Delicious, easy recipes by Jay Wadams

Welcome to
Days of Jay

I'm Jay, cookbook author and food photographer.

Days of Jay is my website, where I share easy, delicious recipes for home cooking.

My recipes are packed with photos and useful tips and tricks to help you as you cook. They are all inspired by healthy, seasonal ingredients and my travels across the globe, especially in Germany, Italy, Cyprus, and Australasia.

Welcome to
Days of Jay

I'm Jay, cookbook author and food photographer. Days of Jay is my website, where I share easy, delicious recipes for home cooking.

My recipes are packed with photos and useful tips and tricks to help you as you cook. They are all inspired by healthy, seasonal ingredients and my travels across the globe, especially in Germany, Italy, Cyprus, and Australasia.

I am so excited to have you here, so let’s dive in and get cooking!


It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!


Well, the countdown is until the year’s end, and Christmas is just around the corner. Check out some of my most popular Christmas and festive recipes below!

Homemade marzipan title card.

My Homemade Marzipan recipe is super easy and tastes miles better than store-bought. This eggless, no-bake recipe comes together in minutes with just three ingredients. Perfect for Christmas time, fruit cakes, cookies, marzipan candy and more.

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A plate of Vanillekipferl or Vanilla crescent cookies surrounded by Christmas decorations, walnuts, clementines and a candle.

Possibly the tastiest of all German Christmas cookies, Vanillekipferl are, crumbly, buttery crescent-shaped cookies, scented with heavenly vanilla. Yum!

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German Christmas Stollen Title card showing two pictures of Stollen.

German Christmas Stollen is always a real treat during the holiday season. Made from an enriched yeast dough, loaded with rum-soaked fruit and candied peel, Stollen is delicious served with a cup of coffee or a warming mug of Glühwein.

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German Mulled wine recipe title card showing a mug of Glühwein and a man holding a mug of mulled wine.

A warming, gently spiced mug of Glühwein, or German Mulled Wine is one of the great pleasures of Christmas and the winter months. It is simple to make at home and fills the whole house with the most incredible aroma!

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Cinnamon Star Bread Title Card showing star bread from two angles. Text overly 'Sweet Cinnamon Star Bread'.

One of my favourite Christmas bakes is Cinnamon Star Bread. With the delicious flavour of cinnamon rolls, this sweet bread recipe makes a beautiful loaf to feed a crowd. It is also actually much simpler than it looks, relying on clever cutting and twisting of the layers of dough to achieve the beautiful design.

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My Mulled Wine Cheesecake is full of Christmas’s rich spices and flavours. A deep-red, almost black mulled wine jelly on top of a creamy citrussy filling with a deliciously spicy base. This fabulous no-bake cheesecake is Christmas heaven!

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Almond and Cranberry Nougat recipe title card.

Sweet and delicious, it is easier than you think to make homemade nougat. This recipe has no glucose or corn syrup and can be made with ordinary household ingredients. Perfect for Christmas gifts!

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Fried Apple Rings Title Card.

Sweet, juicy and fragrant with a cinnamon sugar coating, Fried Apple Rings or Apfelkücherl are one of my favourite German Christmas market treats. You don’t have to stand around in the snow to enjoy them though, with my simple batter they are super easy to prepare at home.

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Chocolate Pinwheel Cookies

With perfect spirals of chocolate and vanilla, my melt-in-the-mouth Chocolate Pinwheel Cookies are as good to look at as they are to eat. Made from crumbly, buttery shortbread they make a perfect and beautiful Christmas gift, though they are delicious any time of year!

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German Cinnamon Star Cookies zimtsterne.

The ultimate German Christmas cookie, Zimtsterne or Cinnamon Star Cookies are deliciously chewy morsels, topped with a crisp layer of snowy white meringue.

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The Latest Recipes From My Kitchen

Discover my latest and greatest recipes below, or use the search function to find exactly what you’re looking for.


Fig and Honey Tart

Fig and Honey Tart

Fig and Honey Tart with fresh figs and almond frangipane wrapped in buttery short pastry and drizzled with honey is the perfect sweet recipe for autumn or fall.
Beef Shank Osso Buco

Beef Shank Osso Buco

Meltingly tender beef in a rich and tomatoey sauce, slow-cooked Beef Shank Osso Buco is pure Italian comfort food. Served with a bright and zesty blood orange gremolata and plenty of mashed potatoes, this is the ultimate meal when the weather turns cool.
Greek Lemon Chicken Soup

Greek Lemon Chicken Soup

A velvety and flavoursome soup that is pure comfort in a bowl. Greek Lemon Chicken Soup or Avgolemono is a stunning combination of chicken, lemon, orzo and herbs, thickened with whole eggs. Perfect for cool weather!
If you’ve ever travelled to Hungary you are sure to have eaten plenty of this famous dish. Similar to goulash, Hungarian Pork Stew or Pörkölt is thick and hearty with a rich tomatoey sauce, perfect as a winter warmer.

Hungarian Pork Stew – Pörkölt

If you’ve ever travelled to Hungary you are sure to have eaten plenty of this famous dish. Similar to goulash, Hungarian Pork Stew or Pörkölt is thick and hearty with a rich tomatoey sauce, perfect as a winter warmer.
Beeramisu title card.

Beeramisu (Tiramisu with Dark Beer)

Hold on a minute, beer-a-mi-what? You heard right, a Beeramisu is a traditional Italian Tiramisu with a generous helping of dark and fruity stout or porter beer. Perfect for the beer lovers in your life! It might sound strange at first, but this light and flavoursome Italian dessert is delicious with beer added.
Tender and sweet, White Wine Poached Pears filled with creamy mascarpone are a light and fragrant dinner party classic dessert.

White Wine Poached Pears

Tender and sweet, White Wine Poached Pears filled with creamy mascarpone are a light and fragrant dinner party dessert.
Obaztda is a delicious Bavarian Beer and Cheese Spread, perfect for picnics, the beer garden, or for lining your stomach before you start on that litre of beer - and it is super easy to make at home!

Obatzda (Bavarian Beer and Cheese Dip)

Obaztda is a delicious Bavarian Beer and Cheese Spread, perfect for picnics, the beer garden, or for lining your stomach before you start on that litre of beer – and it is super easy to make at home!
Real Bavarian Pork Schnitzel Title Card

Bavarian Pork Schnitzel

Possibly the most famous of all Germanic foods, Bavarian Pork Schnitzel is always a winner. Thinly beaten pork, generously coated in fresh breadcrumbs and fried to golden-brown perfection. Yum!

Recipes By Meal Type


light-bites
Main Event
Sweet Things
cocktail hour

Marillenknödel – Austrian Apricot Dumplings
Wurstsalat (German Sausage Salad)
Easy Cherry Tomato Tart
Zwetschgendatschi (Bavarian Plum Tart)
Homemade Chocolate Popsicles

Looking for Dinner Inspiration?


Below are some of my most popular dinner recipes. Quick and easy with simple ingredients and big flavours.

Easy Chicken Lo Mein Noodles 1
Pork and Shrimp Gyoza on a tray with spicy dipping sauce and fresh herbs. Title Card.
Summer Roast Vegetable Salad
Ricotta Gnocchi with Lemon and Sage title card.
Real Bavarian Pork Schnitzel Title Card
Mediterranean meatball skewers with mixed vegetables on a white plate

My FAvourite German Cake Recipes

While people often associate Germany with pretzels and beer, it’s really all about coffee and cake!

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Easy German Cake Recipes