Happy Hanukkah! We have eight sweet (and savory) takes on traditional Hanukkah baked goods, from challah to rugelach, one for each night of the festival of lights. Bonus points for this holiday season? Learn how to perfectly shape your rugelach with this step-by-step guide!
Sometimes there’s just nothing better than a homemade doughnut. We love to fry challah dough to produce these golden brown bites, filled with vanilla cream and dusted with sugar.
Adapted from Shannon Sarna’s Modern Jewish Baker: Challah, Babka, Bagels & More, this Rugelach dough is quite simple to make. Briefly mix a few ingredients before chilling for 1 to 2 hours or overnight. To keep the rugelach delicate and flaky, the key is to not overmix.
These classic rugelach cookies by Shiran Dickman of Pretty Simple Sweet are hard to resist after the first bite thanks to the flaky, buttery dough and sweet chocolate filling. Find more festive cookie recipes in our Holiday Cookies Special Issue, co-produced with feedfeed.
4. Pumpkin Chocolate Hazelnut Rugelach
Dive into the art of rugelach with Shannon Sarna‘s new cookbook, Modern Jewish Baker (Countryman Press, 2017). The color of her Pumpkin Chocolate Hazelnut Rugelach is just stunning, and the flavor features a sweetness that is just a tad different. People often scoff at the combination of pumpkin and chocolate, but the flavors complement one another wonderfully.
A challah braid is the most traditional form of challah breads, with the braided presentation turning the egg-y dough into a work of art.
6. Harissa and Goat Cheese Rugelach
We tapped Shannon Sarna for a savory Rugelach recipe from her cookbook, Modern Jewish Baker. Harissa is a classic North African pepper condiment with a pesto-like consistency that spreads easily. Topped with creamy goat cheese to balance the heat, this rugelach is a perfect match between Ashkenazi pastries and Middle Eastern flavors.
7. Rosemary Fig Marsala Round Challah
Once you’ve mastered the basic loaf, it’s time to play around. We love the richness that the figs, vanilla bean, and Marsala add to this filled loaf.
Replace your go-to breakfast rolls with these individual buns, a challah twist on the traditional French raisin brioche, or pain aux raisins. Look to this step-by-step guide for rolling your small challah buns.
