Golden chocolate coins, Hanukkah gelt, are a delicious treat that’s a holiday tradition. Homemade gelt is fun and simple to make. Customize the flavor and design for candy that’s great for snacking and gifting.

About this recipe

The Jewish European custom of giving children coins as a reward for studying, morphed into a more tasty reward when an American confectioner created gold foil chocolate coins in the early 20^th century. It’s no surprise that the shiny treats have been popular ever since!

Playing a spirited game of dreidel (spinning top toy) using the chocolate gelt, is a cherished Hanukkah tradition. Each of the four sides of the dreidel is imprinted with a Hebrew letter to form the acronym for, “A great miracle happened there.”

The dreidel spins then lands on a letter. The letter determines if the player gains or loses some of their coins. The game continues until one player has won all of the coins. At my house, that signals time to eat the candy!

Ever since I became aware of horrible human rights violations and unethical sourcing involved in the harvesting of cocoa, I’ve sought out chocolate produced by companies whose representatives carefully monitor the ethical practices of their suppliers.

Sometimes, these products have the Fair Trade or UTZ (European) trademark. Other times, companies are not part of those programs, but have practices in place that meet or exceed the Fair Trade/ UTZ standards.

Thinking ahead to Hanukkah, I wondered what I could use for gelt, as the usual supermarket brands are not ethically sourced.  I decided to make homemade golden chocolate coins for Hanukkah using ethically sourced melting chocolate, and I’m delighted with the results.

Materials

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I found “coin” shaped plastic molds with Jewish symbols online, but any disc molds or plain circle (lollipop,Oreo, etc) molds would work. Even a mini-cupcake pan can be used for molding.

Gold mesh bags and gold foil are often found at crafting stores, and can be purchased online.

Directions

1. Melt the chocolate discs at 50% power in the microwave.
2. Pour the melted chocolate into a ziplock sandwich bag. Cup off one corner of the bag for piping.
3. Pipe the melted chocolate into the molds to the desired thickness. Tap the mold against the counter to release air bubbles, then refrigerate 5-10 minutes, until the chocolate is set.
4. Remove the mold from the refrigerator and tap against the counter to release the coins.
5. If the coins have designs, place the coin design down on the back of a foil square. Wrap the coin in the foil.
6. To bring out mold designs, place the wrapped coins in the freezer for about 5 minutes to harden, then use a soft cloth to gently rub the top of the foil against the frozen coin.

Tips

• Plain discs can be made with any disc mold or the bottom of a mini cupcake tin.
• Using gold foil cupcake liners in a mini cupcake tin is a quick and easy way to make coins. Use the cupcake liner to wrap the coins when the chocolate is firm.
• Use your favorite type of chocolate ; white, milk, or dark.
• Flavor can be customized with a few drops of flavoring oil, such as mint or almond, before pouring.
• Be sure to gently tap the mold against the counter several times after filling to release any air bubbles and settle the chocolate evenly into the mold.
• To release the coins from the mold, gently tap against the counter.
• To make molded designs more visible on the foil, rub the surface gently with a soft cloth. Placing the coins in the freezer for about 5 minutes before rubbing, hardens the chocolate just enough to prevent melting while rubbing. Using your fingers directly, instead of a cloth, could be too warm and cause melting.
• Gold coins are also great for leprechaun gold, pirate treasure.
• Customize coins for other celebrations by changing the color of foil and candy flavoring; pastels of Easter candy, red and green for Christmas, or purple, green, and gold for Mardi Gras, etc.

FAQ’s about chocolate

Golden chocolate coins are easy enough for children to make a treasure chest full in 1-2 hours.  With homemade Hanukkah gelt you are in control of the ingredients, which also puts you in control of sourcing and potential allergens!

First published December 2016. Last updated November 2, 2020 with improved images, step by step images, and information for a better user experience.