Four Generations of Mandelbrot

Like Biscotti but Jewish and Your Coffee's New Best Friend

Hi friends,

I’m very excited to share my grandma’s Mandelbrot recipe with you. Many of you know her from this convo we had a few years ago but she’s one of my favorite people. She’s been known to bring these when she visits us or will make them when we’re coming to see her (along with chex mix, which is another must). My dad made them with her on a recent visit and my mom transcribed the recipe onto an index card. I made them on Sunday and added some more details to the recipe (no more measurement like 1 package of almonds). Lynne learned how to make these from her mother in law, my great grandmother Edyth, so you’re getting a 4th generation recipe today!

My mandelbrot, which I should have baked longer!

Mandelbrot are a traditional Eastern European Jewish cookie similar to biscotti. Unlike biscotti, they contain oil, and the name translates to almond bread in German. They’re not as well known (or decadent) as other Jewish pastries like rugelach (need to get my grandma’s recipe) or babka— they’re more of an everyday cookie. I like to have them after a heavier meal or with some coffee in the morning or afternoon. Like biscotti, they keep for a long time in an airtight container so they’re great if you’re hosting something or making cookie boxes and want to get ahead.

Mix-ins are up to you, but almonds are a must. I think pistachios would be good as well. I skipped walnuts because I wanted more crunch. My grandma always uses candied cherries, which are really hard to find. You can order them on Amazon or use Instacart to find a local grocery store that carries them. Maraschino cherries will not work because they’re liquidy and soft. I was unsuccessful in sourcing these so I substituted dried cranberries. Regular dried cherries would work too. When I sent my grandma photos of my mandelbrot, she pointed out that I should have done the first bake for longer and chopped the almonds more finely. She is correct and I will improve my technique in future batches. The recipe reflects these edits so do as I say, not as I did.

Last thing: this is a project. It’s not hard in a technical sense and no special equipment is required, but there are a lot of steps. Make these when you have a few hours to spend in the kitchen. It’s not all active time. And it makes a lot of cookies so bring some to your office or neighbors!

Now, let’s get baking! If you want more recipes, check out The This Needs Hot Sauce Recipe Index. I need to write up my baked pasta from Sunday and am always open to requests!