Even if you think you haven’t, you’ve probably sampled a few Jewish desserts without even knowing. From the famous Babka, moist apple cake, and the classic sufganiyot, there are plenty of delicious Jewish desserts that can win your heart with their truly amazing flavors.
Rugelach and Jewish cookies are among the most famous Jewish sweet treats that are widely available in bakeries and Jewish delis in the USA. Although these items can be found year-round in stores, they become even more popular around Rosh Hashanah or Passover. Many Jewish holidays are based around food and family, and you can choose from plenty of tasty Jewish treats.
To help you find the most delicious Jewish desserts, we have compiled a list of the top Jewish desserts you can try to satisfy your sweet tooth.
Here Are Some of the Best Jewish Desserts You Need to Try
Chocolate Babka
Babka is one of the most well-known Jewish desserts. It is made from a yeast-based dough that is braided traditionally and comes with a sweet filling such as cinnamon or chocolate.
Since chocolate babka can be deliciously addictive, it is best not to overindulge yourself. If you haven’t seen chocolate babka before, you are in for a treat. It looks beautiful with a golden-brown glaze and will win your heart with the first bite.
You can even make chocolate babka at home, but it is best to make the dough the night before for the best results. When you roll the yeast-based dough the next day, it is bound to be of the perfect rolling consistency.
Lekach
Lekach is a delicious sticky-sweet cake made to celebrate Rosh Hashanah. It is best to make the dessert in advance so that the flavors inside can have some time to mature.
It contains multiple spices like cloves, cinnamon, and ginger and has a recipe similar to gingerbread. However, the apple juice and honey added to the cake give it a much sweeter taste.
Since the cake is wonderfully moist and sweet, it doesn’t need an extra glaze. Moreover, the honey is superbly sweet, so topping the cake with an extra sweet glaze might be too much for some people. If you want to add texture to the cake, you can always garnish it with chopped nuts.
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Chewy Coconut Macaroons
Although you might not know it, coconut macaroons are a beloved Jewish treat. They are easy to make and only require five simple ingredients. They are also gluten-free, which makes them a safe-to-enjoy option for all.
To make these chewy coconut macaroons, start whisking some egg whites into stiff peaks. Gently add some vanilla, shredded coconut, honey, and salt to the mix.
A great tip is to toss the shredded coconut a little before adding them to the egg whites so they are not clumpy when you combine them. This will allow you to mix everything in evenly without overworking the batter.
Once you bake the cookie mixture, you can simply drizzle them with dark chocolate and serve them to your family or guests.
Passover Rainbow Cookies
Rainbow Passover cookies are famous at Jewish celebrations in synagogues. These treats are actually from New York and are popular among children and adults.
The bright colors of the cookies make them look beautiful, while their amazing taste keeps you coming back for more.
To make these delicious treats, you will have to bake three thin cakes and spread jam between them. Once you have spread jam between the layers, you need to coat the cookies with smooth melted chocolate for a final touch.
Sufganiyot
Nothing is more enticing than a freshly made jelly donut on a Jewish holiday. Sufganiyot is a type of round Jewish donut that contains tart, bright-colored, and sweet jelly.
These donuts are typically served at Hanukkah but are great for enjoying any time of the year. The dough for sufganiyot needs to be rested twice to make sufganiyot, but you don’t have to wait long to make the dessert, so that the complete process can be finished in about a day.
The first rest for the donuts is about two hours long, depending on your home’s temperature. Afterward, the donuts get rolled out and cut before the second rest. After the second rest, you can expect the donuts to become big and fluffy.
While frying the donuts, you can also use up the scraps and fry them in the oil. Toss them into sugar afterward to make delicious, powdered donut pieces. It is best to allow the donuts to rest and cool before filling them.
As soon as you take the first bite, you will understand why this pillowy fried treat is perfect for enjoying in Hanukkah.
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Rugelach
Rugelach is a kind of Jewish dessert that is incredibly easy to make, no matter if you are a beginner or an advanced baker. These crescent-shaped cookies taste terrific and are very similar to shortbread. However, unlike shortbread, these cookies have eggs, making them a little softer.
