Hispanic Christmas filled with traditional treats

During this Christmas season, we (Hispanics) have so many different desserts that we eat, from delicious pastries to warm yummy Chocolate Abuelita. Here are some of my top five favorites to eat during the winter and Christmas seasons. 

Chocolate Abuelita: This yummy Mexican-style hot chocolate is one of the best drinks during the season.  The rich and warm taste of this chocolate is beyond words. We usually drink this hot chocolate with pan dulce, which is a pastry. Everyone and their grandma love this drink. I would even say it’s better than American hot chocolate. 

Pan Dulce: This is another word for “sweet bread.” A way to describe this pastry is that it’s sweet, soft, rich and buttery with a crunchy, sweet topping. You can get pan dulce year-round, but people usually buy it during the winter and Christmas seasons. There are so many varieties of pan dulce that it’s hard to choose one. There is chocolate, vanilla, strawberry and the list goes on.  

Arroz Con Leche: This is rice pudding, but not the American kind. This is a homemade dessert made by Mexicans. Arroz con Leche is made from rice, milk, sweeteners, cinnamon and many other ingredients. The creamy yummy taste of the milk goes very well with the rice. This dish makes you feel at home and is one of my favorite dishes that my mom makes. 

Atole: Hands down, the second best drink there is. It doesn’t top Chocolate Abuelita, but it still gives you a warm and cozy feeling. This drink is made from milk, cinnamon, corn flour and many more ingredients. You can enjoy this drink with some tamales or pan dulce. 

Tres Leches Cake; Last but not least, we have the Tres Leches cake, in other words “Three Milk Cake.” This yummy goodness has so much flavor to it. This yummy sponge cake is soaked with three types of milk: condensed, evaporated and whole milk. A lot of people usually add fruits to them to make them even better. We use this type of cake for any occasion: birthdays, baptisms, weddings, Christmas, etc.