Make your Hanukkah celebration even sweeter this year with a batch of homemade gelt. These chocolate coins are easy to make and fun to customize!
Start a new holiday tradition this year by making your own Hanukkah gelt at home. These small chocolate coins are easy to make and fun to customize with your favorite toppings and sprinkles.
You only need three ingredients to get started - chocolate melting wafers, gold sprinkles, and chopped almonds. Feel free to add some finishing salt, candied fruits, and orange zest for even more variety.
Homemade gelt is the perfect treat to make for Hanukkah. Optionally, wrap your coins in gold foil and give as a gift. They can also be served on a candy tray along with pretzel clusters and chocolate pecan toffee bark.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Chocolate melting wafers - I used dark chocolate melting wafers, but feel free to use milk chocolate for a sweeter flavor.
- Gold sprinkles - Gold sprinkles can be substituted with blue and white sprinkles or gold sugar pearls, or omitted entirely. Feel free to top your coins with chopped candied fruits or finishing salt instead.
- Chopped almonds - I used chopped almonds, but chopped pecans, walnuts, or pistachios are all great options.
Tips and tricks
- Mini muffin pan - For this recipe you'll need a nonstick mini muffin pan (not a standard sized muffin pan). The ingredients listed below make 12 small coins, but the recipe can easily be doubled or tripled for more/thicker coins.
- Melting the wafers - Heat your wafers just enough in the microwave to melt them. Overheating your chocolate can cause it to separate and get cloudy when it solidifies.
- Use a teaspoon - For evenly sized coins, measure exactly one teaspoon into each mini muffin tin. Take care not to overfill your muffin tins - thinner discs look more like coins.
- Tap the pan on the counter - To make nice flat coins, tap your pan gently on the counter to flatten the melted chocolate into an even layer.
- Decorate quickly - Your thin chocolate coins will solidify quickly in the muffin tin. Work quickly and decorate while your chocolate is still wet.
Frequently asked questions
In Yiddish and Hebrew, gelt translates to money. Gelt can refer to actual money or the coin-shaped chocolates wrapped in gold foil. It's often given as a gift for Hanukkah or used as currency in the game of dreidel.
Here's a great article about the history of gelt: What Is Gelt? Definition and History of the Tradition
Yes, these candies can be wrapped. Gold candy foil can be found at some craft stores or on Amazon: 200pc foil candy wrappers, 4x4 inch gold
Gelt will keep for 2 to 3 weeks or longer when stored in a tightly sealed container at room temperature.
I don't recommend using chocolate chips to make homemade candy. Melting wafers create a shiny, smooth candy finish and easily release from the mold after chilling. Chocolate chips melt easily when handled and have a dull, soft finish when solidified.
Yes, a candy mold will work just fine with this recipe. You'll likely need more melting chocolate because molds tend to be a bit bigger than these coins.
Here's a great option on Amazon: Hanukkah gelt with raised star and menorah candy mold
Yes, coins can be made in a standard muffin tin. Keep in mind you'll need extra chocolate and toppings to create the same quantity.
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📖 Recipe
Homemade Hanukkah Gelt
Ingredients
- 2 ounces dark chocolate melting wafers
- 1 teaspoon gold sprinkles
- 1 tablespoon chopped almonds
Instructions
- In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave melting wafers in 30 second increments, stirring until melted.
- Measure one teaspoon of melted chocolate into 12 mini muffin tins (not standard muffin tins) and gently tap on the counter to spread into a smooth layer.
- Immediately top with sprinkles and chopped almonds before chocolate solidifies.
- Refrigerate for 15 minutes, or until solidified and chilled, then gently flex and tap mini muffin tin on countertop until coins release.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- This recipe makes 12 small coins and can easily be doubled, tripled, or more to make as many coins as you'd like.
- Customize the tops of your coins with finishing salt, chopped candied fruits, orange peel, or small candies (like mini M&M's).
- Homemade gelt will keep for 2 to 3 weeks or more in a tightly sealed container at room temperature.
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