These classic Chanukah cookies are the perfect activity to do with the kids before or on Chanukah!

I am not sure when and how these cookies became synonymous with Chanukah, but they’re definitely a tradition I’ve been making for decades — I used to bake them with my little brothers every Chanukah before I got married, and now I make them with my kids! With all the cute Chanukah cookie cutters out there, these cookies are so much fun to make and eat. I especially love putting out lots of different icings and toppings and letting the kids have a fun time decorating their own cookies. You can easily make the cookies in advance (either plain or pre-decorated) and freeze them, so you have one less thing to be busy with during the hectic week of Chanukah.

If you know me and are familiar with my recipes, you’ll know I very rarely use margarine. But some recipes just require butter or margarine in order to taste good, and this is one of them. I know there are recipes for similar cookies made with oil out there, but I think these are better. So for the special occasion of Chanukah, I make an exception and use margarine in these cookies. You can also use vegan butter (which, by the way, is basically just a healthier-sounding way of marketing plain old margarine) or butter, if you’re okay with having dairy cookies.

While these cookies may satisfy the little ones, my beignets are what woos the teenagers and even the adults who promise they aren’t touching anything fried until they spot the beignets and they say, “Okay, I’m having just one…”

Rolled Chanukah Cookies

These classic Chanukah cookies are the perfect activity to do with the kids before or on Chanukah!

Print Recipe

Ingredients

2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 sticks margarine, softened*
4 cups flour

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Beat together eggs, sugar, vanilla and margarine until smooth. (I use my food processor fitted with the S-blade, but you can also use an electric mixer.) Add the flour and mix until it forms a smooth dough.
Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to a day or two.
Roll out dough and cut into shapes with cookie cutters. (I find it easier to roll half the dough at a time.) Place on pans and decorate with colored sugar or sprinkles, if desired.**
Bake for 12 minutes, or until starting to turn golden at the edges.

Notes

Yield: approx. 3 dozen cookies

*I have tried making these with less margarine or with oil instead, but they just weren’t the same. I know it’s a lot of margarine, but for this recipe it’s needed, and don’t bother trying to sub.

**You can also decorate with frosting or royal icing and toppings (sprinkles, nonpareils, sanding sugar, etc.) after baking and cooling.