Holiday Sweet Tooth

Hi, Friends! Hanukkah is here! The first day of the Festival of Lights began on Sunday, December 14 at sundown. I didn’t grow up in a Jewish household, but I have enjoyed so much learning about Hanukkah traditions with my husband’s family, and one of my favorites is singing the Hebrew prayer while lighting the candles on the menorah each night. Baruch atah adonai…

Mandelbröt, German for “almond bread” Charles. / Elliott & Matt, circa 2015

I can still smell the potato latkes pan-frying now. If only I had the courage to try my hand at sufganiyot, but making yeasted dough and deep frying isn’t my forte, as much as I love doughnuts. My sweet tooth kicks into full gear at this time of year!

If you’re also craving something sweet, fret not, because I DO have a dessert recipe for you today from my husband’s family. For as long as he can remember, Matt has been making his great grandmother Ray’s mandelbröt cookies to share with loved ones around this time of year. What began as a Hanukkah tradition for the Stecklers, quickly grew to become an end of the year holiday tradition. Matt, his father, Charles, and now my son, Elliott, make mandelbröt every year to give out for Hanukkah, Christmas, New Year’s Eve, Kwanzaa, you name it. We even made them for our June wedding to give out as favors to guests in a rare summer baking extravaganza over 20 years ago now. 

Matt, Megan & Elliott / 2014 Matt & Elliott 2024

People look forward to the annual mandelbröt and we would definitely get some serious guff if we didn’t have any to hand out at holiday gatherings. By “we”, I mean my boys- it’s traditional for the men to bake these cookies, but I fully support them while they’re kneading, toasting, and sprinkling! Sometimes, they let me help. I am an excellent taste-tester!

This recipe & its back story can also be found in Manchester Life Magazine’s Holiday/Winter ‘25 issue, available throughout the Shires and with your subscription to Vermont Magazine.

Grandma Ray’s Mandelbröt, a Steckler Family Recipe

This recipe makes a double batch, because you must share! Yield is ~4 dozen cookies. The Stecklers usually make two or three double batches. 

Preheat oven to 350 F

Wet Ingredients

12 Eggs + 1 for Egg Wash

1 ½ cup Canola Oil

6 tsp. Vanilla Extract

12 oz. Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips

12 oz. Whole Almonds, toasted 

Dry Ingredients

8 cups Flour (+ more when kneading dough)

3 cups Sugar

6 tsp. Baking Powder

1 tsp. Salt

Multi-colored Sprinkles (rainbow nonpareils work best)

Combine Wet and Dry separately, then combine both together. Knead by hand to make dough, using more flour as needed to reach dough consistency. Cut and roll out into dough “snakes” 2 ½ to 3 inches wide and place on parchment-lined cookie sheets.

Make egg wash with 1 egg plus a drop of warm water. Brush egg wash on each snake and then shake multi-colored sprinkles on top. 

Bake once until puffed up and par-baked, when they are just starting to get golden, approximately 15-20 minutes. Allow to cool and cut the snakes into diagonal biscotti wedges. Pro-tip: the cooling process is a great time to enjoy your favorite festive beverage and have a toast with your baking buddies! 

Reset cookies flat on cookie sheets and bake again until golden brown, approximately 10 minutes.

Enjoy with coffee, tea, or milk. Always share!!