Mandel bread, also known as mandelbrot, are classic Jewish cookies. Similar to Italian biscotti, these crunchy cookies are perfect for dipping in tea or coffee. This easy, classic recipe came to me courtesy of a reader, by way of her grandmother Bubbie Ruth. Usually they are twice-baked to make them crispy and crunchy. Additionally, they can be soft-baked for a more tender texture. No matter how they are made, Bubbie Ruth’s Mandel Bread deserves a spot in your recipe box!
A Brief History of Mandel Bread, aka Mandelbrot
Mandelbrot cookies are an Ashkenazi Jewish dessert dating back to the early nineteenth century. Mandelbrot are closely related to the Italian cookies known as biscotti, which were first made in the Middle Ages. The word mandelbrot means almond (mandel) and bread (brot) in both German and Yiddish. In America, these tasty little cookies are known as mandel bread. Typically mandel bread are twice-baked, which makes them crispy and crunchy. They’re perfect for dipping in your tea or coffee. Because most of the moisture is baked out of them, they also have a fairly long shelf life.
The origin of Jewish mandelbrot is a bit of a mystery. In the wonderful book Jewish Cooking in America, Joan Nathan writes about the history of mandelbrot cookies and their similarity to other cookies made in Europe and Eastern Europe:
“With a large Jewish population in Piedmont, Italy may have been the place where Jews first tasted biscotti and later brought them to Europe where they called them mandelbrot, which literally means almond bread. In the Ukraine, a similar cookie not necessarily with almonds but made at home, thuskamish, was served. In Italy they are often eaten as a dessert dipped into wine or grappa. In Eastern Europe Jews dipped them into a glass of tea, and because they include no butter and are easily kept they became a good Sabbath dessert.”
A Family Recipe for Mandel Bread
Today’s simple and tasty recipe for mandel bread comes to us courtesy of blog reader Beth Steiner. Beth writes a cooking blog called Someone’s in the Kitchen with Brina. Beth’s Hebrew name is Brina; her blog focuses on easy kosher recipes. Her family recipe, Bubbie Ruth’s Mandel Bread, is sweetened with chocolate chips.
Of this recipe, Beth said:
“My father’s mother, Bubbie Ruth, was an amazing cook and baker. One of my favorite memories is working in her kitchen, patting rolls of mandel bread dough into the baking pan. She would always bring a fresh batch with her when she and my Zadie came to visit from Florida. After Bubbie died in 2002, my mom took over the recipe and always stores it in her special mandel bread tin. She would send it to my sister at college and once sent me a huge batch when I was living abroad in Israel. Bubbie Ruth’s Mandel Bread is a staple at every family gathering. I have her KitchenAid mixer and every time I use it to make her mandel bread, I feel close to her all over again.”
I use my KitchenAid mixer to make these, in memory of Beth’s Bubbie Ruth. You can use an electric hand mixer if you prefer. Note that I’ve included a Soft Mandel Bread Variation at the end of the recipe for those who prefer a softer version of this cookie.
A special thanks to Beth for sharing this delicious recipe!
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Bubbie Ruth's Mandel Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (you can sub chopped nuts, candied fruits, etc.)
- Ground cinnamon and granulated sugar for dusting
NOTES
Instructions
- Mix together oil and sugar until combined, then add eggs one at a time. After the eggs are combined, add vanilla.
- Sift together all the dry ingredients and add them slowly to the sugar/egg mixture.Once the dough is smooth and sticky, pour the chocolate chips in and mix.
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for a few hours (at least 2) or overnight.
- Lightly oil your hands and form 4 long rows with the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet (I line the cookie sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup). Each strip of dough should be 3-4 inches wide. They will spread out a lot during cooking, so make sure you leave enough space between the rows.
- Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. While mandel bread is baking, in a flat shallow dish, combine ¾ cup of sugar with enough cinnamon to turn the mixture light brown. It’s best to eyeball this – it shouldn’t be too brown or too white.
- Take the mandel bread out and turn the oven down to 250 degrees F. Slice the mandel bread into biscotti sized pieces.
- Roll each cookie into the cinnamon sugar mixture. Put the pieces back on the cookie sheet on their sides.
- Bake for another 15 minutes until they’ve achieved the texture you desire. The longer they stay in the oven, the crisper they will be. If the slices are big or wide, you might need longer than 15 minutes. Keep an eye on it and don’t over-bake, as this cookie tends to dry out quickly. Store in an airtight container.
Mona says
The dough is in fridge…been looking for my nana’s recipe and this may be the exact same one ! I was excited to see the softer variation as that is how she made it, with a sugary, vanilla glaze over the top. I haven’t found anyone else who was raised with the soft version, and must be related to the Eastern European shtetls/villages they came from ! Hope it bakes off as good as it sounds ….thanks so much for posting.
Lorraine says
This sounds unbelievable! I’m going to make the soft version with sliced or slivered almonds, almond extract & possibly (probably) diced candied orange peel.
To all the members of Bubbie Ruth’s family, all your comments put me in mind of the family who did “The Gefilte Fish Chronicles”. I wish there were more of my family who really loved to cook like I do. Thanks for the recipe.
