Sunday, March 2, 2014

Your Favorite Series: Jewish Cookies (Mandelbrot)

Jo-Ann from RI

Back in the 60's, my mother baked all the time, and she loved to swap recipes with everyone.  Our neighbor, Ida Lipowsky, gave my mother this recipe over 40 years ago.  It has become one of our family favorites, and we always request it every holiday.  But, according to my mom, Ida never told her what the cookies were called, so because the Lipowskys were Jewish, my mother just called them 'Jewish cookies!'

About a year ago, I decided to research these cookies and found out that they really are traditional Jewish cookies called Mandelbrot, which when translated means 'Almond bread.'  They are actually a version of biscotti, and of course, everyone who makes them, has their own version of the recipe.

Ingredients:

3 Eggs beaten
1/2C Vegetable oil plus 2 Tbl
3 1/2C All Purpose Flour
1C Sugar
1 1/2 tsp Baking powder
1/2C Raisins
1 Jar Marachino Cherries cut in half
1/2C Walnuts or any preferred nuts
Sugar and Cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift together dry ingredients.  Add the eggs and vegetable oil along with the cherries and walnuts.  Coat your hands with vegetable oil and mix together with your hands until combined.  Separate dough into  thirds.  On a baking sheet, pour 2 Tbl of oil and coat thoroughly.  Form three rectangular mounds of dough on the cookie sheet.  Sprinkle generously with sugar and cinnamon and bake for 30 minutes. 

Allow to cool and cut each rectangle into slices. 

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