Cooking and eating are central parts of many holidays around the world, and Hanukkah is no exception. Among the many wonderful recipes that Jewish families prepare for the eight nights of Hanukkah are plenty of sweets and desserts, and making these can be a great opportunity to involve kids in the holiday.
Judy Bart Kancigor is the author of the highly popular cookbook Melting Pot Memories, which she wrote to preserve the recipes and stories of her own Jewish family. Seven printings later, Kancigor has a new career as a guest speaker, a cooking instructor for the Sur La Table chain and a columnist and freelance food writer whose work has appeared in many publications. Here she offers a few kid-friendly ideas for Hanukkah baking:
Use cookie cutters. Many stores sell Hanukah cookie cutters that come in Star of David or dreidel shapes. Kids can have a blast cutting out the cookies and then helping you frost or decorate them when they're done baking.
Bake an edible puzzle. Another fun baking idea is to help your kids make a cookie puzzle. Start with a really sturdy butter cookie recipe and smooth the dough into a 9 x 13 pan. Next use a knife to cut the rectangle of dough into puzzle shapes. Be really careful not to separate the pieces, or they will not fit together later.
Separate pieces slightly. Bake the large rectangular cookie according to your recipe. Once you take it out of the oven, and while it's still warm, use a sharp knife to go around the pre-cut pieces, separating them slightly.
Decorate and enjoy! Let the kids have fun decorating the puzzle with different colors of royal icing and Hanukkah designs, and then break apart the pieces for the kids to put back together. The whole family can enjoy it as both a game and a snack!
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