Have a Taste of the Sweet Side of Life

Europe

Finland

Munkki are deep-fried doughnuts prepared with butter, and cardamom-flavored leavened dough. They are shaped in round forms and filled with sweet and fruity fillings.

Sweden

Kanelbulle are sweet cinnamon rolls. They’re prepared with a dough made of yeast, butter, and cardamom. The dough is filled with cinnamon, butter, and sugar. The rolls are baked to a golden brown.

Denmark

Danish pastry (Wienerbrot) is a pastry made with laminated dough. The dough is repeatedly covered with butter and folded over. The dough is shaped into different forms and filled with traditional fruit fillings like apple and raspberry. It can also be filled with vanilla custard.

France

Pain au chocolates are prepared with a rectangular yeast-leavened dough and a few chocolate sticks or chocolate ganache. Once filled the dough is rolled and baked.

Paris Brest is a ring of puffy hollow pastry that is traditionally flavored with fleur de sel, topped with flaked almonds, and baked golden brown. The pastry is sliced horizontally and filled with a rich hazelnut and almond mousseline praline cream.

The Netherlands

Zeeuwse bolus ate sweet Dutch pastries. The dough is made with flour, milk, salt, sugar, yeast, and butter. They’re flavored with dark brown sugar and ground cinnamon. The dough is rolled and baked to a golden brown.

Germany

Franzbrotchen are delicious sweet pastries. The dough is folded multiple times and glazed with butter. The pastries consist of flour, butter, milk, yeast, and sugar. The filling has sugar and cinnamon but raisins, chocolate, or pumpkin seeds can be added.

Austria

Apfelstrudel is a delicious apple pastry that originated in Vienna. Thin layers of dough are filled with a flavorful apple filling. The strudels can include raisins, cinnamon, rum, and nuts as well.

Krapfen are doughnuts made with leavened dough that is deep-fried, golden, and crispy, It is filled with jam, vanilla, or chocolate custards. The tops are dusted with powdered sugar or drizzled with chocolate.

Czech Republic

Vdolky are Czech doughnuts made with yeasted dough. They are round with an indentation on top to be filled with jams. The vdolky are fried in oil until golden brown.

Kolace are sweet pastry rolls traditionally topped with plums or plum jam, cheese, or poppy seeds. Other toppings include fruit such as apricots, blueberries, cherries, lemons, pineapples, or raisins.

Poland

Paczki are Polish doughnuts prepared with yeast-leavened dough made with eggs, sugar, milk, and fats. A bit of spirit like rum is added to the dough to prevent the absorption of oil during frying. Traditional fillings include plum preserves and rose jam. These are placed in the center of the dough, wrapped into a ball-like shape, and fried golden brown.

Greece

Trigona panoramatos is a traditional sweet pastry originating in Thessaloniki. Triangular phyllo pastries are soaked in syrup and filled with creamy custard. The custard is prepared with egg yolks, flour, butter, milk, sugar, vanilla, and heavy cream. The phyllo triangles are baked until golden brown, dipped in cold syrup made with sugar and water, and filled with chilled custard.

Italy

Castagnole are little balls of fried dough. The dough is filled with cream. It can also be filled with chocolate, ricotta, or coffee. The dough is fried or baked in the oven and then filled.

Zeppole are fried dough pastries topped with sugar and can be filled with custard, jelly, and pastry cream.

Portugal

Pastel de Belem is a traditional Portuguese egg custard tart. A pastry shell is filled with a mix of milk, eggs, sugar, lemon, and cinnamon. Afterward, the tarts are baked until set.

Africa

Egypt

Kunafah consists of two crunchy layers of shredded and buttered kataifi dough. The dough is filled with cream cheese, flavored with orange zest and cardamom, and drenched in a sugar syrup infused with lemon juice and orange blossom water.