Try our recipes for Christmas wafers in both salty and sweet versions.

In Europe, specifically in Slovakia, the serving of wafers is among the most beautiful Christmas traditions – the wafer is a symbol of health and abundance.

Get inspired by our recipes for Christmas wafers in both sweet and savory versions.

In addition, you will learn something about the history and symbolism of this crunchy treat.

So let’s do it!

Gluten-free Savory Christmas wafers

Celiacs can also enjoy themselves here! We have prepared for them a great recipe for crispy gluten-free Christmas wafers that the whole family will enjoy.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup gluten-free plain flour
• 1 tablespoon of salt
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 1/2 cup water
• a little cumin
• 1 tablespoon of oil
• 5 tablespoons of soy milk
• 1/2 teaspoon guar gum

Method

• Mix all the ingredients with water and make a soft dough with a whisk.
• Pour the batter a little at a time onto a preheated greased pan and fry on both sides.
• Allow the finished salty wafers to cool and enjoy!

Sweet Homemade Wafers and Tube pastry

Ideally, you will need a wafer maker for this recipe, making your work easier and giving you beautifully thin wafers.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 package of vanilla sugar
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 2 spoons of honey
• 2 cups plain flour
• beeswax as needed

Method

• Mix the butter, eggs, granulated and vanilla sugar, water, milk, and honey until smooth in a bowl.
• Gradually add the flour while stirring constantly.
• Let the finished dough stand in the refrigerator, ideally for 24 hours.
• The next day, heat up the wafer maker and coat it with beeswax.
• Pour the batter into the center of the waffle maker, close it and bake for approximately 30-35 seconds.
• Remove the baked wafer to a plate and repeat this with half of the dough.
• You can form the wafers to shape tubes from the other half of the dough.
• The procedure is the same: roll the baked wafer while still warming it into a roll using the handle of a wooden spoon.
• Repeat this process until all the dough is used up.
• Serve the finished wafers and tubes with honey and garlic.

Spelled Christmas Wafers

You can also make delicious Christmas wafers from spelled flour. The result is very tasty and will positively surprise you.

What you will need

• 1 cup smooth spelled flour
• 1/3 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/3 teaspoon cloves
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 teaspoons cane sugar
• vanilla sugar (not vanillin, but sugar with vanilla bean content)
• 1 1/2 cup lukewarm water
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons of almond flour

Method

• In a bowl, mix plain spelled flour with cinnamon and cloves.
• Heat the milk on the stove and when it is warm, remove it from the stove, and add the butter, cane sugar, and vanilla.
• Stir to dissolve the butter and sugar well.
• If the sugar remains on the bottom of the pot, put the pot back on the stove and heat a little milk to dissolve the sugar.
• In the meantime, add water, egg (put it in a glass, beat it with a fork, and add part of it), and sweet milk (not quite hot, but rather almost lukewarm) to the bowl with flour.
• Mix the wafer dough until smooth with a mixer to combine all the ingredients well.
• Finally, add almond flour to the dough and mix again with a mixer.
• Use a spatula to run the sides and bottom of the bowl (pieces of flour settle there, so that you would have lumps in the dough).
• Finally, mix with a blender.
• Turn on the waffle maker to heat up to the desired temperature.
• When the waffle iron is heated, open it, spoon or spatula a little batter into the center of the baking surface, and close it slowly.
• The correct time to remove the wafer is when the wafer maker stops hissing.
• Then, you open it and carefully remove the wafer.
• If there is no wafer, close the maker and wait a few seconds.
• One wafer is baked for about 30 seconds.
• And continue like this until you use up all the dough.
• Bon apetite!

Homemade Cheese Wafers

In previous recipes, we have already presented several variants of Christmas wafers. Now, let’s look at another salty version. This time with parmesan. Yum!

Ingredients

• 1/4cup melted butter
• 1 egg
• 1/5 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 1 cup plain flour
• 2 cups water
• 1/4 cup finely grated parmesan
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• 1 tablespoon of whole cumin

Method

• Mix all ingredients in a smoothie blender.
• Ideally, let the prepared dough stand in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
• The next day, heat the waffle maker to 350°F.
• Coat the surface with beeswax so that the wafers do not stick.
• Pour the batter into the center (about one ice cream scoop or according to size), close, and bake for about 30 seconds.
• The wafer is ready when it stops sizzling, is slightly golden, and can be easily peeled off.
• Process half the dough in this way.
• You can make tubes from the second half of the dough.
• You bake for a shorter time.
• Quickly roll the wafer while it is still warm onto the handle of the wooden spoon.
• If the dough is not toasted enough, the tube will not hold its shape.
• If you overbake the dough, it will not be flexible and break.
• Enjoy it!

Waffle Maker Christmas Wafers

You can also make Christmas waffles with a waffle maker. Although they are not as thin as the traditional wafers, they are excellent and easy to prepare.

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter
• 3 large or 4 small eggs
• 1 cup cane sugar
• 1 cup sifted plain flour (you can use rice flour for a gluten-free version)
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon

Method

• Put the butter in a small saucepan and melt it over medium heat.
• Let it cool a bit.
• Mix the eggs with a whisk together with cane sugar and ground cinnamon.
• Sift the flour into the egg mixture and mix well with a whisk or wooden spoon.
• Pour melted butter over the mixture and mix again with a whisk or wooden spoon.
• Let the dough rest for a while at room temperature.
• Heat up your waffle iron.
• Brush it lightly with butter before first use.
• Place a teaspoon of the mixture in the center of the waffle maker, close, and fry on both sides for about 20-25 seconds.
• The correct time must be traced on the first wafers.
• Turn the baked wafer onto a flat wire rack and let it cool.
• It will set and remain crispy within two to three minutes.
• Enjoy your meal!

The history of Christmas wafers in Slovakia

Christmas wafers are one of the essential symbols of Christmas, especially in Slovakia, and they not only taste great but have a rich history and religious significance. Where does this goodness come from?

The origin of wafers

Christmas wafers have their origins in religious traditions. They were once baked by priests and monks, who distributed them around the houses. In church schools, baking wafers became part of the teaching, and the teachers devoted themselves to it with the pupils. The actual baking of the wafers began a few days after the feast of Lucia, i.e., after December 13. When the baking started, the homemakers brought the necessary ingredients to the teacher: milk, eggs, butter, and others. The bachelors took care of the wood and the fire. The teachers then produced wafers, the quantity of which was adapted to the number of inhabitants in the given village.

Baking wafers was more complex than it is today. A heavy iron mold was used, and two to three wafers had to be baked for each village resident.

Distributing wafers was considered an essential task for which teachers carefully prepared their students. The pupils winked simultaneously during the delivery and received some small coins and food for the teacher as a reward.

The meaning of wafers

Wafers have a deep religious meaning for believers. They resemble the “Body of Christ,” i.e., the host or Holy Communion. Garlic is supposed to ensure health for the whole family, and honey is considered to strengthen love and good relationships in the family. They are traditionally baked from unleavened dough, wheat flour, and water. In addition, magical effects were attributed to them, such as protection against fires or use in magical rituals to purify or heal. When they were broken, people wished for something and believed it would come true the following year.

And how did you like our Christmas wafer recipes today? Let us know in the comments!