The best Very Good Recipes of Christmas from Alessandra Zecchini

There are 22 Christmas recipes on the blog Alessandra Zecchini. (2604 on all the blogs)

Click on the title of a recipe or the photo of a dish to read the full recipe on its author's blog.


: New recipes; Popular recipes

Ricciarelli with a pistachio version - and my orange Christmas tree -

Alessandra Zecchini 01/09/24 10:21
Ricciarelli are delicious Italian (Tuscan) almond sweets, apparently originated in the XIV century. Making them in New Zealand is quite special, as they really give Xmas an Italian flair. Bitter almonds are one of the ingredients though, and I have not...
- Pistachio
- Christmas
- Orange
- Trees
Ricciarelli di Siena, and homemade/recycled Christmas decorations -

Alessandra Zecchini 01/08/22 03:18
Ricciarelli are delicious Italian (Tuscan) almond sweets, apparently originated in the XIV century. Making them in New Zealand is quite special, as they really give Xmas an Italian flair. Bitter almonds are one of the ingredients though, and I have not...
- Decorations
- Christmas
Munich, Bavarian Christmas Markets and the best vegan meal in Germany so far -

Alessandra Zecchini 12/29/19 15:06
We truly enjoyed a couple of nights in Munich, checking out this beautiful city and all the Christmas markets. If you love traditional Christmas things this is the place for you! Every corner of the city seems to have a Xmas market, and they are beautiful...
- Christmas
- Germany
- Markets
- Munich
- Vegan
- Meal
White Christmas in the mountains in Italy -

Alessandra Zecchini 01/17/18 17:11
This year we spent Christmas in Italy, in my old village in the Appennines, we arrived on 11 December and after a few days we were blessed by snow. I loved looking out of the window and seeing snowdrops, animal footprints on the ground and little birds...
- White Christmas
- Christmas
- White
- Italy
Stained glass Christmas Cookies -

Alessandra Zecchini 12/29/16 04:51
I usually make stained glass cookie windows for the cookie house at Christmas, but this year I didn't get round to making a cookie house (you can find a recipe here with step by step images if you like) so I made some cookies, just for fun! All you need...
- Christmas Cookie
- Christmas
- Cookie
Christmas Fruit Platter with Balsamic -

Alessandra Zecchini 12/27/16 03:04
Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena goes well with fruit, and there is also a Balsamic cream you can buy which is less expensive and ideal to decorate plates. Photos and Recipes by Alessandra Zecchini ©
- Christmas
- Platter
- Fruit
Sugar Christmas decorations -

Alessandra Zecchini 11/17/15 04:34
On Sunday we had the Dante Alighieri Society Xmas Market (Mercatino di Natale), and I made lots of sugar decorations for sale. Ideal for 'baby's first Christmas' trees, sweet pastel colours, they can be used for Christmas cards too! White and hand painted...
- Decorations
- Christmas
- Sugar
Christmas Carrot Sweets -

Alessandra Zecchini 12/23/13 03:15
I often make carrot juice and I have lots of carrot pulp left over, so I decided to make some little sweets with a few Christmas flavours. These came out really well, moist and soft. I started with 1 kg of organic carrots, drunk the juice (it makes approx....
- Christmas
- Sweet
- Carrot
Christmas tree, cookie house and sweet Christmas display (mostly homemade) -

Alessandra Zecchini 12/22/13 03:55
For me Christmas is a chance to express creativity and make things by hand, bake, ice, decorate and fill the house with a festive display. This is my little coffee table tree, all the decorations are made with paper and rolling icing (fondant). You can...
- Christmas
- Cookie
- Sweet
- Trees
Royal icing Christmas decorations -

Alessandra Zecchini 12/12/13 23:13
I made some royal icing (or fondant) decorations last year and they still look good. This is a good and inexpensive way to make your own beautiful decorations, and very little skill is required (just a few cookie cutters!). Last year my decorations were...
- Decorations
- Christmas
- Icing
Christmas Cake and Fruit Mince Tarts -

