Homemade Gelt

Every year at Hanukkah, Jewish families throughout the country stock up on gelt, the chocolate coins used for betting in the dreidel game. As the holiday approaches, this favorite Hanukkah food starts popping up in grocery stores within nostalgic little mesh bags filled with the gold foil-wrapped chocolate. As a kid, I cared less about the game and more about the chocolate. I would carefully unwrap each thin disk and let the waxy chocolate melt in my mouth.

While you won’t find gelt any other time of year, homemade gelt is easy to make and the chocolate is far superior. It doesn’t leave any weird waxy coating behind, and you can use whatever type of chocolate or toppings you’d like. Make chocolate gelt for gifts, or get a game of dreidel going and hope to win all the coins!

What is gelt?

Gelt are gold foil-wrapped chocolate coins that are given to kids to bet when playing the classic Hanukkah game of dreidel. To play, you spin a four-sided top. Whatever letter it lands on tells you if you win or lose money or, in this case, the gelt. The tradition of giving gelt—which translates to “money” in Yiddish—goes back centuries and is still strong today. While usually purchased in the grocery store, gelt makes a surprisingly easy homemade Hanukkah recipe to take the holiday up a notch.

Homemade Gelt Ingredients

• Canola oil: You need a neutral cooking oil to create a smooth and shiny chocolate coating on the gelt.
• Dark chocolate candy bars: For this gelt recipe, melt down your favorite dark chocolate candy bars. Use good-eating dark chocolate, as there’s no extra sugar added (don’t go with unsweetened dark baking chocolate).
• Almonds: Finely chopped sliced almonds are an excellent addition for their flavor and perfect crunch.

Directions

Step 1: Pour the chocolate

Brush or spray miniature muffin cups lightly with oil. Pour about 1 teaspoon melted chocolate into each cup and bang the pan on the counter to smooth out the chocolate and remove any air bubbles.

Step 2: Set the chocolate

Sprinkle the chocolate with almonds. Refrigerate until the chocolate cools and completely sets.

Step 3: Remove the gelt from the muffin cups

Remove the chocolate gelt from the muffin cups and blot off any excess oil, if needed.

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Homemade Gelt Variations

• Add other toppings: The sky’s the limit for chocolate gelt toppings. Try sprinkles or nonpareils for a little crunch, different chopped nuts, mini candies like M&M’s, dried nuts or even some flake sea salt.
• Change up the chocolate: This gelt recipe calls for dark chocolate, but you can substitute any type of chocolate you prefer. Try milk chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate or even white chocolate.

How to Store Homemade Gelt

Store homemade gelt in an airtight container at room temperature. This chocolate gelt lasts up to three weeks at room temperature and longer in the freezer.

Can you freeze homemade gelt?

Yes, you can freeze homemade gelt. It’s even tasty straight out of the freezer. Store it in an airtight container in the freezer for up to four months.

Homemade Gelt Tips

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What’s the best chocolate to use for homemade gelt?

Gelt is an easy enough homemade candy that can work with any chocolate. But the best is a high-quality, 60% to 70% chocolate bar. You can also use semi-sweet morsels.

What’s the best way to melt chocolate?

The easiest way to melt chocolate is in the microwave; just make sure not to overcook it, as it will melt quickly. There’s also the double boiler method, my preferred way, where you set a bowl of chocolate over a pot of boiling water and let the steam melt the chocolate.

How can I make designs on my homemade gelt?

You can order special Hanukkah chocolate molds featuring symbols like menorahs or Stars of David to make designs on your chocolate coins. When the chocolate has set, remove it from the molds to expose the designs, then wrap the coins in gold foil.