Shared by Anna Gershenson
Shared by Anna Gershenson
Teiglach
Yield: 20-30 cookies
Teiglach
Yield: 20-30 cookiesFamily Journey
Riga, Latvia
Worcester, Massachusetts
A dessert made of small knots of dough boiled in honey, teiglach is often served on Rosh Hashanah as a nod to a sweet new year. In Latvia, Anna Gershenson’s mother Rhoda always purchased teiglach for the holiday from a woman who sold them from her home kitchen. Before leaving the Soviet Union for the United States in 1976, Rhoda asked her to share the technique. In Massachusetts, they became one of her signature recipes.
This recipe was shared by Anna Gershenson. Read more about her family in “The Rosh Hashanah When Anna Gershenson Became the Family Matriarch” and try her recipes for sweet-and-sour tongue, jam crumble bars, and braised chicken with onions olives and prunes.
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 6 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons sunflower oil (or other neutral oil - canola, grapeseed, safflower)
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 ½ cups, plus additional all purpose flour
For the Syrup
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 ½ cups water
- 2 cups honey
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
For the Garnish
Coconut flakes
Preparation
Step 1
Whisk the eggs in a large bowl. Mix in the sunflower oil, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Using a fine mesh sieve, sift in 2 cups of flour. Mix with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together.
Step 2
Turn dough onto a heavily floured surface. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes. If the dough feels too sticky, keep adding small amounts of flour until it is workable. The dough is ready when it is pliable and smooth, the dough bounces back when you press on it with a finger. Place the dough in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 10 minutes.
Step 3
Meanwhile, combine the sugar, water, honey, and ground ginger in a 10 quart pot with a lid (transparent if possible) and place over over medium-high heat. As it begins to boil and foam, skim the foam off the top.
Step 4
While the syrup continues to heat, turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Cut off a golf ball-sized piece of dough and roll it into a ½ inch thick by 6-8 inch long piece. Knot the piece of dough and set it aside. Repeat until you have used all of the dough.
Step 5
One at a time, carefully add the teiglach to the simmering syrup. Make sure to brush off any excess flour. The teiglach should not be too crowded in the pot. If they are, remove some pieces of dough. Cover the pot and bring the heat to low, the syrup should be bubbling and completely cover the cookies. Cook the teiglach for 20 minutes, being sure not to open the lid too often or move the pot.
Step 6
While the Teiglach cook, prepare baking sheets by brushing with a light coating of oil.
Step 7
After 20 minutes, remove the lid and check the teiglach. Turn them with a fork to make sure they are coated evenly in syrup.
Step 8
Turn up the heat to medium-low and cook for 15 more minutes, turning occasionally. The teiglach and syrup will start to darken.
Step 9
Before removing each teiglach from the syrup, give them one last spin to coat evenly with syrup. Lay the cookies out onto the oiled sheet and sprinkle the coconut flakes generously over them. Set aside to harden and fully cool for about 15-20 minutes before serving.
Teiglach can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days. Pro tip: Paper candy cups come in handy for storage and transport (so that the sweets don’t stick together).
