If you are into spreading cheer over Christmas by distributing sweets, make these traditional Christian goodies at home this season. UpperCrust gives you the simplest recipes. Rich chocolate, creamy vanilla, crunchy kulkuls, soft jujubes and delicious marzipan... they fill the house with enticing and spicy smells.

Ingredients:
50 gms gelatine
500 gms sugar
3 sour limes
Colour and essence

Procedure:
Extract the juice from the sour limes and add enough water to make it 300 ml. Mix the gelatine, lime juice, sugar, colour and essence. Cook the mixture on a slow fire till it thickens, then pour into a tray. Leave overnight to set. With a sharp knife cut into squares and coat with fine or powdered sugar.

Ingredients:
1/2 litre milk
100 gms cashewnuts
2 cups sugar
1 tbs butter
Vanilla essence

Procedure:
Grind cashew nuts to a fine paste. Cook the milk in sugar on a slow fire. When it thickens, add the cashewnut paste, ghee and vanilla essence till it leaves the sides of the vessel. Remove from the fire, and when cool cut into squares or form in a rubber mould.

Ingredients:
250 gms almonds
450 gms sugar
2 egg whites
Rose water
Colouring agents
Stalks for fruits

Procedure:
Almonds should be blanched and ground with a little rose water, to a paste. Beat the egg whites and mix with the almond paste, sugar and a few drops of rose water. Cook on a slow fire till the mixture leaves the sides of the vessel. Form into a mass, divide into portions and colour accordingly. Form into fruits and put a stalk in each. Or you could also form the mixture in rubber moulds.