Portuguese Christmas Desserts: 5 Essential Sweet Recipes!

Sonhos are a typical sweet of Portuguese cuisine that are usually enjoyed only during Christmas time. In English they are often known as Portuguese Christmas Doughnuts.

Sonhos are little fried dough dumplings that are similar to pâte a choux, the choux pastry used to make cream puffs, profiteroles and éclairs. But Sonhos are a little easier to make! Golden and crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, and with perfect sweetness after a quick dusting with sugar and cinnamon.

Let's see how this Portuguese classic is made…

Coscorões, Portuguese Angel Wings, are also sometimes known in Portuguese as Filhós. But it is worth noting the difference. The dough for coscorões is not a leavened dough, while the dough for Filhós includes yeast and it is left to ferment and grow.

If you are looking for the recipe for these fluffy fritters, do not worry! Simply hop to Section 5 of this course, dedicated to the recipe for Filhós.

Rabanadas are Portugal’s take on what you may know in English as “French Toast” or “Eggy Bread”. We do not normally eat Rabanadas for breakfast, like people in other countries do. For us, Rabanadas are a dessert specific for Christmas time.

Today I want to show you how we usually make Rabanadas at my bakery, Pastelaria Batalha, using Pão Saloio, our rustic bread. But don’t worry if you can’t find this style of Portuguese bread. We will also see how to prepare the recipe with different types of bread...

Filhós, also known sometimes as Filhoses, are essentially pieces of fried leavened dough, dusted with a generous amount of sugar and cinnamon. They are rustic and super fluffy, somehow similar to a flattened donut or a Malasada from the Portuguese islands of Madeira.

Today I’m going to share the traditional recipe for Filhós, the one my Grandma still makes for us every Christmas! <3

Azevias are one of the most original Christmas sweets in Portugal. Although it looks like one more fried pastry dusted with sugar and cinnamon, what makes Azevias so unique are that they are stuffed with a sweet filling made with chickpeas and ground almonds.

This recipe involves a little more work than the sweets we made earlier in this course, but I promise it is very worth it!

Alternative method to sugar and cinnamon coating used for the recipes explored during this course.

How to make a simple yet delicious sugar syrup to add an extra luscious touch to your Christmas sweets.

Wrap-up and appreciation of the five different recipes prepared during this course.

Tips, finishing touches and season's greetings!

If you enjoyed this course, I'd love to invite you to check out my Bolo Rei and Bolo Rainha course. This course is dedicated to the ultimate Portuguese Christmas dessert: King's Cake!