particularly pleasant time to go shopping, even at the nearest neighborhood store.
That is why here we will show you which are the most popular spices for Christmas cookies, which are good to have before you start choosing recipes. In addition, it is very good to make your own Christmas mix, in which you mix all the winter flavors together and use them for a variety of Christmas cookies. The prepared mix can be stored for a long time if it is packaged well and will serve you well next Christmas.
Besides cinnamon, typical Christmas spices include cloves, allspice, ginger, star anise, cardamom, nutmeg and coriander. It's a good idea to have all of them on hand when it's time to start making Christmas cookies. This way, you'll always feel prepared and have complete freedom of action.
As we said before, you can also make your own Christmas spice mix. In addition to the spices already mentioned, you can also add white pepper or replace the star anise with fennel (seeds). Add new flavors if you like them or leave some out if you don't like them. But since we're talking about a mix, it's a good idea to have at least 5-6 flavors and of course don't forget the cinnamon.
Once you have selected your preferred Christmas spices, it is important to keep in mind that they should be in their whole form and only then grinded with a coffee grinder. The only exception is nutmeg, which is best grated. After you have prepared the Christmas mix, simply pour it into a glass jar for good storage and use it as an addition to any Christmas honey cookies, muffins, gingerbread men, etc.
We will also remind you that many recipes for Christmas cookies include dried orange, lemon or tangerine peels, which you can also make in advance and do it yourself. Buy only ecologically clean citrus fruits, such as those already available in stores. May Christmas be not only delicious, but also healthy! May your Christmas table be blessed!
Find out how to make long-lasting Christmas cookies and be sure to check out our suggestions for Christmas cookies and desserts.
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