/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68496476/shutterstock_1829070797.14.jpg)
Hanukkah, which stretches from December 7 to December 15 this year, is also known as the festival of lights. The holiday commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple of Jerusalem, during which, according to tradition, a tiny ration of oil miraculously lit the temple’s menorah for eight entire nights. As such, many Hanukkah holiday dishes are fried in oil — latkes are often the star of the dinner table, but the quintessential Hanukkah dessert is the sufganiyah (or sufganiyot, plural), a strawberry or raspberry-filled jelly doughnut dusted with powdered sugar. Here are a few places to grab some of these plump sweet treats to celebrate the festival of light in the Twin Cities.
Funner Brothers’ (formerly Valley Pastries) sufganiyot are dusted with powdered sugar and stuffed with strawberry, apple, raspberry, Bavarian cream, or lemon filling. They’ll be available starting around December 6 or 7 this year. The bakery also sells DIY Hanukkah cookie decorating kits, which are be available online.
Out in Minnetonka, the Kosher Spot will have sufganiyot starting on December 7.
Filled with house-made quadruple-berry jam and coated in a thick layer of powdered sugar, Bogart’s Kosher brioche sufganiyot reliably sell out every year, so order ahead if you can. Pre-orders should open online about a week before Hanukkah, and they’ll be available in-store during the holiday.
Known for impeccably styled, over-the-top doughnuts, Glam Doll keeps it simple for Hanukkah with strawberry-filled sufganiyot tossed in sugar. They’ll be available starting around December 7.
One of YoYo’s year-round favorites is the raspberry bomb, which is filled with jam and topped with a thick glaze. For Hanukkah, though, the bakery offers these same doughnuts sprinkled with powdered sugar, in traditional sufganiyah style. They can be made to order at anytime, though they’ll be available at YoYo Donuts a couple days before Hanukkah and through the holiday.
Call ahead at 612-729-9316 to order a dozen of Mel-O-Glaze’s classic sufganiyot, glazed, fried, and stuffed with jelly. These are available in both regular and jumbo sizes.