Gingerbread Mandelbrot! I created this recipe for my feature in the 2016 Feast Magazine December issue. The feature was titled Happy Challah Days and includes 8 Recipes that I created in honor of my Jewish heritage and really in honor of my Grandma Bette. She passed away in 2011 and a lot of my fondest memories of her were cooking for holidays together. Grandma really pushed my love for cooking.
I would love for you to read more about the story and about my Grandma on the story here.
Mandelbrot, similar to biscotti, is a crunchy Jewish cookie. Since my family celebrates both Christmas and Hanukkah, this gingerbread take on mandelbrot is the perfect way to celebrate the best of both family traditions.
Yields 12 cookies
Ingredients for Gingerbread Mandelbrot:
- room-temperature unsalted butter
- granulated sugar
- brown sugar
- molasses
- eggs
- vanilla extract
- all-purpose flour
- baking powder
- cinnamon
- cloves
- ginger
- coarse sugar
Ingredients for icing:
- powdered sugar
- whole milk
- maple syrup
- vanilla extract
How to make Mandelbrot:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on low, beat butter and granulated and brown sugars until fluffy. Mix in molasses, eggs and vanilla. Remove bowl from stand mixer, and set aside.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, add flour, baking powder and spices, and combine with a whisk. With mixer on low, slowly add flour mixture into wet mixture.
- On prepared baking sheets, form dough into 2 loaves, and sprinkle coarse sugar over top. Transfer baking sheets to oven to bake for 50 minutes. Turn oven off once bread is finished baking.
- Remove bread from oven and allow to slightly cool to the touch; while still on baking sheets, use a knife to cut each loaf into long slices. Place baking sheets back into oven, and let rest for 25 minutes or until dry.
How to make Gingerbread Mandelbrot Icing:
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Dip mandelbrot into icing, or drizzle on top. Place onto cooling racks to dry. Serve.
Other Recipes from this Article to Try:
- Unstuffed Safganiyot
- Egg Foo Young Matzo Brei
- Apple Fritter Coffee Cake
- Kugel Arancini
- Latke Bar
- Peppermint Chocolate Rugelach
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
Ingredients
Mandelbrot
- ½ cup unsalted butter room-temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup molasses
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 2 Tbsp coarse sugar
Icing
- 1½ cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup whole milk
- 3 Tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Mandelbrot
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on low, beat butter and granulated and brown sugars until fluffy. Mix in molasses, eggs and vanilla. Remove bowl from stand mixer, and set aside.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, add flour, baking powder and spices, and combine with a whisk. With mixer on low, slowly add flour mixture into wet mixture.
- On prepared baking sheets, form dough into 2 loaves, and sprinkle coarse sugar over top. Transfer baking sheets to oven to bake for 50 minutes. Turn oven off once bread is finished baking.
- Remove bread from oven and allow to slightly cool to the touch; while still on baking sheets, use a knife to cut each loaf into long slices. Place baking sheets back into oven, and let rest for 25 minutes or until dry.
Icing
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Dip mandelbrot into icing, or drizzle on top. Place onto cooling racks to dry. Serve.
Notes
– Biscotti: Very similar in baking techniques and texture to biscotti if you’ve ever baked that. The drying in the oven process is very necessary to get that crunch.
Nutrition
Calories: 366kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 127mg | Potassium: 176mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 43g | Vitamin A: 284IU | Calcium: 106mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @amanda.wilens or tag #amandawilensmakes