Freshly baked cookies that last for all eight nights. It’s possible with this slice and bake menorah cookie tutorial. These Hanukkah cookies make a great dessert for your next holiday party.
Happy Holidays! I’m excited to share all the details you need to make these adorable Hanukkah sugar cookies in your own kitchen.
Prepare them in advance, in order to have dessert on hand throughout the holidays. Being slice and bake style cookies, they get stored in the freezer as one large piece. Then you slice each cookie (however many you need at a time) before baking.
You can also save the whole process for a fun family friendly activity to make together over the holidays.
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No cookie cutter? No problem
Many recipes for themed freezer cookies call for using a cookie cutter to create the design inside the cookie. Essentially, raw stacks of cookie dough are surrounded by a contrasting color and shaped into a log.
Sure Chanukah cookie cutters could be used; however, since I wanted to create both chocolate and vanilla layers, I needed to find another way. The secret to making these hanukkah cookies is to build the cookie from the center.
Ingredients
You’ll need two different colors of cookie dough to make this cookie design. A batch of these chocolate vanilla pinwheel cookies was used to make them here.
Overview of the menorah cookies shaping process
- To create a menorah design inside these Chanukah cookies, start by building the menorah from the inside out. (The instructions down below have more details on each step.)
- First form cookie dough into a long tube shape. Then surround it in alternating layers of chocolate and vanilla, until it’s an eight branch candelabrum.
- Next, the whole piece is cut in half. This gives you room to sandwich the shamash in the center.
- The menorah is complete and the final step is to surround the design in vanilla dough. This forms the remaining outer layers of the cookie.
- Optional final decorations:
- coat the entire log in colored sugar/sprinkles
- reserve some of the scrap pieces of dough to create the candle lights (like in the image below) by combining a tiny bit of dough with sanding sugar. Add to the sliced cookie before baking.
Helpful Tips & Additional Information
- The dough is more difficult to neatly shape as it softens. Plan to cover and chill the dough between steps as needed (assume the dough will need to be chilled from step 4 on).
- Use a sheet pan to chill and easily transfer the dough. Make sure it will fit in your refrigerator.
- Save the scraps: Collect and form scraps into a dough ball as you work. Cover loosely with a piece of plastic wrap, otherwise they may dry out.
- The balls of cookie dough do not have to be divided and rolled into individual sheets (as described in step 1). You can also make this menorah cookie design using a rolled out piece of chocolate and vanilla dough.
- Multitask while you make these: each layer takes a few minutes to assemble + chill time in between. This is definitely a recipe to make while working on another project. Since this dough remains in the refrigerator, you could also make it over a two day period.
Watch how to make these menorah cookies
Baking Instructions
Ready to bake fresh cookies? Here’s what you have to do to go from freezer stash to freshly baked cookies.
Remove and unwrap the cookie log from the freezer. Use a sharp knife to cut ¼ inch slices. (If the dough is too firm, give it a few minutes to soften and try again. But don’t let the log thaw completely.) Cut as many cookies as you need. Rewrap and return the remaining log to the freezer.
Bake on a parchment lined baking tray in a 350° oven for 10-15 minutes. The entire recipe makes 25-30 menorah cookies.
Leftover cookie dough…no worries!
Leftover scrap pieces of dough can be re-purposed into other cookies—like these dreidel cookies, a simple chocolate vanilla pinwheel cookies or create your own unique design.
Menorah Cookies Tutorial
Shaping Menorah Chanukah Cookies
No cookie cutter or piping skills required to make these. Learn how to create a menorah design inside a sugar cookie dough with these slice and bake Chanukah cookies.
Materials
- one batch of chocolate & vanilla cookie dough
- sanding sugar or sprinkles, optional
Tools
- rolling pin
- measuring cups
- plastic wrap
- knife/bench scraper
- sheet pan
Instructions
Step 1: Divide the Dough
Starting with a ball of both chocolate and vanilla sugar cookie dough, divide the chocolate dough into 3 equal pieces. Use a ¼ cup measure to scoop 4 pieces of the vanilla dough.
Step 2: Create a Tube
Cut a plastic smoothie straw* in half. Use the remaining vanilla dough to fill the straw. Do this by either using the straw like a cookie cutter and pressing it into the dough, or use your fingers to push small pieces of dough up into the straw. Once the straw is full, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate/freeze until firm. Form the remaining dough into a ball, wrap and refrigerate.
*To make this without using a straw, simply take a small piece of vanilla dough and roll it into a thin log on a flat surface.
Step 3: Roll out Pieces
Working between 2 pieces of plastic wrap, roll out each of the pieces of chocolate to 1/16 inch (these spacers help). Wrap each flat piece in a piece of plastic wrap. Repeat with the remaining pieces of chocolate and the 4 pieces of vanilla. Refrigerate until firm.
Step 4: Release Straw
Remove the straw from the refrigerator. Starting at one end, gently push the dough out of the straw, like you would a tube of toothpaste. If necessary, refrigerate again until firm before cutting in half lengthwise. Place the flat side down and line up the two pieces. Trim this center piece to approximately 7 inches long.
Step 5: Create a Rainbow
Remove the smallest of the chocolate sheets from the refrigerator. Place the vanilla piece from the straw on top of the chocolate. Make sure there is enough chocolate underneath to cover the length of the vanilla. Cut a straight line. Line the vanilla piece up against this edge. Roll around the curved edge of the vanilla. Stop once you’ve reached the flat side. Cut along the edge of the chocolate. Wrap and chill.
Using a sheet of the vanilla dough, wrap around the chocolate layer just like
previous step.
Continue wrapping the the dough. Alternate between the chocolate and vanilla until there are 4 layers of chocolate and 4 layers of vanilla.
Wrap in an additional 2 layers of vanilla.
Step 6: Create the Center Base
Re-roll the scrap pieces of chocolate between 2 pieces of saran wrap.
Cut the log in half lengthwise, making sure to cut down the center vanilla piece (the piece from the straw). Take one of these pieces and place the exposed side onto the chocolate. Carefully lift the saran wrap to transfer the chocolate onto the log. Return the other half of the log to close the chocolate “sandwich” layer.
Wrap in a layer of vanilla.
Step 7: Fill and Finish
Roll the vanilla ball + any scraps into a thick piece. Layer this piece over the top (flat portion) of the cookie log. Cut off excess dough. If desired, additional vanilla scraps can be rolled to wrap the entire log. The entire log can also be rolled in sprinkles or colored sugar as well.
Wrap the entire log in saran wrap or freezer paper and store in the freezer until ready to use.
Recommended Products
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This post was originally published in 2016 and has been revamped and updated in December 2025.
Happy Chanukah! These cookies are adorable and I love your step-by-step photos!
Video tutorial is great! I am so inspired and hope to make these for my boys… they would LOVE them!!!