Gluten Free Mandel Bread
This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.
Gluten-Free Mandel bread is a delicious twice-baked Jewish cookie that is similar to biscotti cookies. And now enjoy during the Jewish holidays even if you can’t have gluten!
Mandel bread is one of our go-to Jewish desserts. It’s easy to make and can be enjoyed any time of the day really.
I’ve altered my grandma and aunt Beth’s mandel bread recipe to actually make it gluten-free. My gluten-free flour of choice is Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 baking flour. Some come out a bit drier, but you can add an extra egg if needed to counteract the dry and crumbly sand texture. The extra egg is a good fat to moisten and bring the dough together.
We usually enjoy mandel bread as soon as it’s cool, but I find that this gluten-free mandel bread recipe tastes best a day later. For example, I’ll make it the night before and it’s good in the morning.
Gluten free mandel bread will also need to cook a little less. We still twice bake the cookies but we do it for a maximum of 15 minutes for the second bake.
Recipe tips:
- Carefully cut the mandel bread as it can be a little more fragile than regular mandel bread. We recommend using a stainless steel scrapper or our personal favorite, a pizza cutter.
- Gluten free products are best enjoyed fresh. If you want to make less we suggest halving or even making 1/3 of this recipe.
- If your flour tends to be drier you should add 1 whole egg to the recipe.
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ So nice to have you here! Did you try this recipe? Be sure to leave a recipe rating! Also, tag us @courtneyssweets on Instagram so we can share it!
Gluten-Free Mandel Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cup gluten free flour
- 3/4 cup oil
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup chocolate chips or a mixture of dried fruit nuts, chocolate
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon sugar if desired
Instructions
- In a bowl combine the gluten-free flour, baking powder, and cinnamon.
- In another large-sized bowl combine the vegetable oil, sugar, vanilla, and eggs. Mix until mixture becomes thicker and light yellow.
- Combine the wet and dry mixture and mix until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips and any dried fruit or nuts.
- Place a cover on the bowl with the mandel bread dough and refrigerate for around 1-2 hours.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a reusable silicone mat.
- Form the dough into 3 4" wide rectangles with the dough about 1/2-3/4" high onto the baking sheets Bake for 20-25 minutes.
- Remove the baking sheets from the oven and allow the mandel bread to cool for 15-20 minutes. Lower your oven temperature to 250 degrees F.
- Once the mandel bread has cooled cut it width-wise into 3/4 inch thick slices on a cutting board to prevent cutting your baking sheet. Carefully cut as it can be a little more fragile than regular mandel bread. Now is the time to sprinkle with cinnamon sugar if you like yours with that extra sweetness and hint of cinnamon. Return the mandel bread back to the oven and bake until it's golden, about 15 minutes.
- Remove the mandel bread from the oven and place on a cooling rack and allow it to cool before enjoying. The cookies will harden as they cool.
I’m just started making this and noticing that Salt isn’t specified in the Ingredients list. I’ll try with a typical 1/4tsp and report back.
Hi Sharon, we do not use salt as our recipe doesn’t have as much sugar. For us, salt isn’t needed. I hope you enjoy it!! 🙂
What gluten free all purpose flour do you use? They are all so different.
We use Bob’s gluten free 1to1 baking flour Be sure to read the post we have a lot of helpful info 🙂
Hi Courtney,
I’ll start by saying the mandel bread turned out great!
BUT here’s my wish list:
1)I wish you would mention what flours you have used to test the recipe, I used cup4cup
2) I wish you would give the measurements in grams, it’s much more accurate for gluten-free baking and easier to divide the recipe. I did the math based on the packaging on the cup4cup bag to come up with the weight in grams-a bit more than your cups.
3) I found that 250° oven for drying the cookies after baking them was not nearly hot enough… I turned it to 350 and watch them closely.
4) I did not add cinnamon to the batter, I sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar after slicing before putting them back in the oven.
