Stollen Bites: An Easy No-Yeast Christmas Bake

Try something different this Christmas and bake these stollen bites. They’re rich, squidgy little squares packed with festive flavours and studded with marzipan and booze-soaked fruit. You get all the buttery sweetness of classic stollen, but without the yeast, making them much quicker and easier to make.

I baked these stollen bites for our singing group celebration, after we’d given a carol concert in our local library. They went down a storm – at least amongst the marzipan lovers.

Dive Right In

• Why You’ll Want To Make These Stollen Bites
• Stollen – But Not As You Know It
• Ingredients, Additions and Substitutions
• How To Make Stollen Bites
• Other Christmas Traybake Recipes You Might Like
• Keep In Touch
• Pin It
• The Recipe

Why You’ll Want To Make These Stollen Bites

• Baked in a tin and sliced into bites – no shaping or proving required.
• Ideal for festive baking when feeding a crowd. Work well for gifting, parties or a Christmas baking platter.
• Keep well and actually improve after a day or two, so they’re great for making ahead of time.
• No yeast required, so they’re quicker and easier to make than traditional stollen. A great alternative if you don’t enjoy working with yeast.
• Rich, buttery flavour with all the classic stollen spices.
• Squidgy texture with pockets of marzipan and booze-soaked fruit.

Stollen – But Not As You Know It

Making true stollen, although rewarding, is somewhat time consuming. These stollen bites are based on this well known German bake, but they don’t need yeast and are a lot easier to make.

They also have a delightful squidgy aspect which stollen generally doesn’t have. The flavours and ingredients are mostly the same and if you like marzipan, I defy you not to fall in love with this easy Christmas traybake.

The stollen is quite rich and a little goes a long way, so although you could cut the traybake into bars, I find smaller bites work better.

Ingredients, Additions and Substitutions

There are quite a few ingredients needed to make this recipe, but don’t be put off. I’ve highlighted most of them below.

Citrus

Citrus really helps to bring out the flavour of Christmas. I’ve used both the zest and juice of a clementine. But you can swap this for half an orange or half a lemon if you prefer.

Or, if you’re not going to use candied peel (see below), use the zest of a whole orange or lemon instead.

Dairy

In addition to butter, there’s a significant amount of cream cheese in this recipe. The cheese adds richness and a tangy element, but also helps to keep the finished bake tender.

Unless the cheese is unsalted, you won’t need to add any salt to the recipe.

For the butter, I like to use unsalted as it’s generally richer than salted butter. But as long as you use real butter, you’re good to go.

Dried Fruit

Sultanas or raisins are the traditional fruit used to make stollen. I’ve used sultanas to maintain some semblance of authenticity, but I’ve also gone with dried apricots. Not only are the unsulphured variety delicious, but they’re also quite good for you.

You can swap the sultanas for currants or raisins or just use sultanas instead of the apricots. But basically, you can use whatever dried fruit grabs your fancy. The important thing is to make sure you soak it first.

I know some people hate shop-bought mixed peel. CT is one of those. But he actively enjoys any bake where I use my own homemade candied peel. So you may, or may not, wish to include peel in your stollen bites.

Flour

Instead of my usual wholemeal spelt flour, I’ve used strong wholemeal flour (bread flour) for these stollen bites. It gives a better structure, a slight chewiness and helps the bites hold together.

Liquid

You don’t want much liquid for this bake, but soaking the fruit in some is a must. It adds additional flavour, plumps the fruit up and stops it drying out in the oven.

In addition to citrus juice, rum is a good option. It’s the most common liquid used to soak stollen fruit. If you’d rather not use alcohol, double the amount of citrus juice instead. If rum isn’t your thing, swap it for brandy or even amaretto.

Nuts

Given the significant marzipan element, almonds are the nuts to go for to make these stollen bites. You’ll need both ground almonds and flaked almonds as well as the marzipan.

