Each year around the holidays, my family picks a night to post up in the kitchen and make batches of cookies. We usually bake everything from chocolate chip to gingerbread, powdery snowballs, and more—but the fan favorite is always the warm, fold-over kolaczki packed with sweet jam. We typically use apricot or grape filling, but I have a feeling this year will be a little different.
That’s because I recently got my hands on a new advent calendar: the 2026 Bonne Maman, which includes 24 limited-edition mini spreads you can open each day leading up to Christmas... and you bet I’ll be using ’em in this year’s cookie batch.
The seasonal jam flavors—which can’t be found in stores—include unique fruity mixes like apricot-banana, grapefruit-dragonfruit, and lemon-lavender (to name a few). You’ll also get rich, dessert-forward spreads hidden behind the countdown doors, like milk caramel with salted butter (which sounds like it’d be delicious on Christmas-morning toast) and dark-chocolate caramel.
I won't spoil the other flavors in this year's box (that's part of the surprise!), but I love that behind each box of jam is a thoughtful holiday note that’ll help kickstart your morning in the cheeriest way, like “Let it snow,” “Decorate the tree,” and “Joy to all.”
Bonne Maman is a longtime favorite among our Good Housekeeping editors. In 2025, the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen & Cooking Lab taste-tested a handful of food advent calendars—and Bonne Maman was a clear favorite. Testers mentioned how the jams were “bright and unexpected,” and that “even flavors I didn’t expect to like won me over!” Another remarked, “Who wouldn’t love to open a beautiful tiny jar of jam each morning?” To be honest, I agree.
If past years are any indication, this year's collection should be just as delicious. I'll be spreading mine on warm toast and, of course, sneaking some into my Christmas cookies.
