This is a classic recipe for mandelbrodt, which literally means “almond bread” in Yiddish; in Hungary and some other Eastern European countries, this cookie is called kamishbread.
The use of oil points directly to Jewish origins, because baking throughout Europe and the Iberian Peninsula before the twentieth century utilized either butter or lard.
These cookies are very satisfying dunked in a mug of hot tea.
Ingredients
2 3/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
6 tablespoons oil
Juice of 1/2 orange
3 eggs
1 tablespoon grated zest of orange
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup slivered almonds
Cinnamon and sugar mixture for topping
Directions
- Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl and set aside. 2.
- Cream sugar and oil until light and well combined. Add juice, eggs, zest, and vanilla and beat well. 3.
- Stir in the flour mixture and almonds and mix well. 4.
- On a greased cookie sheet, form 2 loaves of dough about 4 inches wide and 10 inches long. Sprinkle the tops with cinnamon and sugar, and bake for 45 minutes at 350°F.
- Remove the loaves from the oven. Cut the loaves on a diagonal into 1/2-inch slices. Place each slice cut side down on the cookie sheet and return to the oven for 5–7 minutes or until lightly golden. Turn each slice over and return to the oven for an additional 5 minutes. Cool and serve.
