8 Jewish Cookie Recipes You’ll Love

Jewish cookie recipes

According to all those weird calendars that track made-up holidays and months, October is Cookie Month, and December 18 is Bake Cookies Day. We’ll take any excuse to indulge in some of our favorite cookie recipes! Here are a few of the Jewishly inspired cookies we love.

  1. Israeli Techina Cookies: Techina (tahini) is a staple found in most Israeli kitchens. These cookies are easy to freeze for later – and they taste great straight out of the freezer!
  2. Faye's Chocolate Chip Orange Zest Cookies: This recipe was born of one man's memory of his Jewish grandma's best baking creation. “My Miami Beach grandma's cookies still get a five start rating!” Steve Rood Goldman writes.
  3. Kichlach: Derived from central Europe, the popular kichlach (Yiddish for "cookies") are to be found in many of the packages prepared by parents for their children serving in the Israeli military. This recipe comes from the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
  4. Peanut Butter Gelt Cookies: This easy Hanukkah recipe incorporates and maintains the shape of the gelt on top of the cookie – and it’s delicious, of course.
  5. Double Chocolate Coconut Macaroons: Macaroons – cookies made from ground almonds, sugar, and egg whites – are popular for Passover because they don’t include flour. They only came into vogue about a century ago!
  6. Mandelbrot: Mandelbrot means “almond bread” in Yiddish, but its origins are the biscotti cookies created in Italy more than 700 years ago. This is a classic recipe for mandelbrodt, which are great with hot tea.
  7. Chocolate Chip Mystery Mandelbrot: Biscotti recipes became very popular within the Jewish community because they could be made in advance of Shabbat and stay fresh for days. You’ll never guess the secret ingredient in these ones!
  8. Rugelach: Look, rugelach aren’t really cookies, but how could we leave them off the list? These small, rich pastries are made with cream cheese, butter, cinnamon, walnuts, and sugar. Yum!

What are you baking? Make sure to tag us on social media (@ReformJudaism) if you whip up a batch of any of these!