My Favorite Recipe - Nana's Mandel Bread
My favorite recipe is my Nana’s mandel bread. This Jewish cookie is something that I bake for my children that reminds me of my Nana.
Nana always showed her love through her cooking. Whether she was preparing big holiday meals in her younger days, or making sure she had her famous lemon cake ready for dessert after we took her out for lunch, Nana always had a fresh treat on hand.
Mandel bread is a Jewish cookie that is similar to Italian biscotti. Cooked in a loaf form, it is sliced into wedges, making it perfect for dunking.
When I left for college, once a semester I could look forward to a care package from Nana. Inside the box were hand written notes that I still cherish today, and several loaves of mandel bread. The only person I would share my precious treasure with was the man who would become my husband.
When my parents made their annual trip to Florida each winter, they would come back with loads of mandel bread to put in the freezer for me. After I married and had a house of my own, Nana would spend a week with me. She would cook all of my favorite Jewish grandmother foods, including several loaves of mandel bread. I am so glad that I had the foresight to videotape her making my favorite treat.
My beloved Nana lived until the age of 97. Up until the age of 95, she lived independently and still cooked for herself and for my family she came to my home. Although she’s no longer with me physically, she is by my side in the kitchen each and every day. When I cook and bake, I wear the apron that she left at my home for her personal use. I have her kitchen tools that I use every time I prepare food. All three of my children have a Nana apron that they wear when we cook together in the kitchen. 
Here is my favorite recipe – Nana is mandel bread.
Ingredients
Five eggs
1 cup of oil
2 cups of sugar (or a little less)
1/2 cup of orange and lemon juice together (you may want to add a little more orange juice if necessary)
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups of flour (or little less – Judge the consistency)
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 to 2 cups chocolate chips
nuts and raisins – optional
Mix everything together and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350°. On a baking sheet, pour about 1/3 to 1/2 the batter and shape into a loaf. Do the same for the remaining batter.
Bake for approximately 35 to 40 min. Cool on wire rack and slice the loaves and store in an airtight container.
My children remember Nana and her delicious baking. They love to join me in the kitchen and look at the recipes written in her familiar handwriting. They put on their Nana aprons, use her measuring cups and spatulas, help pour batter into her mini muffin tins, and roll out cookies and pizza dough on her vintage Tupperware pastry mat. By using her kitchen tools and her recipes, like this one for mandel bread, we keep her memory alive.
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Comments
Nana's Mandel Bread sounds delicious, I've never thought of giving Jewish Cooking a go until now. Grandmother recipes are always the best.
You are right, MKIA. Grandmother's recipes are best!
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