Jo Knows Nutrition – by Joanne Nijhuis
MARVELOUS MANDEL BREAD – A TRADITIONAL COOKIE COUSIN OF ITALIAN BISCOTTI
Mandel bread or mandelbrot originated in European Jewish communities centuries ago. The word mandel translates to almond in German, Dutch and Yiddish, reflecting the type of nut traditionally added to this cookie dough. While mandel bread and biscotti share similarities-including their twice-baked signature crunch-there is a key difference. Mandel bread is made with oil instead of butter, which gives it a slightly softer texture and a more tender bite. It’s worth noting that one batch of beloved mandel bread will not last nearly long enough, so make more. Double, triple or quadruple this recipe and gift it to friends and family during the holidays.
Did You Know?
Almonds are more than just a crunchy snack. Packed with vitamin E, magnesium, healthy fats and antioxidants, almonds and ground almond meal are welcome additions to both sweet and savoury dishes. Just a small handful can take the edge off of hunger between meals and almonds support heart health, brain function, steady blood sugar levels and skin health.
INGREDIENTS (24 Pieces)
- 2 cups (500 ml) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml) salt
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup (63 ml) olive, avocado or coconut oil
- ½ cup (125 ml) granulated or packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) almond extract, optional
- ½ cup (125 ml) slivered or sliced almonds, toasted or untoasted
- ½ cup (125 ml) dark chocolate chips, optional
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) orange zest, optional
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt.
- In another bowl, whisk together eggs, oil, sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract (optional) until smooth.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
- Stir in the almonds, and chocolate chips (optional) and/or orange zest (optional), if using.
- With oiled hands, shape into a log, approximately 12 x 3 inches (30 x 7 cm).
- First bake for 22-25 minutes and then, cool for 10-15 minutes.
- Slice the log into ½ inch (1.5 cm) slices, place cut-side down and bake another 10-12 minutes, flipping halfway through.
ENJOY!
PER PIECE: |Calories: 105 kcal | Carbohydrates: 14 g | Protein: 2.5 g | Fat: 4.5 g |Fibre: 1 g | Sodium: 45 mg |
Joanne Nijhuis MSc, RD is a consulting, media and culinary dietitian in Simcoe Grey Bruce on a mission to entertain and educate through her love of food. In addition to recipe development and writing for several publications, Joanne offers cooking demos/classes –for groups or individuals – in person and online. For more information, email Joanne at jo.knows.nutrition@outlook.com.
Christmas Sweet Side in 20 minutes
By Linda Belcourt, Editor, Dec 2, 2025
On of my greatest joys at Christmas is making Christmas desserts. I have some time honoured recipes from my family. This one is the easiest. Buy your butterscotch chips early in December as they tend to run off the shelves in the grocery stores. The recipe came from my late Aunt Kay Dundas (Archer). She used coloured marshmallows but I use white ones. There is a similar chocolate log recipe that I pair with this if I am taking potluck. Happy baking!!
Peanut Butter Marshmallow Roll
1/2 cup butter
1 cup peanut butter
1 bag butterscotch ships
1 bag mini-white (or coloured) marshmallows
Melt butter, peanut butter and butterscotch chips on the stove on medium low in a medium sized pot. Let cool so marshmallows don’t melt. Sir in marshmallows. I prefer to place waxed paper on a table surface and make the mixture into a log. You can also line a 9x 9 inch square pan with parchment paper and place the mixture in the pan for squares (or 8×8 for thicker squares). Cool in fridge for 2 hours. Cut squares or slice log into pieces. Store in fridge.
Other baking items I do is gingerbread, cherry cheese cake, Centennial squares and short bread. The best recipe is on the box of cornstarch.