Browsing for traditional Hanukkah desserts? We’ve got you covered with some great options which are delicious, sweet and easy to make at home!
If you’re browsing the festive catalogues for traditional Christmas dessert recipes, don’t forget about the other big holiday that is celebrated with delicious sweet treats. We’re talking about Hannukkah, of course! Most Hanukkah desserts are made with recipes that have passed down through the generations, while some have evolved to keep up with contemporary tastes.
Be it the symbolic sufganiyot, the comforting kugel or the visually stunning babka, each dessert carries its own cultural significance and also showcases Jewish culinary traditions. Did you know that Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem? It also celebrates the miracle of the oil that lasted for eight days, even though there was only enough oil for one day.
The tradition of eating foods fried in oil during Hanukkah, such as sufganiyot (deep-fried doughnuts) and latkes (potato pancakes), is actually tied to paying homage to the miracle of the oil. If you’re looking for Hanukkah recipes to try at home, here are a few great ideas
These jelly doughnuts are a Hannukah staple; they're deep-fried and are typically filled with fruit jam or custard and dusted with powdered sugar. Many people deem it to be a cross between a beignet and a jelly doughnut. Besides being fried, the sufganiyot is also round which holds a special symbolic meaning in Jewish culture. It represents the cyclical nature of life and the continuity of the Jewish people.
Dreidels hold an important meaning within Jewish communities across the globe. It is a four-sided spinning top with Hebrew letters on each side and is used to play a traditional game, often accompanied by the giving of gelt or chocolate coins. Dreidel-shaped cakes or treats are served during the holiday to celebrate the Jewish legacy. They're prepared like regular loaf cakes, with flour, eggs, sugar, and shortening and typically come in vanilla flavor. Besides cakes, dreidel cupcakes, 3d dreidel cakes, dreidel cake pops, dreidel cookie cakes and more
The traditional Jewish pastry is enjoyed during various Jewish holidays, including Hanukkah. The petite, crescent-shaped pastries are filled with fruit preserves, nuts, chocolate, or cinnamon. They're quite similar to croissants perhaps flakier and more tender in texture. Its origin can be traced back to the Hungarian kifli, Austrian kipferin and Polish rogal. Most experts believe Austria to be the birthplace of rugelach, where it was made to commemorate the expulsion of the Turks. Besides Hannukah, it's also served at the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah, where sweet foods are made to signify a sweet new year.
The soft, twisted bread or cake is a much-appreciated dessert all over the world. The braided loaf usually interspersed with chocolate is thought to have first come about during the early 1800s. It was usually made in Jewish households after some leftover dough remained after the preparation of challah bread, which is a braided bread eaten on the Sabbath. This extra dough was filled with cinnamon or jam, which was then rolled up before baking. Though babka has no direct association with the Jewish festival, experts largely believe that bread has religious significance in Christianity and Judaism
The small knotted pastries are covered in sugar syrup. The traditional Jewish dessert is often associated with the celebration of Hanukkah. It features small dough balls that are boiled, baked, or fried and then coated in honey syrup and sometimes mixed with nuts. The use of honey in the syrup symbolizes the hope for a sweet and joyful new year. Experts believe Teiglach have a storeyed history in Jewish culture; In the 12th century, Franco-German rabbis documented a dish of fried or baked strips of dough covered in honey called vermesel which was served at the beginning of the Sabbath meal. This dish has gone through certain evolutions but teiglach may originate from this traditional pastry.