Mandelbrot: Jewish Biscotti


OK, I know I always make fun of my mother for her lack of cooking, baking, and basically, her total lack of homemaking skills (she is a very talented artist).
But here is a recipe that is my mother's.

She ALWAYS bakes mandelbrot. And she makes it good! (I know, she makes it well). She always brings it to my house for a holiday and it is the first thing to go for dessert. It disappears. Everyone wants the recipe.

What is MANDELBROT? It is basically like Italian biscotti. But it has oil, so it is more like a cookie. My biscotti is much denser and drier because I don't use butter or oil, while the mandelbrot is lighter. They are both twice baked.

It has always been a favorite treat amongst Eastern European Jews, and the word translates simply (from German) as Mandel (almond), Brot (bread).

My mother doesn't own a microwave oven, a measuring cup, or a wooden spoon, but she does have a new Kitchen Aid oven and All Clad pots and pans! She doesn't want any new kitchen tools & she won't give into my bossy ways. It drives me nuts.
She measures out her flour in an 8 oz. glass drinking cup, but I guess it's all the same in the end. This recipe is not written down. I called her and it was in her head.
Now it is written forever.

Here is Elayne's recipe for Mandelbrot. Enjoy!

1 cup of vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup sliced almonds or chopped walnuts
1 cup golden raisins
2 tsp of almond extract (or vanilla)
3 1/2 cups flour
sugar and cinnamon mixture

Mix the first 3 ingredients together in a bowl.
Then add the raisins and almonds and extract. Then add the 3.5 cups of flour & baking powder, incorporating one cup at a time.

Now make 2 balls of dough and place them on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
Flatten them out to make 2 logs (like you are making biscotti).
Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar mixture.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes.
Remove from oven. Cut into 1/2" slices. Place the slices back on the baking sheet and bake another 10 minutes.

You can add chocolate chips if you like.
They are great for dunking too!

Comments

Pam said…
This looks wonderful...I could totally dip one of those in an ice cold glass of milk or a hot cup of coffee.
I am going to try these soon instead of making biscotti.
looks tasty and crunchy...but....In mathematics, the Mandelbrot set, named after Benoît Mandelbrot, is a set of points in the complex plane, the boundary of which forms a fractal...you know those swirling repeating images that get smaller and smaller....
kat said…
This has always been a Christmas favorite in my family though I've never had it with raisins in it.
Anonymous said…
ANY kind of biscotti is great for dunking! I bet these would pair really nicely with a cinnamon or vanilla latte.
Maria said…
I love biscotti! The crunch gets me every time!
Alexa said…
My grandmother was from Poland. She use to make great cookies. It was all in her head. I can't tell you how sad I am that no one ever got it out of her. I'll be trying your mom's recipe soon with GF flour. They sound awesome.
Anonymous said…
They look perfectly crunchy and would be great with my hot tea right now!
Stacey, I love Mandel bread! My hubbys aunt worked at a famous Jewish deli/resturant as a waitress here. It's called Max and Bennys and they have the best food! She just retired at age 80! Everytime she came to my house she had pounds of mandel bread with her.We still drive out there when we get the craving for some good pastrami and matzo ball soup, and always leave with a bag of mandel bread! Yummm!!
Peter M said…
Fab looking biscotti, this Greek would them with a coffee.
Anonymous said…
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Stacey Snacks said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
Stacey Snacks said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
Edith said…
Stacy, I love your biscotti :)
Could you please tell me how many grams is one cup?
Thanks!
Stacey Snacks said…
Hi Edith: this is what I found on Wiki answers. Regarding your question, 1 cup = how many grams?

Granulated sugar: 1 cup = 200 grams
Brown sugar: 1 cup, packed = 220 grams
Sifted white flour: 1 cup = 125 grams
White rice, uncooked: 1 cup = 185 grams
White rice, cooked: 1 cup = 175 grams
Butter: 1 cup = 227 grams
Almonds, slivered: 1 cup = 108 grams
Oil: 1 cup = 224 grams
Edith said…
Stacy, thanks a lot! You've been a lot of help...I'll write them all down.
How come I didn't think to look on Wiki? :P
Aimée said…
Sounds like your mom rocked! This looks like a good recipe for the holidays.
Anonymous said…
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Nancy K said…
My family LOVES this recipe. I make it year round. This is one of the few treats my daughter can eat with her allergies. I have played with it a litle bit. I subsitute eggwhites and add currents,coconut with the almonds. I also use a cup of almond flour and substitue coconut oil for veg oil. Thank you so much for posting this recipe! I am making another couple of batches for my daughter in Boca!