5) I don’t know if I’m the Sharon, who wrote in before about the amount of salt but, your instructions call for salt and you don’t give an amount
Thank you!
I am glad they turned out well for you! We tested our favorite gluten-free flour against King Arthur and Namaste. 🙂 Thank you for catching the salt! I removed it from the list but forgot it in the directions as I didn’t feel it needed the added sodium. I have tried to use conversion calculators for grams, but they haven’t been accurate. Unfortunately, Namaste flour is the only safe flour for my food allergy kiddo, so we cannot weigh this particular flour we recommend. Thank you for the tips and suggestions, though. I’ll be doing more recipes with namaste soon, currently working on perfecting the chocolate chip cookie. Ideally, we want it to retain moisture, so we didn’t do too long with the bake time or too high for the mandel bread. 🙂
One tip that I can offer is to lift the whole “log” onto a cutting board and cut the mandelbroit while it is still hot. Less breakage that way. Transfer it back to the pan or rack in cut sections.
Great tip! We didn’t have much issues with any crumbling or breakage with Bob’s flour when testing but I know all gluten free flour differs! 🙂
Hi Courtney, couldn’t I use almond flour in place of gluten-free flour? Would you know how to convert the recipe using almond flour? Does it change the amount of flour and sugar you use?
Thanks so much! Deena
Hi Deena! We have not tried this recipe with plain almond flour, unfortunately the measurements would be different so we cannot advise on that.
Thanks so much for this gluten free recipe! I love Mandel bread but was never able to have it. I’m just wondering what is the reason you have to wait 15-20 mins to slice it and then put it back in the oven? Is it because it’s egg flour?
Thanks so much!
You’re so welcome! This is a twice baked cookie and is done for the structure of the cookies, it sets it and then baking again will bake them at that shape and crisp it up. 🙂
Hi! I made this one time, using Bob’s 1:1 flour. I added almond slivers and about 1/8 tsp almond extract, instead of chocolate chips. There were lots of cracks in the mandel bread when I took it out of the oven. When I cut it and handled it, the pieces were very crumbly. Tasted great, though. I’m making it again, and I used 4 eggs this time. I hope it’ll come out better. My question is, after I take it out of the oven the first time and cut the slices, do I put the cinnamon/sugar on the top, or do I lay the pieces on their sides and then sprinkle the cinnamon/sugar? Like some other folks, I kept the oven at 350 F, and that seemed to work out well. Thanks for the recipe. It’s exciting to be able to eat mandel bread again!
Hi Barb! I wanted to acknowledge you here as well. It has truly been a pleasure emailing with you, and I’m so glad you reached out. I love that you’re experimenting and making it your own. I hope your mandel bread adventure results in the absolute best mandel bread ever! 😊
Hi Courtney! Thanks for responding to me here and also for emailing with me! Thanks also for your wonderful mandel bread recipe. I’m making this my go-to recipe for mandel bread. I love it! Could you please also post or send me your gluten free chocolate chip cookie recipe? I’d love to have that, too! Thanks for everything!
Fond regards, Barb
Barb, you’re so welcome! I’m so happy you’re enjoying the mandel bread, it’s been a favorite in my family for many, many years.
For the chocolate chip cookies, I use my chocolate chip cookie recipe but substitute King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure for Measure flour. My sister-in-law has follows this recipe too and loves them!
I’ll be sharing a standalone gluten-free post soon, but for now you can use this recipe and just swap the flour, that’s what I’ll be doing in the new post. Recipe here: https://www.courtneyssweets.com/chocolate-chip-cookies/
Hi Courtney! I’m so excited to have your chocolate chip cookie recipe! I appreciate your tips about adding chocolate chips and chunks to the top of the unbaked cookies, and also about dropping the baked cookies (on the cookie sheet) onto the towel-covered counter. I would never have thought of either one. I’m looking forward to making the cookies!
Thank you!
Barb
I hope you enjoy them!! 😀