Hanukkah sweets are treats for any holiday table

Hanukkah, like Christmas, is just around the corner.

This year, the Jewish and Christian holidays both fall on Dec. 25. Hanukkah’s eight days of celebration will cover Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. That’s a lot of festivity.

And, as with most holidays, it also means a lot of tasty treats.

Hanukkah is famous for latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiyot (jelly doughnuts), foods fried in oil that commemorate the miracle of one day’s oil lasting for eight days to rededicate the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. But eight days gives lots of opportunities for other special snacks.

And for multifaith families, this year can be a chance to celebrate the overlapping flavors in ways that are familiar for both holidays.

The oil tradition of Hanukkah shows up without frying in an olive oil cake, flavored with honey and topped with sweet, cinnamony apples. Although the fruit and honey may be more closely associated with Rosh Hashanah, they still speak of a joy and hope appropriate to Hanukkah.

Kugel is a custardy dish that might be a savory potato casserole or a sweet noodle pudding. A pumpkin kugel can bridge the holidays, delivering the flavor of pumpkin pie with a denser texture more reminiscent of cheesecake. All of these desserts are dairy-free, however. That makes them perfect to serve for a house that keeps strictly kosher and doesn’t serve dairy and meat at the same meal.

The kugel is also lightly sweetened. A topping of toasted and honeyed pecans gives a crunchy and sticky texture, as well as a way to control the sugar.

Is any holiday meal complete without cookies or candy? Coconut macaroons are common at Christmas and Hanukkah alike. Give them a unique caramel flavor by using brown sugar and coat them with richness with a drizzle of dark chocolate.

Speaking of chocolate, if you want to make your own special treats for the holiday but just don’t have the time — or the bandwidth — to bake, embrace this quick treat. Mendiants are disks made by spooning melted chocolate into circles and then adding dried fruit or nuts. They are easily customizable to cater to allergies or flavor preferences. They are also a simple, homemade substitute for gelt coins to play dreidel games.

Food — especially sweets — is so tied to the way we celebrate our holidays. Finding ways to share those special dishes and special days is a real treat.

Apple olive oil cake

Cake

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon kosher salt

3 large eggs

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup applesauce

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Topping

2 cups peeled, cored, and sliced apples

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup water

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9-inch springform pan.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and kosher salt. In a separate bowl, mix eggs, brown sugar, oil, applesauce, honey and vanilla. Fold into dry ingredients until incorporated. Pour into pan. Bake for about 40 to 50 minutes, or until a knife or toothpick inserted in the middle comes out cleanly. Set aside to cool.

In a saucepan over medium-low heat, combine all topping ingredients. Heat, stirring occasionally, until apples are tender but not falling apart and liquid is thickened and syrupy. You can skip this step and use your favorite apple pie filling.

Top cake with apples and serve.

Pumpkin kugel with honeyed toasted pecans

1 29-ounce can pureed pumpkin

4 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup coconut oil (canola works too)

1/2 cup applesauce

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup matzoh meal (or flour)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 coconut oil (or margarine)

2 cups pecans (coarsely chopped)

1 cup honey

2 teaspoons kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 2-quart baking dish. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, eggs, oil, applesauce, vanilla and sugars. Add flour, baking powder and salt. Pour into prepared dish. Bake for about one hour, until set. Remove and allow to set at least 15-20 minutes.

In a saucepan, melt oil or margarine. Saute pecans until they smell toasty, about 5-10 minutes over medium-low heat. Watch carefully so they don’t burn, stirring frequently. Add honey and cook another 2-3 minutes. Add salt and stir, Pour over kugel and serve.

Brown sugar macaroons

4 large egg whites

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

12 ounces unsweetened shredded coconut

1 cup dark chocolate chips, melted

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. Whisk in brown sugar until dissolved. Add vanilla, almond extract and salt. Fold in coconut until well distributed.

Use a cookie scoop to portion into 16 scoops on each baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes. Cool.

Dip macaroons in melted chocolate. Allow to cool until chocolate sets. Store in an airtight container until ready to serve.

Dark chocolate mendiants with dried fruit

1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips

1 tablespoon coconut oil (or kosher shortening)

1/2 cup dried cranberries, raisins or other dried fruit

Flaky sea salt, chopped nuts, etc., optional

Melt chocolate with coconut oil or shortening. Spoon onto parchment paper on a baking sheet, making circles about the size of a quarter. Place one or two pieces of dried fruit on each circle. Sprinkle with salt, chopped nuts or other toppings if desired.

Chill until set completely. Store in an airtight container until serving.