If you have the time and energy, homemade marzipan is the way to go. Sadly, I didn’t have either this time, so I bought some in our local supermarket. Shop bought is generally very sweet and contains quite a low percentage of almonds. But it is very convenient.

Spices

Warm sweet spices such as cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger or cardamom are most often used to make stollen. I’ve gone with mixed spice and vanilla.

If you like, swap the mixed spice for pumpkin spice or allspice or use a mix of the ones mentioned above.

How To Make Stollen Bites

Stollen bites are best made at least one day before cutting into squares. This will give the stollen a chance to firm up so that it cuts more easily and is less likely to crack. You’ll need to soak the fruit prior to making the dough though, so allow at least two hours for this.

Please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for cooking temperatures and quantities of ingredients used.

I made these stollen bites by hand using a bowl and wooden spoon. However, the dough is quite stiff to work with, so you might prefer to use an electric mixer.

Step 1. Soak Fruit

Ideally, the day before baking, place the dried fruit in a small bowl. Add the rum and finely grated zest and juice of the clementine. Stir, cover the bowl with a small plate and leave to soak overnight. If you forget, it will need at least two hours, but the longer you leave it, the juicier the fruit will be.

Step 2. Toast Almonds

Toast the almonds for six minutes at 160℃ (320℉) in air fryer or 180℃ (160℃ fan, 350℉, Gas 4) in oven. Shake the nuts half way through so that they toast more or less evenly.

Leave to cool whilst you start to mix the stollen dough.

Step 3. Prepare Tin

Grease and line the bottom of your baking tin with baking paper. I used a silicone mould so I didn’t need to line it.

Step 4. Prepare Marzipan

On a chopping board, cut the marzipan into small cubes. If using homemade candied peel, you’ll need to chop that up too.

Step 5. Make Dough

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, then beat in the cream cheese and spices.

Break in the egg and beat that into the mix, followed by the ground almonds.

Sieve in the flour and baking powder, then mix until just about combined.

Add the fruit, together with any liquid left in the bowl and stir this in along with the toasted nuts and candied peel.

Finally, stir in the marzipan cubes.

Step 6. Transfer to Tin

Tip the mix into the prepared tin and level it, pushing it into the sides and corners until its evenly spread. The mixture is both stiff and sticky, so the back of a wet metal spoon works best for this.

I use a tablespoon and keep a mug of water on hand, so I can wet the spoon as often as needed.

Step 7. Bake

Bake in the centre of the oven for thirty minutes by which time the top should be firm to the touch, golden and have risen somewhat. The bites are at their best when slightly underbaked, so don’t be tempted to insert a skewer to test for doneness. Dry stollen is no fun at all.

Transfer the tin to a wire rack to cool. Whilst still warm, brush the melted butter over the top, until it’s all used up. This helps the stollen to keep, especially if you’re not eating it right away.

Step 8. Wrap, Store or Serve

Once the stollen bake is completely cool, wrap it well in greaseproof paper – unless you’re eating it on the same day. The bake will keep well for five to six days.

When you’re ready to serve peel off the baking paper on the bottom and dust the top heavily with icing sugar. Finally, cut into 36 squares.

Other Christmas Traybake Recipes You Might Like

These festive traybakes are all easy to make and great crowd pleasers to boot. Perfect for Christmas parties or just keeping everyone happy if you’re hosting.

• Chestnut brownies
• Christmas tiffin
• Date & hazelnut bars
• Leftover advocaat cake
• Mincemeat brownies
• Mincemeat slice

Keep in Touch

Thank you for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make these stollen bites, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. Do you have any recommendations or tips for making traditional stollen?

Please rate the recipe too. And do tag me @choclette8 on Instagram with your images, I love to see your take on my recipes.

For more delicious and nutritious recipes follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard or Pinterest. And don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to my weekly newsletter. Or why not join the conversation in our Healthy Vegetarian Whole Food Recipes Facebook Group?

If you’d like more marzipan recipes, follow the link and you’ll find I have quite a lot of them. All delicious and nutritious, of course.

