One of our favorite seasonal treats are Hanukkah Gelt Cookies! They're made from a fluffy, flavorful almond flour cookie base and homemade chocolate gelt. We love enjoying them while playing dreidel or just as a fun dessert during the holidays!

What is Hanukkah Gelt?

Gelt are the coins given to children during Hanukkah, usually while playing dreidl! For these cookies the gelt are the foil-wrapped chocolate variety, which my kids go absolutely crazy for. Chocolate that looks like money?! They're in heaven! You can find these chocolate coins at most stores around the holidays.

I searched high and low for vegan gelt and found it at Whole Foods made by Lake Champlain Chocolates. We also had fun making our own Gelt with Hu chocolate! I melted the chocolate, poured it into silicone molds (just a thin layer!), and then wrapped it in gold foil I found on Amazon.

My homemade vegan chocolate recipe would also work wonderfully here. The kids loved making them with me! You could personalize yours with coconut, nuts, or flaked sea salt. Yum! Check out my easy recipe for how to make your own vegan, paleo and refined sugar-free Hanukkah gelt.

How to Make Homemade Gelt (vegan + refined sugar-free/paleo)

You can use coconut oil or vegan butter in this recipe. For vegan butter I like to use Earth Balance! It melts, bakes, and tastes just like real butter, so it adds the perfect flavor into your favorite dishes. Since I bake without refined sugar, I used pure maple syrup to make these Hanukkah Gelt Cookies sweet! Maple syrup is a totally natural way to add sweetness into dishes and I use it so often I buy it in bulk!

Gluten-Free Hanukkah Gelt Cookies

I made these Hanukkah Gelt Cookies with an almond flour base! I love the nutty, sweet flavor almond flour infuses the cookies with. Plus, almond flour has a light, fluffy texture that is soft and chewy when baked. It is pure heaven in these little cookies. Even gluten eaters will enjoy this flavorful cookie!

Storing Vegan Hanukkah Gelt Cookies

Once baked and cooled, your Gelt Cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to five days. You could also freeze them for up to six months! If you love cold desserts, a frozen Hanukkah Gelt Cookie is an absolutely delicious treat.

This is a vegan, gluten-free cookie made without refined sugar. They're perfect for Hanukkah but can be enjoyed by all during the holiday season and beyond! My kids are huge fans and are convinced they're the best cookies I've EVER made.

More Vegan and Gluten-Free Holiday Treats

Find all my Hanukkah Recipes here!

Hanukkah Gelt Cookies (vegan + grain-free)

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Author: Elaine Gordon
Total Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 14 1x
Diet: Vegan

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Description

Ingredients

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Ingredients

2 cups super-fine blanched almond flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon fine salt
⅓ cup melted vegan butter (or melted coconut oil)
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
14 pieces of Vegan Easy Homemade Hanukkah Gelt or store-bought non-dairy chocolate gelt/coins

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Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
To the mixing bowl add almond flour, baking soda and salt and stir to fully combine. Add the wet ingredients (melted vegan butter, maple syrup and vanilla extract) and combine using a spoon.
Using a retractable cookie scoop, make 14 cookie dough balls (about 1.5 tablespoons in size each). Roll each cookie scoop into a ball with your hands.
Place each cookie dough ball on your prepared baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.
Remove from oven and immediately press a chocolate gelt coin into the center of each cookie. Work quickly to avoid the cookies from hardening as they cool. It is easier to push the chocolate coins into the cookies right when they come out of the oven. If the edges of the cookie start to crack you can fix them with your fingers while they are still warm.
Allow the cookies to cool directly on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before moving to a cooling rack to fully cool. They will harden as they cool so be sure to wait to handle them until they have fully cooled. Enjoy after they have fully cooled or store in an airtight container for up to five days.