Maltese Food Sweets & Desserts

Qagħaq tal-Għasel: Maltese Christmas Treacle Rings Recipe

Malta’s Christmas ring: crisp pastry, dark treacle, orange and spice.

Serves

Calories

310 kcal

Cuisine

Maltese

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Maltese qagħaq tal-għasel treacle rings on a wooden board, one cut to show the dark filling

On this page: What is it · History · What you need · Step by step · Serving & storage · Recipe card

If there is one sweet that tells you Christmas has arrived in Malta, it is qagħaq tal-għasel. Pastry shops stack them in their windows from late November, and they turn up on almost every table through the holidays, cut into wedges and passed around with coffee or a small glass of something sweet.

The name translates as honey rings, but the filling is not honey at all. It is a thick, glossy mix of black treacle, semolina, citrus zest and warm spices, wrapped in a thin shortcrust and baked until the pastry is just set and still pale. The slits on top let the dark filling show through, which is how you spot a real one.

This is the version we make at Tone & Taste: a filling with plenty of orange and lemon, a pastry that stays crisp for days, and a method that works in a normal home kitchen.

What Is It?

Qagħaq tal-għasel (singular: qagħqa tal-għasel) are Maltese rings of shortcrust pastry filled with a dark treacle and semolina paste. The filling is flavoured with orange and lemon zest, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and often a little cocoa, orange blossom water or anisette.

Each ring is roughly the size of a side plate. The pastry is rolled around a rope of filling, joined into a circle and cut along the top so the filling peeks out. They are baked only until lightly coloured, so the contrast between the pale crust and the almost-black centre stays sharp.

The texture is the point: a short, slightly crumbly pastry against a soft, sticky, spiced filling that tastes of molasses and citrus rather than plain sweetness.

A Little History

Qagħaq tal-għasel are one of the oldest sweets still made in Malta and Gozo, and Christmas is when they matter most. Today you can buy them all year, but they are still the ring families make at home or order in bulk for the holidays and give as gifts.

The flavours point to the island’s mix of influences. Treacle, citrus and spice sit close to Sicilian and wider Mediterranean sweet-making, while the use of semolina to thicken the filling is a thrifty, very local touch. In Gozo the rings were once also known as qagħaq tal-qastanija, a name some link to chestnuts being used in earlier versions.

Over the last century, British-era sweets like mince pies and Christmas cake joined the Maltese Christmas table. The treacle ring never left it.

At a glance

Serves

Calories

310 kcal

Protein

3.9 g

Course

Dessert, Snack

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Why it works

01 Treacle filling made a day ahead and set firm

02 Pale, crisp shortcrust, never browned

03 Keeps for two weeks in a tin

Cross-section of a Maltese treacle ring showing thin shortcrust and sticky dark treacle filling

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What You Need

Exact amounts are in the recipe card

Equipment tip: a heavy-based pan stops the treacle catching while it thickens, and a set of steel mixing bowls keeps the pastry cool while you work.

For the Pastry

Plain flour
Cold unsalted butter
Caster sugar
Egg yolks
Cold water

For the Filling

Black treacle
Fine semolina
Orange and lemon zest
Cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg
Cocoa, candied peel, orange blossom water

Step-by-Step Instructions

The filling is the part that needs time. Cook it the day before, or at least four hours ahead, so it sets firm enough to roll into a rope. Warm filling slumps and leaks out of the pastry.

The pastry is a simple shortcrust kept on the dry side so it rolls thin without tearing. Keep everything cool and work in batches, leaving the rest of the pastry in the fridge.

Bake gently. You want the pastry set and only just golden at the edges, never brown.

1. Cook the filling

Put the treacle, sugar, water, cocoa, spices, zest, juice and candied peel in a heavy-based saucepan. Bring to a simmer, stirring until the sugar dissolves.

Rain in the semolina while whisking, then switch to a wooden spoon and cook over low heat for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring constantly, until very thick and the spoon leaves a trail. Stir in the orange blossom water and anisette.

2. Chill the filling

Spread the filling in a shallow dish, cover the surface with baking paper and cool completely. Chill for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight, until firm enough to roll with damp hands.