Choclette x

Stollen Bites. PIN IT.

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5 from 2 votes

Stollen Bites

Rich, squidgy little squares packed with festive flavours and studded with marzipan and booze-soaked fruit. You get all the buttery sweetness of classic stollen, but without the yeast, making these stollen bites much quicker and easier to make.

Cook ModeToggle to keep screen awake

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Soaking Time2 hours hrs

Course: Afternoon Tea, Snack

Cuisine: German

Keyword: Christmas, marzipan, traybake

Servings: 36 pieces

Calories: 145kcal

Author: Choclette @ Tin and Thyme

Ingredients

• 75 g dried apricots unsulphured are best – chopped
• 75 g sultanas
• 1 clementine (or use half an orange) zest and juice
• 2 tbsp rum
• 75 g unsalted butter softened
• 150 g golden caster sugar
• 125 g full fat cream cheese
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• 1 medium egg
• 75 g ground almonds
• 250 g strong wholemeal flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 50 g flaked almonds toasted
• 25 g candied peel (I use my homemade peel)
• 250 g marzipan cubed into 1 cm pieces
• 25 g unsalted butter melted
• 15 g icing sugar

Metric – US Customary

Instructions

• Ideally, the day before baking, place the dried fruit in a small bowl. Add the rum and finely grated zest and juice of the clementine. Stir, cover the bowl with a small plate and leave to soak overnight. It will need at least two hours, but more is better.
  75 g dried apricots, 75 g sultanas, 1 clementine, 2 tbsp rum
• Grease and line the bottom of a 20 cm (8 inch) square baking tin with baking paper. I used a silicone mould so I didn’t need to line it.
• In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, then beat in the cream cheese and spices.
  75 g unsalted butter, 150 g golden caster sugar, 125 g full fat cream cheese, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1 tsp mixed spice
• Break in the egg and beat that into the mix, followed by the ground almonds.
  1 medium egg, 75 g ground almonds
• Sieve in the flour and baking powder, then work into the cream cheese mixture until just about combined.
  250 g strong wholemeal flour, 1 tsp baking powder
• Add the fruit, together with any liquid left in the bowl and stir this in together with the toasted nuts and candied peel.
  50 g flaked almonds, 25 g candied peel
• Finally, stir in the marzipan cubes.
  250 g marzipan
• Set the oven to 180℃ (160℃ fan, 350℉, Gas 4).
• Tip the mix into your prepared tin and level it using the back of a wet spoon. Push the mix into the sides and corners.
• Bake in the centre of the oven for thirty minutes by which time the top should be firm to the touch, golden and have risen somewhat. These are at their best when slightly underbaked, so don’t be tempted to insert a skewer to test for doneness. Dry stollen is no fun at all.
• Transfer the tin to a wire rack to cool. Whilst still warm, brush the melted butter over the top, until it’s all used up. This helps the stollen to keep if not eating right away.
  25 g unsalted butter
• Once the stollen bites are completely cool, wrap well in greaseproof paper – unless eating on the same day. The bake will keep well for five to six days.
• When you’re ready to serve peel off the baking paper on the bottom and dust the top heavily with icing sugar. Finally, cut into 36 squares.
  15 g icing sugar

Notes

The dough is quite stiff and a bit awkward to work with by hand, so you may prefer to use an electric mixer instead.

If you make the stollen a day before needed, it will be firmer and thus easier to cut without the top cracking.

You’ll find additional tips and info about this recipe in the main body of the post.

Please note: calories and other nutritional information are per serving. They’re approximate and will depend on serving size and exact ingredients used. Please refer to my nutrition disclaimer for further information.

Nutrition Estimate

Calories: 145kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 17mg | Potassium: 117mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 200IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 1mg

Tried this recipe?Leave a comment below letting us know how you got on and do share a photo on Instagram. Tag @choclette8 or use hashtag #tinandthyme.

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