This is my recipe for Passover cookies. For most, they’re probably known as Kichel or Egg Kichel. Others might know them as Bowtie Cookies. In my hometown (Winnipeg) these are Nothings. Yep. That’s what we’ve always called them. Nothings.
I wish I could tell you why they are called Nothings, but I don’t know the real reason. But I can speculate.. They may be called Nothings because they’re very light and melt in your mouth and are almost like nothing… Another reason may be because they’re made with very simple ingredients.. nothing much.
Whatever you call them, I love them. I bake Nothings all year round and when I was in the kosher catering business, I baked thousands and thousands of them. But the Passover version, in my opinion, is even more delicious than the regular version. They’re lighter and more delicate. Crisp and airy, lightly sweetened and perfect with a cup of tea or coffee.
Note – The directions call for beating the eggs in the mixer for 10 minutes, then 5 minutes after you add the oil and another 5 after you add the sugar. It’s a lot. I know. But I do it. I start the mixer and set the timer and it works. 😉 I’ve seen a number of recipes that result in flat cookies/crackers. That’s not how I want these cookies. They puff up, and you need to bake them long enough and dry them out so they don’t collapse.
Passover Nothings aka Egg Kichel (Cookies)
Light and crisp, Passover Nothings/Kichel melt in your mouth.
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs
- 1 cup oil (canola, sunflower, safflower, grape seed, or other light oil)
- 2 Tbsp. sugar plus more for rolling the dough in
- 5 oz./ 140 grams cake meal (1 cup)
- 1 2/3 oz. / 45 grams potato starch (1/4 cup)
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment, beat the eggs on high for 10 minutes.
- Add the oil and beat for another 5 minutes.
- Add the sugar and beat for another 5 minutes.
- Add the cake meal and potato starch and beat for another 2-3 minutes, until the dough is well combined and thickened.
- Pour about 1 cup of sugar onto a plate and spread it out into an even layer. Use two spoons or a small ice cream scoop to drop balls of dough onto the sugar. I like to use a 1-ounce (2 Tbsp.) ice cream scoop.
- Roll the balls of dough in the sugar, then form the ball into a log, making sure each one is covered in a light layer of sugar. Gently twist the centre of each log, forming a ‘bow-tie’.
- Place the Nothings on 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper. You should leave about 1 inch between each cookie.
- Bake for 20 minutes, then turn the trays around, switch the bottom tray with the top tray, and bake another 20 minutes. Turn the oven off and leave the Nothings in the oven until cooled. If you’re baking these for the first time, before turning the oven off, check one cookie. First, they should be golden-brown. Next, break one in half. It should be the same colour all the way through the cookie. If it’s much darker in the middle, it’s not baked enough and will collapse when it cools. If the very centre (or just outside a hollow centre) is just slightly darker, they’re done and you can turn the oven off. They’ll continue to bake just a bit and dry out as the oven cools.
- Once cooled, gently transfer the Nothings to an air-tight container. They can stay in a container on the counters for a few days, or freeze them for a few weeks.
Pam's Kitchen 
[…] Passover Nothings aka Egg Kichel (Cookies) […]
Have you ever tried adding chocolate chip to the recipe?
I haven’t! I’ve honestly never thought of it, but only because this is the way my grandmother made them and then my mother – it’s one of those things that are just good to have as I remember them from growing up. Having said that, I don’t see why you couldn’t. Let me know how they turn out if you try it!
Thank you for your response. I am searching for a recipe for Passover chocolate chip cookies that doesn’t end up being flat and not like year round cookies. That’s why I thought maybe I could add chocolate chips to your recipe.
As the name implies, this is my favorite Passover chocolate chip cookie: https://pamelareiss.com/2019/04/14/best-ever-passover-chocolate-chip-cookies/
Thank you I plan to give it a try!
Pam, I did a test run of these chocolate chip cookies and according to my husband they were very good. Unfortunately, sugar is not my friend so I couldn’t taste them. Thank you so much for the recipe.
Have you tried this with gluten free cake meal?
I haven’t! I think it should work, but I can’t guarantee it will. (I have used it in my chiffon cake and it worked beautifully.)
Can you use a hand mixer for this? I don’t have a passover kitchenaid
I haven’t used one, but I think you could. You just want to make sure the eggs get really light and foamy before moving on to the next addition (oil).
Thank you so much for your quick response 🙂 My husband loves these and hates the ones they sell boxed, (Streits and the like). He judges a good kichel by the amount of sugar stuck to the kichel. Seriously, I am not kidding! I’ll give these a whirl with a hand mixer. Otherwise, it’s a good excuse to get another kitchenaid.
I love that! If you can get coarse sugar, use that on the outside! That’s what my grandmother used. (Still good with regular granulated sugar.) Chag sameach!
I am so happy to have found these! The boxed kichel are too expensive and rarely can I even find them in San Diego County! I will try these as soon as I get up from my rotten virus! Happy Passover!
I am supposed to be gluten free and sugar free but I know that swerve or monk fruit just wont do for these!
I hope you love them! Chag sameach!
Since I was a kid, these were always my favorite for Passover. I ate the whole box and shared none. They have become harder to find. I tried your recipe today. They are amazing and perfect. Airy and sweet. I am so freaking happy!! Thank you 💜
I’m so glad you tried and loved them! Chag sameach!
Can’t wait to try these. How many do you get from one recipe? I used to buy these at a bakery – not for Pesach – and loved them.
It depends how large you make them. I use a scoop that’s approximately 2 tbsp. and get 24-30 per batch.
Here the recipe for my non Passover version. 😉 https://pamelareiss.com/2022/09/22/kichel-nothings/