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You’ll need more than eight nights to enjoy these classic and creative Hanukkah desserts — and of course, these rich, satisfying, and celebratory sweets can be enjoyed all year round. Find doughnut recipes with a variety of fillings and glazes, plus babkas, kugel, cookies, apple cakes, and more. Light the candles, and break out the desserts!
Poppy Seed–Chocolate Rugelach Pinwheels
Eva Kolenko
For these showstopping rugelach, cookbook author Zoë François wraps a cream cheese-based dough around a citrusy poppy seed and shaved bittersweet chocolate filling, rolls the logs in glitzy sparkling sugar, then slices them into pinwheels for an unexpected shape that delivers the same tender, flaky texture.
Orange Soufflé Coffee Cake
James Ransom / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless
An airy bundt cake fragrant with orange and draped in silky chocolate, Ruth Reichl’s elegant coffee cake can be served any time of day.
Sweet Noodle Kugel with Dried Cherries
Food & Wine / Photo by Morgan Hunt Glaze / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle
A classic for good reason, this custardy and comforting sweet noodle kugel is studded with dried cherries and topped with crunchy pecans and cornflakes.
Cinnamon-Apple Babka
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Ali Ramee / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
This gooey cinnamon-apple babka is baked in a skillet and can be served for breakfast, brunch, or dessert. Slice apples super thin to ensure a more workable dough while rolling.
Cinnamon-Cardamom Sufganiyot
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Ali Ramee / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
In chef Eitan Bernath’s take on sufganiyot, this classic Hanukkah dessert is fried before it’s tossed in cinnamon sugar and filled with cardamom pastry cream.
Baklava Cheesecake
Robby Lozano / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
With its crisp pistachio-graham crust, creamy filling laced with orange, cinnamon, and cardamom, and shredded phyllo and honeyed pistachio topping, this dramatic Greek-inspired dessert is worthy of a Hanukkah celebration.
Black and Ruby Cookies
A new spin on the iconic New York City classic, this recipe from pastry chef Paola Velez pairs the familiar dark chocolate with a fruity ruby chocolate ganache on beautiful, celebratory cookies.
Apple Fritters
Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
For these easy fritters, a doughnut-like batter is studded with sweet-tart Honeycrisp apples, then quick-fried and topped with a tangy apple cider vinegar glaze.
Chocolate–Olive Oil Cake
Julia Stotz
This elegant, ultra-rich chocolate cake from Ana Borrajo gets fruity notes from olive oil, lightness from whipped egg whites, and an optional subtle kick from cayenne pepper.
Date and Walnut Rugelach with Tahini Glaze
Frederick Hardy II / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
In these spiced rugelach from food writer and cookbook author Faith Kramer, a satisfying and sweet date and walnut filling is wrapped in a cardamom- and cinnamon-scented dough with a lemony tahini glaze drizzled on top.
Apple Sharlotka
Food & Wine / Photo by Jason Donnelly / Food Styling by Holly Dreesman / Prop Styling by Addelyn Evans
A Hanukkah dessert that hails from Russia, this recipe combines thinly sliced apples, nutmeg, and almond extract in a light and fluffy apple cake that’s dressed up with a dusting of powdered sugar.
Banana Challah Fritters With Sweet Tahini Sauce
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Ali Ramee / Prop Styling by Christina Daley
Use overripe bananas to make these crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside challah fritters from Faith Kramer. Served with a creamy tahini sauce, they’re reminiscent of fried banana pudding.
Mandelbrot
Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen
Meaning “almond bread” in Yiddish, mandelbrot is a cousin of Italian biscotti and a traditional cookie offered during Hanukkah. Baked into an almond, dried fruit, and coconut-studded loaf and then sliced and toasted until crisp, this cookie — from cookbook author Joan Nathan — is perfect for serving with coffee or tea.
Hanukkah Doughnuts
A classic sufganiyot-style Hanukkah doughnut from Andrew Zimmern, these are coated in cinnamon sugar and filled with strawberry jam.
Chocolate Babka
Con Poulos
This decadent chocolate babka from baker Melissa Weller goes all in on the cocoa: Bittersweet and milk chocolate as well as ground-up chocolate wafer cookies make up the filling, while a glaze incorporating both bittersweet and milk chocolate is poured on top.
Bimuelos with Cranberry Curd and Cardamom Honey
Dan Perez / Food Styling and Prop Styling by Nurit Kariv
Cookbook author Adeena Sussman’s bimuelos feature light, orange-scented fried dough that stays crisp under a glossy drizzle of cardamom-infused honey. Each golden puff is filled with a make-ahead cranberry curd that delivers a vibrant tart contrast, while toasted pistachios add crunch and festive finish.
Apple and Olive Oil Bundt Cake
This bundt cake — tender and flavorful from the olive oil and packed with chunks of Granny Smith apples — is a favorite of Seattle baker Rachel Coyle. Using Italian apple cakes as the blueprints, she adds cardamom and grated orange zest for even more complexity.
Sfinj
Christine Han
Hailing from Morocco, these doughnuts have a crispy exterior and fluffy interior. New York Shuk co-founders Leetal and Ron Arazi serve them with a saffron and cardamom syrup.