Alessandra Zecchini 12/03/13 08:24
I got a Christmas cake and a some mince tarts (pies?) from Bakers Delight (thank you!), I never bake Christmas cake or mince pies myself (being Italian and having different Xmas traditions) but I do enjoy them if they are made by someone else :-). And what...
- Christmas Cake
- Christmas
- Tarts
- Mince
- Fruit
- Cake
Merry Christmas and the last trees -

Alessandra Zecchini 12/23/12 20:30
The little tree in the entrance, decorated with teddies and soft figurines Merry Christmas to all, I hope that your day is filled with fun! The kids' tree, always bright and colorful Three kids (cousins) making the Xmas tree in Wanaka Photos by Alessandra...
- Merry Christmas
- Christmas
- Trees
Hot chocolate spoons, and recycling Christmas Cards -

Alessandra Zecchini 12/16/12 23:25
For the hot chocolate spoons I used little wooden spoons, the idea is simple, just dip the spoon in a cup of hot milk and stir! They are perfect for little present, inside a little bag with a Christmas card for backing. Now this idea may not suit everybody,...
- Hot Chocolate
- Christmas
- Chocolate
- Cards
White and sugar Christmas tree -

Alessandra Zecchini 12/15/12 07:44
Merry Christmas! This is my big tree, with white decorations, some collected, other handmade. Some are porcelain, some wooden, some cotton or felt, and there are some real starfish too. I made several with fondant, instructions here Others were made with...
- Christmas
- White
- Sugar
- Trees
Meringue snow flakes and doilies for the Christmas tree -

Alessandra Zecchini 12/12/12 03:53
More ideas for more white Christmas tree decorations. Meringues are classic, in the past I used the meringue wreaths from my book Party Food for Girls, and this year I was very happy to see that Franci and Vale from La Signora dei Biscotti blog made them...
- Christmas
- Meringue
- Trees
Christmas recipes and ideas -

Alessandra Zecchini 12/08/12 11:23
Here are some recipes and ideas for Christmas, please click on the captions for the links. Classic Christmas From top left clockwise: Mont Blanc Mille-fuille, Panforte, Vegan Panforte, Strawberry and Balsamic non-alcoholic aperitif Small Treats From top...
- Christmas
- Ideas
White Christmas tree decorations made with fondant: this is easy sugar craft for Sweet New Zealand -

Alessandra Zecchini 12/06/12 04:59
This year my main Xmas tree (I mean the big one, I have other trees too, like these ones here) is going to be all white. I have a few white decorations, mostly in cotton and felt, plus a few in ceramic, wood and glass. I also added ribbons and some white...
- White Christmas
- New Zealand
- Christmas
- Fondant
- White
- Sweet
- Sugar
- Trees
Christmas decorations ideas: branches instead of pine trees -

Alessandra Zecchini 12/04/12 03:40
These small 'trees' are just dried brunches that I got from the garden: one is decorated with china birds (from an art gallery in Alice Spring, Australia), and the other is decorated with wooden figurines and clay cookies. Photos by Alessandra Zecchini...
- Christmas
- Ideas
- Trees
Almost Christmas in Feltre, Italy -

Alessandra Zecchini 12/23/11 19:01
We are in Italy, in Feltre, getting ready for a mountain Xmas. Decorations in the streets are really subtle, mostly pine branches, fairy lights, and Christmas trees outdoors, in the gardens, balconies or squares, that light up at night. My Mum put a few...
- Christmas
- Italy
Sweet Christmas Links -

Alessandra Zecchini 12/10/11 04:48
These recipes/ideas are all suitable for Christmas, take your pick and tell me what you like (or not). Classic Christmas From top left clockwise: Mont Blanc Mille-fuille, Panforte, Vegan Panforte, Strawberry and Balsamic non-alcoholic aperitif Small Treats...
- Christmas
- Sweet