Aunt Rose's Mondel Bread

I love when cookbook authors share recipes they’ve enjoyed throughout their lives; if I ever created a cookbook, it would center around my family roots. Those are the recipes that have reminded me of home all these years when I’ve moved around the country, and it’s evident Aunt Rose’s Mondel Bread recipe does the same for Claire.

Since I’m not a coffee drinker, I often miss the opportunity for a good biscotti. I can, however, quickly see why someone would love it for a morning cookie. I already had all the ingredients, however I used sliced almonds instead of slivered. The appearance seemed to be the same with the final product after I toasted them just past the point of golden brown.

While I was making this recipe, my one-cup measurement cup was in the dishwasher. This may or may not have affected a couple of my measurements; I think I accidentally doubled the sugar I needed for the cinnamon sugar mixture, and I might have been short half a cup of flour. I realized all this as I was dividing up the dough into three parts to make the loaves. The three loaves did not equal to a pound, but overall, they were equal in size. Then, as I was divvying out the sugar according to Claire’s directions, I noticed I had a LOT of sugar left. I’m not complaining; I enjoyed the rest on toast the next few days!

Aside from those small missteps, this was a pretty simple recipe to complete. The dough looks very shiny, almost similar to caramel. Due to time, I only had refrigerated my dough for three hours, but like Claire assured, it seemed to be enough time (according to Dessert Person, Claire’s mom swears by the dough sitting for exactly four hours). It’s also important to make the indents on the dough before you place it in the oven; this made it very easy to cut the cookie bread afterwards. Be generous when placing the sugar on the loaves, but not too generous—the sugar piled up on an old tray I used and it hardened in the oven (a pain to get off when it’s time for dishes!).

After about ten minutes of cooling, I gave these cookies a try, and it’s obvious why this recipe has been passed along in Claire’s family. It’s a wholesome, delicious cookie that would remind anyone of home. It’s a perfect sweet treat with or without coffee in the morning. The cinnamon sugar fulfilled my sweet tooth needs, and the crunch with the almonds was just right. I’m glad Claire stuck to tradition with this one and showed us some her family history.

Turns out, maybe this isn’t Aunt Rose’s Mondel Bread—check out Claire’s video to see why!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWKCid9UBMs