Passover wouldn't be complete without a piece of mandel bread. The cakey cookie is similar to a biscotti and is perfect with a hot beverage.
Mandel bread is a Passover staple. If you've never heard of the cookie, get ready to fall in love. It is like a cousin to a biscotti. Although it has a similar shape, the texture is much cakier.
Passover Mandel Bread Recipe
Mandel bread is always on the dessert menu when it comes to Passover. It's the perfect ending to the big seder meal and goes perfectly with a cup of tea. I always make sure to make a double batch of the mandel bread, so there is enough to snack on during the week of Passover.
Unlike biscotti, mandel bread isn't toasted after it is baked — at least my family's version. Some recipes place the cookies back in the oven to get nice and toasty, like a traditional biscotti. However, my family has always gone the cakey route and let the cookies go for one bake in the oven.
Looking for more dessert to make this Passover? My flourless chocolate cake is a great idea to satisfy that chocolate craving during the holiday!
Ingredients For Making Passover Mandel Bread
- Cake Meal - Finely ground up matzo that is used similarly to flour.
- Potato Starch - An excellent Passover baking ingredient to combine with the cake meal.
- Chocolate Chips - The more chocolate chips, the better!
- Orange Juice - Just a splash to balance out the flavors.
- Butter - Use margarine or non-dairy butter if you need to make the recipe parve.
Directions For How To Make Passover Mandel Bread
- Prepare.
Preheat the oven to 350 and prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set to the side.
- Cream the butter.
Cream the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Then, add in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add in the splash of orange juice.
- Mix the dry ingredients.
In a medium-sized bowl, sift together the cake meal, potato starch, and salt.
- Combine.
Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix until combined. Add in the chocolate chips and mix until evenly distributed.
- Bake the mandel bread.
Form the mandel bread on the cookie sheet into 3-inch-sized loaves. The recipe will make 2 loaves. Sprinkle the tops of the loaves with cinnamon and sugar before placing them in the oven. Bake for 35-45 minutes.
- Cut and serve.
When the mandel bread is done, let the loaves fully cool on a cooling sheet. Cut the loaves into 3-inch pieces when the cookies are fully cooled.
Make Ahead and Storage
You can easily make the mandel bread ahead of time. Keep the cookies in an airtight container to keep them fresh. The mandel bread can also be made and frozen for future use. Let the mandel bread fully cool and freeze in slices or whole loaves. Let the mandel bread thaw at room temperature before serving.
Tips and Variations
- Mix-ins - Walnuts are a popular mix in wide varieties of mandel bread. Feel free to add them in along with the chocolate chips.
- Toasty - If you prefer your mandel bread to be crispy rather than cakey, stick it back in the oven after the initial bake to get that classic biscotti texture.
- Parve - If you need the mandel bread to be parve, using margarine or a non-dairy butter will work fine. Just be aware that the dough will spread out more in the oven.
FAQs
Mandel bread isn't as dry as a typical biscotti. There is usually more fat in mandel bread than a biscotti. This recipe doesn't toast the cookies like biscotti, as well.
Mandel bread is also known as Mandelbrot, which is Yiddish in origin.
Passover Mandel Bread
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350 and prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Set to the side.
- Cream the butter with the egg until light and fluffy, about two minutes. Add in the eggs one at a time, followed by the orange juice. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- In a medium-sized bowl, sift together the potato starch, cake meal, and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Mix until fully combined. Add in chocolate chips. The batter will be very thick.
- Take the prepared cookie sheet and spoon the dough onto the sheet to form 2 3-inch loaves of the mandel bread batter. Sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar on top before placing in the oven. Bake for 35-45 minutes.
- When done, let the mandel bread fully cool on a cooling rack. When cooled, use a knife to cut the loaves into ½-inch pieces.
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