A traditional Jewish twice-baked biscuit, mandlebrot (‘mandle’ means ‘almond’ and ‘broit’ means ‘bread’) is delightfully crisp on the outside with a soft, slightly chewy centre. Studded with toasted almonds and lightly sweetened with sugar and golden syrup, each slice has an incredible balance of crunch and richness. It’s the kind of bake that fills the kitchen with a comforting aroma. Simple, nostalgic and loved all year round, but especially around the holidays.

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 160°C fan (350°F) and line a 20 cm (8 in) baking tray (pan) with baking parchment.
• Whisk the eggs and sugar together until pale. Add the golden syrup and vanilla extract.
• In another bowl, combine the flour and bicarbonate of soda. Stir these dry ingredients into the wet mixture to form a soft, sticky mixture. Fold in the chopped almonds. Spread the mixture onto the prepared baking tray, covering the whole base.
• Bake for 12-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the spongy mandlebrot cool in the tray before slicing into fingers. Keep the oven on for the second bake but turn it up slightly to 180°C fan (400°F).
• With the slices still on the baking tray, return them to the oven to crisp up, baking for 2 minutes on one side before turning them and baking on the other side for another 2 minutes, until they’re crunchy. Cool on a wire rack and enjoy dipped in tea or coffee.
• Tip: These keep for 6 weeks in an airtight jar.

Recipe extracted from The Jewish Bakery by Jennifer Rinkoff, Quadrille