To Terri: Where do you live? Living in South Florida, I’m always conscious of things that start out dry but turn soft. If you live in a very humid climate, you might try leaving the fully cooled cookies on a rack overnight before you close them up. Good luck.
Deb says
To Terri,
Are you putting your mandel bread in Tupperware before they are completely cooled? Any bit of warmth in them will develop steam in a covered container. (I speak from experience!) They need to be totally cool, no trace of warmth at all!
Juju says
This looks amazing! I have all the ingredients, except for the sugar! I wonder if I can substitute it with agave or honey??.. I need to make this =]
terri says
I have a question. When I make my Passover mandel bread when it is done cooling it is hard and crisp. I then transfer it to Rubbermaid or Tupperware containers and then the next day when I go to put it out on platters it has become soft. Any idea how I can keep it crunchy?
Tori Avey says
Terri – try preheating the oven to 350 degrees F and re-toasting the mandel bread for a few minutes till crisp prior to serving. Keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t get too dark or burn.
Florence says
Terri – They will stay hard and crisp if they are stored in a metal container – such as an empty coffee can – I use an empty Keebler soda cracker tin because I like to make a double recipe. Make sure they are completely cool before storing.
Helene Greenberg says
Thanks Beth for keeping up the tradition of joyful baking and making this wonderful family recipe available to your blog readers – l’dor va dor. Bubbe would be kvelling. Love, Mom
Sherry Wolf says
I am Beth’s aunt and have also made this recipe for the last 18 years. You can’t go wrong if you follow each step…it is the best mandel bread you will ever have. I have also made it gluten-free, by using rice flour instead of wheat flour.
For those of you that didn’t know Ruth she was an amazing woman. Not only was she my mother-in-law, but she was my good friend. I miss her and think of her often.
Thanks Beth for sharing this wonderful recipe and a little about Bubbe and her special love for baking.
Ada Golden says
Gosh, Bubbie Ruth’s mandel bread truly is the best! I am Beth’s sister and I grew up noshing on this stuff. It is a family tradition that I am so happy to be a part of. My 3 year old son has recently discovered mandel bread and he loves it!
Eleanor Boxerman says
I’m thrilled to read the story of Beth Steiner’s mandel bread. I am Bobie Ruth’s sister, the only remaining one of the four Glazer daughters. We all made this recipe,which we learned from our mother Bess, with some variations. Evelyn added lemon juice and lemon or orange zest. Sylvia’s daughter Julie taught me to use baking Splenda to cut the sugar level. We all added pareve chocolate chips. I dropped the cinnamon/sugar in recent years because of dietary issues but still toast them. I also add almond flavor.
Thanks beth!
Anonymous says
I made these a few days before Christmas. A mouth watering whole-wheat biscotti with nuts and dried fruit inspired..hmmmm soo yummy!
Beth Steiner says
I am so glad you like this family favorite! Bubbie Ruth would be honored.
Sylvia Mond says
Can you give me a breakdown of the calorie count please
Tori Avey says
Saundra thanks for writing! It was so nice of Beth to share this recipe, it is truly delicious.
Barbara, using pistachios and drizzling in chocolate is a totally mouth-watering idea, I think I’ll have to try it that way next time. 🙂
Sylvia, I don’t currently offer nutrition information for my recipes, but there are many recipe calculators online that will let you input the information to find the calorie breakdown. Here is a link to one of those sites if you want to try it:
http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-calculator.asp
Saundra Greenberg Bromberg says
This recipe was passed on to other members of the family. I am Beth’s second cousin and all of us including our friends and extended family make this recipe. I too make it and send it along to my step children right before Rosh Hashanna in tins. It’s a family favorite. My mom Shirley, Aunt Ruth’s sister in law (Beth’s bubbe) makes it all the time, puts it in the freezer to have all year round. My brothers and I know to come to the freezer in my 86 year old mother’s home to steal a taste. She, like my Aunt Ruth is an amazing baker and cook. Thanks Beth for posting. It’s a great family tradition that will live on for generations to come.
Barbara Sherman says
My sister makes these. They are great with petachio (sp?) nuts stuck in them, a variation of the traditional almonds, and also I like the melted chocolate morsels drizzled over the twice baked biscotti. I like that better than the sugar/cinnamon mix.
Larry "The Wizard" Siegfried says
Yummy .. My Mother makes Mandel Bread from my Bubbie Helen’s {A”S} recipe .. Just checked .. seems that our Bubbie’s must of gone to the same baking school..lol.. They are exactly the same…:)) I can tell you know Good Mandel Bread;-)
Shalom, Larry…
Marc Gelmon says
We call these kamishbroigt here in Vancouver. Love them whatever their called!
Brenda22 says
love this! — Yummy!
aanita sherman says
thanks i will try these tomorrow
Kathryn Pless says
These look really good and easy to do. I’m going to have to try them very soon. Thanks for sharing, I really love old family recipes.
Barbara Erdman says
Yum these look great 🙂