Bake

Sufganiyot Cookies

November 22, 2021
4.8
12 Ratings
Photo by Julia Gartland. Prop Stylist: Alya Hameedi. Food Stylist: Anna Billingskog.
  • Prep time 55 minutes
  • Cook time 18 minutes
  • makes About 22 cookies
Author Notes

Hanukkah might be over, but who says you can’t have sufganiyot year-round? These jelly- or custard-filled doughnuts dusted with confectioners’ sugar are a common treat during the Jewish Festival of Lights. Like latkes, they’re part of the holiday’s tradition of eating fried food, commemorating an oil lamp that burned a week longer than it should’ve. But how to transform a doughnut into a cookie, you ask?

These pillowy sugar cookies are chewier than a snappy or crumbly shortbread cookie, thanks to brown sugar and egg yolks, plus a hefty glug of olive oil makes them extra-tender, also calling back to sufganiyot’s fried origins. Similar to a classic thumbprint cookie, you’ll poke a hole in and then fill each cookie with a blot of jam before baking—strawberry or raspberry is classic, but whichever fruit you prefer will work just fine. Whatever you do, don’t forget to shower the cooled cookies in confectioners’ sugar before dotting each with more jam.

Freeze the unbaked, hole-poked cookie dough balls, or the baked cookies without confectioners’ sugar, in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Baked and un-sugared cookies will keep at room temperature in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days.
Rebecca Firkser

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 2 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons (8 grams) baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon (2 grams) kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick, 113 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup (106 grams) light brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup (50 grams) extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon (5 grams) vanilla extract
  • Strawberry or raspberry jam
  • Confectioners’ sugar, for topping
  • Flaky salt, for topping (optional)
Directions
  1. Heat the oven to 350°F with a rack positioned in the center and line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, use an electric mixer on medium-high to cream together the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat in the oil until completely combined. Beat in the egg yolks and vanilla until extremely light in color and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
  3. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat on low speed until just combined.
  4. Scoop half of the dough (about 11 cookies’ worth) into mounds using a #40 cookie scoop (or measure 1½ tablespoon- or 28-gram mounds) and place on one of the prepared sheet pans or a large plate. Roll each mound into a ball and space out 2 inches apart. Use your pinky finger or the bottom of a slender wooden spoon to gently poke a hole in the top of each ball about halfway through—if they crack at all, just squish back together. Freeze for 15 minutes.
  5. Use a small spoon to fill each cookie hole with jam (about ¼ teaspoon/1 gram each). Bake the cookies for 18 to 20 minutes, until barely golden, slightly cracked, and still a bit soft to the touch. While the first batch bakes, prep and freeze the second batch. After they come out of the oven, let the cookies cool on the sheet pan for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Bake the second batch of cookies.
  6. When the cookies are totally cool, place the confectioners’ sugar (start with ⅓ cup and add more as needed) in a fine sieve and dust each cookie heavily, so the full surface is covered and the jam is barely visible, if at all. Dot the top of each cookie with a blot of fresh jam and sprinkle with flaky salt if you’d like, then serve immediately.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Melissa Bartell
    Melissa Bartell
  • Rebecca Firkser
    Rebecca Firkser
  • Bunnyjoy
    Bunnyjoy
  • holland13
    holland13

9 Reviews

Bunnyjoy December 24, 2023
Have made 4x in the last 2 weeks. I’ve started making smaller ones, about 20-22 grams each, baked at 13 minutes. I just use a spatula and a whisk, no beater. Gets better on day 3. Love this recipe.
 
Melissa B. December 4, 2023
Loved these and so did everyone I shared them with
 
holland13 December 20, 2022
I loved these, and so did my French class. Amazingly good, and so easy to make! This recipe is a definite keeper. Thanks for improving my Chanukah repertoire!
 
holland13 December 20, 2022
I used a good strawberry jam, with terrific results.
 
Corj December 26, 2021
Delicious to eat and a joy to make thanks to a well developed and written recipe. Baked very well from frozen (prepped dough ahead). Great texture and flavor. Used Bonne Maman raspberry jam. Will make again.
 
MimiLoves52 December 12, 2021
One of the best cookies ever! I come from a long line of cookie bakers and have been cooking 20+ cookies each Christmas. Each year I add one to our repertoire. Last year was Dorie’s World Peace cookie. This year I gave this one a try. Like the World Peace cookie, but with a completely different flavor profile, it will be part of our future stable! Sandy, chewy, fruity and nutty (from the olive oil). Absolutely delicious and a hit with one and all! Easy to make too. Thanks for sharing.
 
Rebecca F. December 12, 2021
So happy to hear they made it to your holiday cookie list this year, and very glad you enjoyed them!
 
dawer93 December 5, 2021
Made these for a Hanukkah party and they were a hit! Would def make again.
 
Rebecca F. December 12, 2021
Wonderful to hear! Thank you for baking :)