3. Make the pastry

Rub the cold butter into the flour, sugar and salt until it looks like fine crumbs. Add the egg yolks and enough cold water to bring it together into a firm, smooth dough. Wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

4. Shape the rings

Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Roll a quarter of the pastry on a floured surface to about 3 mm thick and cut strips roughly 10 cm wide and 35 cm long.

Roll a portion of filling into a rope about 2 cm thick and lay it along the strip. Fold the pastry over to enclose it, seam underneath, then bring the ends together to form a ring and pinch to seal. Cut 6 to 8 short slits across the top so the filling shows.

5. Bake

Bake on lined trays for 20 to 25 minutes until the pastry is set and just pale golden at the edges. Cool on the tray for 10 minutes, then move to a rack.

Tip: If the filling bubbles out of the slits, it was not cooked thick enough or was still warm. Chill the next batch longer before shaping.

Serving & Storage

Serving

Serve the rings at room temperature, cut into wedges, with coffee, tea or a small glass of sweet wine or port. They are often set out on the table after Christmas lunch next to mince pies and a slice of Christmas log.

Wrapped in baking paper and tied with string, a whole ring makes a very good homemade gift.

Storing Leftovers

Qagħaq tal-għasel keep well, which is why they are made in big batches before Christmas.

Baked rings	airtight tin, up to 2 weeks
Filling	fridge, up to 1 week
Baked rings	freeze up to 2 months

If the pastry softens after a few days, warm the rings in a 160°C oven for 5 minutes and let them cool again to crisp up.

Freeze baked rings wrapped individually and thaw at room temperature.

Qagħaq tal-Għasel (Maltese Christmas Treacle Rings)

Traditional Maltese Christmas rings of crisp shortcrust wrapped around a dark, spiced filling of black treacle, semolina, orange and lemon. Make the filling a day ahead, shape, and bake until just pale golden. Makes 8 rings.

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine Maltese

Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1

Cook Time 35

Chilling 4

Total Time 5 35

Servings servings (8 rings)

Calories 310

Equipment

Heavy-based saucepan
Whisk and wooden spoon
Shallow dish
Mixing bowl
Rolling Pin
Sharp knife
2 baking trays
Baking paper

Ingredients

For the filling:
400 g black treacle
100 g caster sugar
400 ml water
120 g fine semolina
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 orange zest and juice of half
1 lemon zest only
50 g candied mixed peel finely chopped
1 tbsp orange blossom water
1 tbsp anisette optional
For the pastry:
400 g plain flour
150 g cold unsalted butter diced
50 g caster sugar
1 pinch salt
2 egg yolks
80 ml cold water plus a little extra if needed

Golden syrup can replace up to half the treacle for a milder flavour, but the filling will be lighter in colour.

Keep the filling cold and firm. Warm filling is the main reason rings split or leak.

Store in an airtight tin for up to 2 weeks, or freeze baked rings for up to 2 months.

Instructions

Filling: put the treacle, sugar, water, cocoa, spices, zest, orange juice and candied peel in a heavy-based saucepan. Bring to a simmer, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
Whisk in the semolina in a thin stream, then cook on low heat for 6–8 minutes, stirring constantly, until very thick. Stir in the orange blossom water and anisette.
Spread into a shallow dish, cover the surface with baking paper, cool and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight until firm.
Pastry: rub the butter into the flour, sugar and salt until it resembles fine crumbs. Add the egg yolks and enough cold water to form a firm, smooth dough. Wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan) and line two trays. Roll a quarter of the pastry to 3 mm and cut strips about 10 x 35 cm.
With damp hands, roll filling into ropes about 2 cm thick. Lay one along each strip, fold the pastry over to enclose it with the seam underneath, then join the ends into a ring and pinch to seal.
Cut 6–8 short slits across the top of each ring so the filling shows. Repeat with the remaining pastry and filling to make 8 rings.
Bake for 20–25 minutes until set and only just pale golden. Cool on the tray for 10 minutes, then on a rack.

Calories: 310kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 3.9g | Fat: 8.6g

Made these treacle rings?

Rate it with the stars in the recipe card and tell us how it went in the comments: how much spice you used, and whether yours made it to Christmas Day.

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