Mandel Bread
or Mandelbrot, as this biscotti-like cookie is referred to by Eastern European Jews. This cinnamon sugar cookie is a DeeDee Classic (DeeDee, my mom, that is). Anyone who spent any time in my house growing up has raided our cookie jar and, more often than not, found Mandel Bread. As a matter of fact, still to this day pop into my parents house and you’re likely to find the last couple of slices waiting to be enjoyed with a cup of coffee or as that little something sweet after dinner. There are many versions of Mandel Bread. Some studded with chocolate chips, others with almonds. Every bubbe made them but as far as I am concerned, this mandel bread is the only mandel bread.
I decided to share this recipe with you today in honor of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. It’s not necessarily a traditional holiday recipe although I don’t see why not. After initially baking the cookie loaves, you slice them into strips, turn each strip on it’s side and sprinkle generously with cinnamon sugar. The cookies bake some more before being flipped, sprinkled with even more cinnamon sugar and baked again. Despite all the sprinkling, the cookies are not overly sweet but certainly sweet enough to represent a sweet new year.
Ironically, this will be my first post that my mother will not be the first to comment on because even more ironically, she and my dad are landing in Eastern Europe this morning. They are embarking on a long-awaited, much deserved trip to Croatia where they are sure to sample many different Eastern European cookies and satisfy my mother’s desire for adventure. I wish them an incredible trip and all of you a Happy New Year. Enjoy!
Mandel Bread
- 1 1/2 c vegetable or canola oil
- 1 1/2 c sugar, plus 1 cup sugar for topping
- 4 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 4 c flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 1/4 c cinnamon
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla until combined.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt and then mix the dry ingredients into the wet.
- Use your hands to thoroughly combine and mold mixture into two loaves. Note, if the mixture seems too wet, add 1-2 Tbls flour, a little at a time.
- Put loaves side by side on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the cinnamon sugar by combining sugar and cinnamon to your liking (general ratio is 1 cup sugar to 1/4 cup cinnamon, which will leave you with extra cinnamon sugar mixture).
- Remove from the oven, allow loaves to cool slightly before slicing them into 3/4-inch slices and turning each slice on its side (all on the baking sheet).
- Sprinkle sliced cookies with cinnamon sugar mixture and return to the oven to bake for 5 minutes.
- Remove pan from oven, flip the cookies, sprinkle with more cinnamon sugar and return to the oven to bake for a final 5 minutes.
- Remove cookies to a cooling rack to cool.
- This recipe is easily, and often, doubled. You will end up with 4 loaves on 2 cookie sheets.
- These cookies last for a good week, or however long it takes for you to finish them, in a sealed container.