Tayglach (Pareve)

A sweet Rosh Hashanah dessert

By Joni Schockett

Reprinted with permission from Jewish Family & Life!

 

Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Baking Time: 15-20 minutes
Boiling Time: 40 minutes

 

Tayglach is a traditional New Year's treat that consists of crunchy dough boiled in honey. Almond or walnuts are often included, as are Maraschino cherries. My grandmother always made Tayglach on Rosh Hashanah, and we always wanted to visit her when she made them because she would let us lick the spoon from the honey syrup after it had cooled.

 

Ingredients

DOUGH:
6 eggs
3 tbsp. oil
1 tsp. baking powder
3-1/2 cups unbleached flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ginger
pinch salt

 

HONEY SYRUP:
1 pound honey
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar

 

OPTIONAL:

1 cup broken walnut pieces
1 cup almonds
1 cup candied cherries

 

Place the honey, water, lemon juice and sugar in a very large, heavy pot, about 6 quarts. Heat to boiling and continue to simmer gently.

 

While the honey syrup is heating, Mix the eggs, oil, spices and salt together. Sift the baking powder and flour and add to the liquid. Mix together until the mixture forms a sticky dough. Dust with flour and roll out into 8 or 9 ropes about 3/4 inch thick, cut into pieces about 3/4 inch long. Drop the pieces of dough into the boiling syrup and simmer slowly for about an hour. Stir every 10 minutes and add more boiling water as needed, about 1/3 cup at a time.

 

While the tayglach is cooking, place aluminum foil on a cookie sheet and grease the foil.

 

Set aside.

 

Ten minutes before the hour is up, add the nuts and cherries. Stir well and add more water if needed. The tayglach is done when it is a deep mahogany color, a rich, golden brown. Spoon the tayglach on the greased cookie sheet and spread out. Let cool and form the tayglach into small groups of a few tayglach and some nuts and cherries. Let cool and put into a bowl. Cover lightly.

 

VARIATION: When placing the tayglach onto the greased cookie sheet, reserve as much of the syrup in the pot as possible. Add some sesame seeds, about 1/4-1/2 cup, to the syrup and mix well. Pour the syrup onto another greased cookie sheet and let cool slightly. Cut the syrup into squares and roll each square onto a small ball. Let cool.

 

Makes a delicious candy treat.