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Some spices trigger instant winter warmth, which is why we associate them so much with winter festivities like Christmas.
For anyone discovering the fine art of festive baking, these are the five spices you are most likely to encounter in sweet recipes.
1. Star anise
Finely ground star anise is used to flavour gingerbread and German Christmas market staples like lebkuchen soft cookie cakes.

However, it has a very intense flavour and should be used sparingly.
Used whole as an eight-pointed star, it serves as an eye-catcher in spiced tea, punch or mulled wine.
Kept whole, they need to be stored tightly closed and in a dark place, away from light and air circulation. If you crush them fresh in a mortar, the aroma is particularly intense.

2. Vanilla
The queen of spices is also one of the most expensive. The most important type is Bourbon vanilla (Vanilla planifolia).
The elongated pods need to be fermented to develop their dark colour and creamy, floral aroma. We can buy real vanilla as pods or in powder form. Products with real vanilla can usually be recognised by the small black dots of the vanilla pulp.

It features in many Christmas cookie recipes, notably in Austria’s vanilla kipferl crescent-shaped biscuits.
To make your own vanilla sugar – much more aromatic than what you might find in a shop – just add whole or finely chopped vanilla pods in a jar with sugar and leave to steep for two weeks. Mix or shake well from time to time.
3. Cardamom

In Europe, cardamom used to flavour gingerbread and some Christmas biscuits, but also wintry hot drinks such as mulled wine and fruit punch. In many recipes it is combined with cinnamon and vanilla.
To get the full flavour, buy whole, green and firm cardamom pods. Stored in an airtight, dark container, they will keep for about a year. The pods can be boiled with food and removed before eating. Or you can open the pods, fry the seeds briefly and crush them in a mortar.
4. Cloves

The sweet-spicy scent of cloves is used in winter drinks like mulled wine and hot whisky. The dried flower buds of the clove tree (Syzygium aromaticum) can be bought whole or as a powder. Both should be stored well sealed and in a dark place.
If you want to keep the typical Christmas scent in your home and also have a beautiful decoration, stud an orange with a handful of cloves, so that only the bud heads are sticking out.
5. Cinnamon

Cinnamon is perhaps the most important of all winter spices, but not all cinnamon is the same.
High-quality cinnamon is Ceylon cinnamon, which comes from the true cinnamon tree (Cinnamomum verum). It has more flavour and less coumarin than the cheaper cassia cinnamon. Coumarin can be harmful to health in high doses. Ceylon cinnamon is usually declared as such when sold.
Once you have stocked up on these five, the next on your list are likely to be ginger, nutmeg, fennel seeds and allspice.


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Cloves are commonly used in mulled wine and hot whisky. Photo: Shutterstock

Cinnamon is probably the most important of all Christmas spices. We look at it and four others essential for festive baking. Photo: Shutterstock

Star anise is used to flavour gingerbread, but should be used sparingly. Shutterstock

German fruit bread stollen is one of the many Christmas treats commonly made with star anise. Photo: Shutterstock

Vanilla workers in Madagascar, the number-one producer of the important Christmas spice. Photo: Shutterstock

Cardamom can be cooked by boiling in the pod. Alternatively the seeds can be fried and then crushed with a mortar. Photo: Shutterstock

Cloves, with their sweet-spicy aroma, are commonly used in mulled wine and hot toddies. Photo: Shutterstock

Mulled wine typically contains cinnamon and other spices to achieve that quintessential festive flavour. Photo: Shutterstock

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Star anise, or illicium verum, is a popular spice in Chinese home cooking for both its taste and health benefits. Photo: Shutterstock

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Food & Drink

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’Tis the season for Christmas cakes and hot toddies. These spices go into making your favourite holiday foods and drinks. How to use them


’Tis the season for Christmas cakes and hot toddies. These spices go into making your favourite holiday foods and drinks. How to use them.


Christmas