The rugelach filling consists of brown sugar, cinnamon, walnuts, and raisins. It isn’t overpoweringly sweet and has the perfect nutty texture. Along with the sweet brown filling, you can always incorporate fruits or chocolate for added texture.
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Apple Cake
Jewish apple cake is a typical dessert you can enjoy in Germany and France. The taste of this delicious cake is not too sweet, and it has lots of fresh apples for texture and taste.
If you want to make this cake at home, you can substitute butter in the recipe with some oil to add extra moisture. Orange juice is another component that can add some fruity flavor to the cake. The citrus flavor of the crumb tastes divine with the tartness of the apples.
Apricot Hamantaschen
Hamantaschen are hat-shaped cookies that are a staple in Jewish homes during the holiday season. The buttery shortbread cookie is crumbly, buttery, and shaped like a little package for the jam.
You can easily make these cookies at home if you have some experience making shortbread. When you make the shortbread, you want to stop mixing the ingredients once they start looking like large breadcrumbs.
Unlike pastry, you don’t want to mix the ingredients into a dough. To keep the cookies crumbly, work on the dough on the counter with your hands and press everything together until it sticks.
Mandel Bread
Mandel bread is a type of Jewish cookie you can enjoy with various hot beverages. These cookies are crispy and crunchy, just like biscotti. They are also twice-baked like biscotti.
During the first bake, they are cooked in the shape of a large flat log until they are almost done. Next, they are sliced and baked again to achieve a perfect crunchy finish. Although Mandel bread usually incorporates chocolate chips, you can also add nuts or dried fruits in them as per your preference.
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Halva
Halva is an Israeli Jewish candy made with tahini and sugar. It is a dairy and gluten-free dessert that tastes fantastic and is almost like a moist fudge. If you try halva for the first time, you may think it is too dense to enjoy.
However, the rich earthy flavor of this dish is bound to make you come back for seconds. The earthy flavor comes from the tahini, which is a unique flavor that some love or some hate. Personally I love it as it reminds me of visiting Jewish delis as a child.
Sweet and Spicy Tzimmes Cake
If you love carrot cake, you will instantly become a fan of this lightly spiced cake called Tzimmes cake. This cake includes ginger, orange zest, cinnamon, cloves, shredded carrot, apple, and sweet potato.
The sweet potato and apples add extra flavor to the cake. The sweet potato in this recipe also brings some moisture to the cake and makes it lighter. Since it is so light, you won’t need to add frosting to this cake. You can simply pair it with cream cheese frosting and enjoy it with a hot cup of tea or coffee.
Top Passover Desserts
From ice cream to a macaroon cake to the famous matzo toffee or matzo crunch or matzo crack, we have the best Passover desserts ever.
Best Jewish Desserts – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What do Jews eat for dessert?
There are a lot of traditional Jewish desserts that are enjoyed by Jews around the holiday season. Mandel bread, Lekach, macaroons, sufganiyah, hamantaschen, and babka are among the most popular ones you can easily find in stores around you.
Do Jewish people eat dessert?
Yes. There are a lot of traditional and modern Jewish desserts that you can try from. Jewish people enjoy eating desserts on special occasions and holidays.
What desserts are considered Kosher?
Rugelach, lemon poppy seed hamantaschen, olive oil lemon curd, and malabi rose water milk pudding are some examples of Kosher desserts.
Summary
Jewish desserts are delicious treats that are enjoyed mostly around the holiday season. No matter what the occasion may be, you can easily find babka, rugelach, sufganiyot, or lekach at the dinner table with other popular Jewish dishes.
This article contains some of the most famous Jewish delights you can ever try. Try some of these during the holiday season and see if they live up to the hype.
My name is Jay and I started this website to share my love of Deli Food. I am Jewish with Italian ancestry and grandparents who emigrated to the US from Poland, Russia and Turkey. This website is my celebration of the delicious flavors of international deli culture. Please feel free to send me your suggestions and feedback through the contact form.
