These Hanukkah Gelt Cookies are made with a simple sweet dough including irresistible cookie butter and stamped with a chocolate coin. The symbolic Menorah makes these cookies a wonderful treat for the Jewish holiday.
Hanukkah Gelt Cookies
I took notes from my favorite Peanut Butter Blossoms and put a Hanukkah spin on them! Between the sweet dough and irresistible cookie butter, every bite of these tender Hanukkah Gelt Cookies is filled with a buttery caramel flavor. The chocolate coin stamped on top not only levels up the taste, but the symbolic menorah makes them the perfect Hanukkah cookie to celebrate the Festival of Lights.
Add these to a Hanukkah cookie tray along with our classic hamantaschen, mandelbrot, and rugelach.
Ingredients Needed
These Hanukkah cookies are made with just a handful of common ingredients, plus cookie butter and gelt chocolate coins.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- All purpose flour – Use the spoon and level technique for accurate measuring.
- Baking soda – Provides the cookies with a tender texture.
- Baking powder – Gives the cookies lift.
- Sea salt – To heighten the other flavors.
- Butter – I add salt separately so I recommend unsalted butter. It should be softened to room temperature.
- Sugars – Both brown sugar and granulated sugar are added to these cookies for the best sweetness.
- Egg – To bind the dough.
- Vanilla – For flavor.
- Biscoff cookie butter – This is a spiced shortbread cookie butter spread, which has a buttery caramel flavor. It resembles the texture of peanut butter, though it’s sweeter. You can find it at most grocery stores next to the jams and nut butters.
- Chocolate coins (Gelt) – You’ll need small gelt so it fits in the center of each cookie. Make sure to unwrap them and stick them in the freezer until needed.
What is Hanukkah Gelt?
Hanukkah gelt means “Hanukkah money” and refers to money given, usually to children, as a present during the Jewish holiday. This custom dates back to the 17th-century, but in the 20th century, chocolatiers started selling chocolate coins with a menorah or dreidel embossed on them, wrapped in gold or silver foil. These chocolate coins were given in place of (or in addition to) real monetary gifts.
Where to Buy Hanukkah Gelt
If you’re lucky enough, some stores will carry Hanukkah gelt in November and December, depending when the 8 days of Hanukkah fall during the month. They’re usually sold in mesh pouches, which resemble money bags, or little boxes. If not, Amazon sells Hanukkah gelt online in different packaging, different sizes, and quantities. For these cookies, you’ll need 34 small chocolate coins.
How to Make Hanukkah Gelt Cookies
These Jewish cookies begin with a simple dough. It does need to chill for a couple hours, but the actual hands on time is quite short.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- Make the dough. With an electric mixer, cream together the butter, granulated sugar, and the brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the egg and mix. Add the cookie butter and vanilla extract; mix until combined. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, then add to the wet ingredients and blend until combined with no dry patches.
- Scoop the dough balls. Using a cookie scoop, add 1 tablespoon-sized dollops of the cookie dough onto parchment lined baking sheets close together, but not touching.
- Chill. Cover the balls of dough with plastic wrap and place the tray in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
- Coat with sugar. Roll the balls of dough between your hands to form smooth 1-inch balls. Roll in some granulated sugar and place them back on parchment lined baking sheets about 2 inches apart.
- Bake. Bake at 350F for 10 to 11 minutes.
- Press in the chocolate coins. Remove from oven and immediately take a chilled chocolate coin and press it down in the center of each cookie until it sticks (with the menorah facing out so you can see it.)
- Cool and enjoy. Transfer the baking sheets to a wire rack to cool, then enjoy!
Tips for Success
Here are a few tips for making these Hanukkah cookies.
- Freeze unwrapped chocolate coins first. Unwrap and pop the chocolate coins in the freezer before you’ll need them. Then press them into the warm cookies right out of the oven. This helps them stick to the cookies and also hold their shape without melting.
- Use a cookie scoop. When scooping the dough, use a cookie dough scoop to make sure cookies are all the same size. This ensures they all bake at the same rate.
- Chill the dough. After forming the dough balls, it’s important to chill them in the refrigerator for about 2 hours. Chilled dough is easier to work with and helps the cookies hold their shape while baking.
- Do not flatten the dough balls. When you scoop and roll the dough, do not flatten it on the baking sheet. These cookies will naturally spread themselves.
- Leave space on the cookie sheet. Similarly, you want to leave at least 2 inches between dough balls as these cookies will spread in the oven.
- Work fast. Quickly press a chocolate coin into the center of each cookie right when they come out of the oven. You’ll want to do it before the cookies cool, or the coin won’t adhere properly.
Proper Storage
- Make Ahead. You can make the cookie dough up to 3 days in advance of using it, stored in the refrigerator, covered.
- Counter. These cookies will stay soft and fresh for about 4 days in an airtight container on the counter.
- Freezer. You can form the cookie dough balls and freeze them up to 2 months, or you can freeze the baked and cooled cookies for up to 1 month. Be sure to use a freezer-safe container of freezer ziploc bag.
More Hanukkah Recipes:
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
Hanukkah Gelt Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour , spooned and leveled
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- pinch fine sea salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter , softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons granulated sugar , divided
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar , packed
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 cup creamy Biscoff cookie butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 34 Hanukkah gelt chocolate coins , unwrapped
Instructions
- Place the unwrapped chocolate coins on a plate and chill in the freezer until ready to use.
- Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
- In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream together the butter, 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar, and the brown sugar until light and fluffy, 2 minutes. Add in the egg and mix, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add the cookie butter and vanilla extract; mix until combined.
- Add the dry mixture and blend until combined with no dry patches, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Using a cookie scoop, add 1 tablespoon-sized dollops of the cookie dough onto the lined baking sheets close together, but not touching.
- Cover the trays with plastic wrap and place the tray in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar in a small bowl.
- Roll the dough between your hands to form 1-inch balls. Roll in the sugar and place them on parchment lined baking sheets about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 10-11 minutes until they puff up and just start to crack on the tops.
- Remove from oven and immediately take a chilled chocolate coin and press it down in the center of each cookie until it sticks (with the menorah facing out so you can see it.)
- Transfer baking sheets to a wire rack, let cool, and enjoy!
