We in Israel are already seeing bakeries displaying sufganiyot for Chanukah, so here are some other sweets for the holiday.

Chanukah Puffs

3 dozen

This recipe came from an old newspaper.

• 2 cups flour
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• ¾ cup milk or nondairy substitute
• 1 egg
• Oil
• Cinnamon sugar or confectioner’s sugar

Heat a deep pot of oil.

In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and nutmeg. Mix well. Add oil, milk or nondairy substitute and egg. Mix thoroughly.

Drop the mixture by small teaspoonfuls into deep, hot oil. Fry for 3 minutes or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

Roll in cinnamon sugar or confectioner’s sugar.

Cookie Dreidels

5 dozen

This came from an old food magazine.

Dough:

• 1 cup butter or margarine
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• ¼ cup sour cream
• 2 ¼ cups flour
• Filling:
• 2 cups finely ground walnuts
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon grated orange rind

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

In a bowl, beat butter or margarine and cream cheese with an electric mixer. Beat in sour cream. Stir in flour until dough forms. Form into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and chill overnight.

In a bowl, combine nuts, sugar, cinnamon, egg and orange rind for the filling. Refrigerate overnight.

Next day:

Divide dough in half. Flour a surface, roll out to 8-inch squares, ¼-inch thick. Spread half the filling onto one square and roll up, jelly-roll style. Repeat with the other half of the dough. Wrap each in foil, chill for at least 1 hour. 

Grease 2 cookie sheets.

Cut rolls in ¼-inch thick slices. Place ½-inch apart on cookie sheets. Reshape into rounds.

Bake in a preheated 350 F. oven for 15-20 minutes or until firm and brown.

Cut-Out Chanukah Cookies

6 dozen cookies

• ⅔ cup margarine
• 2 cups flour
• 1 egg
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Cream margarine. Add half the flour, egg, sugar, milk, baking powder and vanilla. Beat in remaining flour.

Divide dough in half. Cover and chill for 3 hours.

Roll out half dough on a floured surface. Cut in Chanukah shapes with cookie cutters.

Place on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 7-8 minutes.

Add colored sugar before baking.

Sybil Kaplan is a Jerusalem-based journalist, author and compiler/editor of nine kosher cookbooks. She is a food writer for North American Jewish publications, and she leads walks of the Jewish food market, Machaneh Yehudah, in English.