These easy twice-baked Passover Mandelbrot Cookies are a family favorite tradition!  Crispy on the outside, soft inside, and filled with chocolate chips or nuts, this recipe is sure to be part of your Pesach celebrations for years to come.

Passover is all about family, togetherness, and traditions. Sometimes traditions make sense to other families – sometimes, not!

This year, I’m sharing our family’s favorite Passover treat with all of you.  These Passover mandelbrot are an annual staple and what my husband looks forward to the most each year when it comes to Passover. Mandelbrot might not be something most families associate with Passover, but this is one tradition I’m thrilled to have added from my husband!

One thing we can’t agree upon, however?  What to call them!

This recipe is from my mother-in-law, and my husband grew up calling them kamish bread. I, on the other hand, call these mandelbrot.

But whatever you call them, they’re delicious and I hope they become a new family tradition for you as well.

Mandelbrot vs. Kamish Bread

Two names… the same thing.  Both make sense when you break down the words.

Mandel means almond and brot means bread.  Most mandelbrot recipes traditionally include almonds, although these days, other nuts, dried fruit, and chocolate chips all make an appearance.

Kamish, on the other hand, means almost — so, almost bread.  Which I guess is kind of true, since these are shaped into a loaf and baked, but they’re filled with chocolate chips… so definitely more of a cookie than bread.

Personally, I tend to think of kamish bread as a plain loaf with no add-ins.  As a plain cookie, it’s more bread-like in flavor.

Once we add infinite mix-in options, like chopped nuts (almonds!) and chocolate chips, it moves firmly into the mandelbrot category.

Whatever you call them, mandelbrot (or kamish bread) are an Ashkenazi Jewish dessert, similar to an Italian biscotti.  Both are baked as a long loaf, then sliced into individual cookies, and baked again.

This twice-baking process makes them crispy, but mandelbrot retain a softer interior than biscotti due to the higher egg and fat content.  (All the deliciousness of biscotti, without the fear of cracking a tooth!)

Mandelbrot for Passover

These cookies are traditionally not a Pesach-friendly treat.  Mandlebrot recipes contain flour and baking powder as a leavening agent, neither of which is appropriate for Passover.

Despite mandlebrot being a regular everyday cookie, our tradition is to only make them on Passover.  This adapted recipe is just as delicious as the regular recipes!

Instead of flour, we’ll use a combination of matzoh cake meal and potato starch, with the option to add almond flour!

Matzoh cake meal is simply very finely ground matzoh.  If you can’t find it available for purchase, grind matzoh in a food processor until finely ground – like the consistency of flour.

Potato starch acts similarly to cornstarch, but since corn is kitniyot (which many people do not consume during Passover), we’ll use potato starch instead.

Why are we adding potato starch (or cornstarch) to cookies?  It’s time for my favorite subject… kitchen chemistry!

Kitchen Chemistry

Potato starch/cornstarch isn’t just a thickener for sauces — it’s also a great addition to baked goods!  Potato starch ‘softens’ the harsh proteins of flour, interfering with gluten formation, which results in a softer texture.

Because matzoh meal is quite rough, adding potato starch allows our mandelbrot to stay slightly soft in the middle, while still retaining the characteristic crispy outside.

Mandelbrot Varieties

One of the best things about mandelbrot?  The varieties are endless!  The base dough recipe works wonderfully for any mix-in.

My husband’s family tradition is chocolate chips (confirm they are Passover-appropriate), while I prefer almond (true to the traditional mandelbrot name).

A happy medium for all of us is dipping the almond mandelbrot in melted chocolate!

If you’re using nuts as mix-ins, chop them into small pieces and use a sharp knife to slice.  Any large chunks of nuts will cause the loaf to crumble while slicing — still delicious, but not quite as pretty.

Recommended Tools to make Mandelbrot Cookies

• Stand Mixer: Use an electric mixer, like a stand mixer, to combine the thick, heavy dough for these cookies.
• Cookie Sheet: My favorite half-sheet baking pans. Use a lighter colored sheet like these, as darker colored sheets will heat the bottom of the cookies too much.
• Silicone Baking Mat: The dough is very sticky, so you’ll want to line your sheet pans with either parchment paper or a reusable, washable baking mat.
• Cooling Rack: After a short rest, transfer the baked mandelbrot to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Tips and Tricks for the Best Passover Mandelbrot

1. Potato starch is not the same thing as potato flour!  Make sure to use potato starch — or substitute in cornstarch, if dietary appropriate.
2. The dough can be made ahead of time and refrigerated for up to 24 hours.  It should rest for a minimum of 30 minutes to ensure the matzoh cake meal hydrates, but longer is fine too.
3. Baked mandelbrot can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week, or frozen in an airtight freezer bag for up to 3 months.
4. Swap almond flour for half of the matzoh cake meal for a similar taste, with a little more protein and a lower carbohydrate count.
5. Chocolate chips can be replaced with any other mix-in, like chopped nuts or dried fruit.

More Passover Dessert Recipes:

• Berry Pavlova with Lemon Curd Cream
• Macaroon Crust Cheesecake
• Chocolate Dipped Coconut Macaroons
• Coconut Panna Cotta with Blood Orange Curd
• Flourless Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache
• All Passover-Friendly Recipes »