An Indian-Style Christmas

These fluffy, crunchy pastry shells are filled with a sweet concoction of coconut or, as is traditional in Goa, with khoya (sweetened condensed milk) and dried fruit and nuts. In other states, such as Uttar Pradesh, the filling is made with sweetened khoya and nuts, so if you don't love coconut, you can consider leaving it out.

Kulkuls are made all over India at Christmas time, but it is believed they began in the Goan region as a variation of the Portuguese filhoses enroladas. Making kulkuls can be a holiday project for the whole family, allowing you to make a big batch and include them as part of a gift of sweets to friends and neighbors or to use in a cookie exchange.

Make a memory the way many Indians do by preparing kulkuls with the family. Most households sit around for hours, painstakingly rolling them out, then frying them and coating them with sugar. They are so worth the effort. Kulkuls are a great anytime snack, but for most, they always bring back memories of Christmas with family.

You will love this sweet if you like coconut and cardamom. It is sweet, fudgy, and very yummy. This is often made for Diwali, which is the Hindu festival of lights, as well as for Christmas.

Marzipan (a nut paste made with almond paste, sugar, and egg whites) can be colored with edible food dye and formed into all sorts of shapes, depending on how artistic you are and how creative you feel. Fruits and flowers are popular at Christmas time in India.

Chocolate and nuts are delicious together. Chocolate walnut fudge is traditional in many cultures as well as in India. We always made a big batch at Christmas and it always disappeared quickly.

A chewy fudge-like sweet, guava cheese is best made with fresh guavas. This Christmas sweet recipe has been passed down from generation to generations in most families.

Bebinca is a layered Goan pudding made with coconut milk, ghee (clarified butter), eggs, sugar, and flour. Traditionally, it has 16 layers but you can make it with fewer. Making bebinca requires patience as you have to cook each layer before adding the next, but the end result is well worth the effort.