How to Make Mandel Bread for Hanukkah

Mandel bread, or mandelbrot, is a traditional Jewish cookie that is slightly softer than biscotti. These treats can be enjoyed with a cup of coffee like biscotti, or as a child's treat to be enjoyed with milk while playing a game of dreidel during Hanukkah. No matter the occasion, mandel bread is always a good choice for a snack.

Things You'll Need

• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tsps. baking powder
• 3/4 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips
• 4 ounces of chopped walnuts
• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Instructions

Make Mandel Bread For Hanukkah

1. Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, oil and vanilla. Combine the two mixtures until the dough is crumbly.

2. Stir in walnuts and chocolate chips gradually. Knead the mixture to make sure everything is mixed properly.

3. Split the dough into four parts and roll each piece into a log that's 10 inches wide and 2 inches thick. Place logs on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes in an oven preheated to 350 degrees F.

4. Loosen the logs with a metal spatula onto a cutting board. Allow the logs to cool for 5 minutes, then cut them into 1/2 inch slices. Get an idea of how the pieces should look by visiting the Recipe Tips website (see Resources box).

5. Place the mandel bread pieces back on the sheet and bake for 10 more minutes. The mandel bread should still be somewhat soft when removed from the oven a second time.

6. Dust your cookies with powdered sugar or top them with jam before serving. Mandel bread also is good served alone.

Tips & Warnings

• Have children use pieces of mandel bread as tokens during their game of dreidel. The winner will have a tasty Hanukkah while finishing off the cookies.

• Make sure to leave the oven on after you take the mandel bread out of the oven for the first time. If you do not, you will have to preheat the oven again.

• Don't leave the mandel bread in the oven because it isn't hard enough. The cookies will crisp as they cool.

• Do not substitute applesauce for oil in this recipe. The mandel bread will become too soft and won't crisp up as much after it cools.

Resources

• Visit Recipe Tips for pictures of mandel bread.