JCHC Mandelbrot Recipe, A Cookie Tradition

This centuries-old cookie is a staple in our culture. Even though Mandelbrot has been around for so long, there are many different variations to enjoy. Variations that include dried fruit, nuts, and even sprinkles! But for today, we’re going to share the signature recipe from our chefs at Lester Senior Living. Did we mention it includes chocolate chips? Yum. 

Mandelbrot Ingredients:

• 3 cups flour
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup chocolate chips
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1 cup melted butter or extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ tsp salt

Mandelbrot Directions:

1. Grab a large glass bowl and mix the flour, baking powder and salt together and set aside. 
   
   
2. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until smooth. 
   
   
3. After it’s smooth, whisk in the butter or olive oil, the vanilla extract and almond extract. 
   
   
4. Combine this mixture with the flour, baking powder and salt you set aside earlier until it turns into dough. 
   
   
5. Then, stir in the chocolate chips (we recommend semi-sweet, but you can use whatever type of chocolate chips you like). 
   
   
6. Form the dough into a large ball and let it chill in the large glass bowl in the fridge for about 2 hours. (Make sure to cover with plastic wrap). 
   
   
7. Grease a baking sheet and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 
   
   
8. After 2 hours, retrieve the dough from the fridge and leave it out for about 5 minutes before kneading so it’s more malleable. 
   
   
9. Flour your hands before taking the dough out of the bowl, then knead the dough and divide it into 2 pieces. 
   
   
10. From your 2 sections, you can start forming little rolls (about 3 in. wide) and place them side by side on your greased baking sheet. 
    
    
11. Bake 20 minutes until the rolls have started to brown, then reduce the heat to 250 degrees and bake for an additional 15 minutes. 
    
    
12. Place the rolls onto a rack to cool for about 10 minutes, until they’re cool enough to handle. 
    
    
13. After the rolls have cooled, start slicing them diagonally into their signature Mandelbrot shape (approx. ½ inch slices). 
    
    
14. Place them back on the baking sheet so they are laying flat and bake them at 250 degrees for about 30 minutes (until golden brown). 
    
    
15. Allow to cool completely before serving to your family and friends! 

Meal Plans and More at Lester Senior Living

The senior living residents at Lester have the option to eat in our spacious dining room for breakfast, lunch and dinner every single day if they’d like! Also opening soon is our newly remodeled cafe where they can grab lunch in style with their friends. Whether they are Jewish or not, they enjoy many staples from our culture like matzo ball soup, challah bread, honey apple cake, brisket and of course, Mandelbrot. The chefs at Lester understand that some residents may have dietary allergies or preferences and will gladly modify any recipe to suit their needs. 

For more information about our senior meal plans in Morris County, NJ, please give us a call today. You could also visit our website to learn more about what independent living looks like at Lester Senior Living: https://jchcorp.org/

The original blog is posted on: https://jchcorp.org/jchc-mandelbrot-recipe-a-cookie-tradition/