1 hr 15 min · Pareve
Belarusian-Style Potato Latkes (Draniki)
Finely grate potatoes and onion, recover their settled starch, and fry the batter in thin layers. These Belarusian Jewish latkes have crisp edges and a fine, tender center.
Hanukkah Recipes and Make-Ahead Guide
Thin potato latkes, jam-filled sufganiyot, cheese blintzes, and walnut rugelach: four tested recipes for the home kitchen. Choose your dishes, prepare what you can ahead, and leave the final frying for serving time.
The latkes and sufganiyot are pareve. The cheese blintzes and sour cream rugelach are dairy.
2 hr 30 min · Pareve
Sufganiyot (Jelly Donuts)
Make a soft yeast dough, let it rise twice, and fry until golden. Fill these pareve Israeli Hanukkah donuts with smooth strawberry or raspberry jam and finish with powdered sugar.
1 hr 20 min · Dairy
Cheese Blintzes with Raisins
Wrap lightly sweetened farmer's cheese and raisins in thin crepes, then fry the parcels in butter until golden. Serve these Belarusian Jewish dairy blintzes warm with sour cream for Hanukkah.
Dairy
Belarusian-Style Walnut Rugelach
Roll sour cream and butter dough around a modest walnut and cinnamon filling. These Belarusian Jewish crescent pastries, also called rogaliki, are tender, lightly crumbly, and an easy-to-share Hanukkah dessert.
What to make ahead
- Rugelach: bake first
- Bake the pastries ahead and let them cool completely before dusting with powdered sugar. Store in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days at room temperature, or freeze for up to 2 months. Allow at least 1 hour for chilling the dough and 18 to 22 minutes baking per batch.
- Blintzes: assemble before frying
- Make the crepes, fill them with farmer's cheese and raisins, and refrigerate the covered parcels for up to 24 hours before frying. For longer storage, freeze the assembled blintzes individually before transferring to a container; use within 2 months. Follow the recipe's final cooking instructions to heat the filling thoroughly.
- Sufganiyot: choose same-day or overnight dough
- The same-day method needs two rises and at least 2 hours 30 minutes overall. For the overnight option, mix and knead the dough, rest it for 20 to 30 minutes, then cover and refrigerate overnight. Shape the chilled dough the next day and let the donuts rise until puffy before frying. They are best eaten the day they are fried.
- Latkes: leave the frying for the day
- Allow about 30 minutes preparation and 45 minutes cooking for the full batch. Grate the potatoes finely, recover their settled starch, and spread the batter thinly. Hold finished latkes on a rack in a 200°F oven while you cook the remaining batches.
A practical cooking order
- Bake the rugelach ahead so the oven and counter are available for the other dishes.
- If making sufganiyot, start the dough early. Use the rise time to prepare the blintzes or set out the latke ingredients. Watch the dough's appearance as well as the clock.
- Finish the pan-fried dishes near serving time. Fry blintzes in batches, or fry the latkes and keep them on a rack in the warm oven. Allow extra time when making both.
- Fry the sufganiyot, cool for 10 to 15 minutes, then fill with jam and dust with powdered sugar. Serve them fresh, with the rugelach ready alongside.
Use each recipe for its quantities, temperatures, portion sizes, and batch timings. A larger pan or a different number of batches can change the time you need.