The menorah is the most meaningful symbol of Hanukkah. Artistic Jews throughout the world have created their own versions. I liked to take our children to local Jewish gift shops, synagogues, and museums to see the different renditions. We spent one Hanukkah in Jerusalem delighting in menorahs in windows.
For each of the eight nights of Hanukkah, an additional candle is inserted, from right to left, and lit by the shammas, or helper candle, from left to right, until the eight-candle menorah is aglow. We place our menorahs on a flameproof tray in our front window. If your children do not want to make their own menorah out of clay, let them make the following edible one.
Making your own menorah is one of the great pleasures of celebrating Hanukkah. Menorahs can come in all different shapes, made from nearly any materials, as long as each candle is kept separate and distinct from the others and they are in one line, with the shammas raised. These candle cupcakes can be arranged together in nearly any shape—a circle, a square, a straight line, or whatever you can imagine—to form a different and deliciously edible menorah.
Read about Joan Nathan’s sweet new chapter in the kitchen.
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Ice Cream Cupcake Edible Menorah
Makes at least 12 cupcakes, 9 to make your menorah and a few extra to enjoy right away.
Ingredients
- 14 cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 pint chocolate or cookie dough ice cream or frozen yogurt
- Fresh raspberries, for garnish
Directions
- Adult: To make the crust, whirl 12 of the cookies in a food processor until they’re ground very fine. Melt the butter in a small saucepan or microwave, and mix well with the cookies.
- Child: Put one paper cupcake liner in each muffin mold. Using your fingers, press about 1/14 of the cookie-butter mixture along the bottom and up the sides of each mold. Try to get the cookie mixture pressed in as smoothly and evenly as you can. Remove the ice cream or frozen yogurt from the freezer, let it soften slightly for a few minutes, and then spoon about ¾ cup divided equally into the cookie molds, pressing down until smooth. Fill the molds with the ice cream or frozen yogurt.
- Adult: Chill the filled tins in the freezer until the cupcakes hold together well, about 3 hours, or until you’re ready to use them.
- Child: Insert a Hanukkah candle into the center of each cupcake. Refreeze until they’re very solid in the tins, and wrap them well in aluminum foil. (You can even do this a week ahead.) When you’re ready to make your menorah, remove the tins from the freezer, and carefully remove each cupcake, with its liner, from the tins. Arrange the menorah as you wish—in a row or a circle, but make sure to elevate the shammas by placing it on the remaining two sandwich cookies. Then immediately light the candles and say the blessings. Of course, this doesn’t take the place of the real menorah. Be sure to blow out the candles before the ice cream gets soft!
Recipe reprinted with permission from “A Sweet Year: Jewish Celebrations and Festive Recipes for Kids and Their Families” (Penguin Random House).