The buttery, triangle-shaped, filled pastries are the perfect traditional Purim cookie recipe. The name, ‘Hamantaschen’, is roughly translated to mean “Haman’s ears”. I like the classic poppyseed filling, but get creative and fill them with any number of your favorite fillings.
Purim is a Jewish festival that celebrates the defeat of Haman’s, minister to the Persian king, plot to kill all the Jews. It is honored by sharing or gifting foods in a triangular shape, making donations to the poor, and celebrating with a special meal.
TIPS ON MAKING THIS TRADITIONAL PURIM COOKIE
- Use powdered sugar to roll out the dough. This will help keep the dough tender.
- Keeping the dough thin (about a ⅛-inch) will help keep the shape of the cookies. A thicker dough will spread and separate more.
- Pinch those corners of the cookies tightly. You don’t want the dough to separate in the oven.
- Make sure that whatever filling you decide on, it isn’t too moist or your fillings will leak out of the pastry. You want to use thick jams or nut butter rather than a thin jelly. And don’t overfill the cookie. 1 teaspoon of filling is enough.
- Take the time to brush the cookies with the egg wash to get a beautiful, shiny, golden color on the outside.
- Chill the cookies until the dough is firm before baking. They will keep their shape better and will be flakier.
OPTIONS FOR THE FILLING:
Get fun and creative with the fillings. Just remember to keep the fillings thick or reduce them on your stovetop so that they don’t run out of the cookie and all over the baking sheet.
- Peanut butter or Nutella make great filings. Sweeten them a bit with some powdered sugar, if desired.
- Apricot, peach, strawberry, or cherry jam makes a great fruity filling. Reduce them a bit by cooking over medium heat, stirring constantly until very thick.
- Add a couple of mini marshmallows and chocolate chips to each cookie. Then dust the filling with just a sprinkle of graham cracker crumbs. Boom! S’mores hamantaschen!
EQUIPMENT TO MAKE THIS RECIPE EASIER
- Pyrex 4 Measuring Cup, Clear with Red Graphics – This is a kitchen staple.
- Stainless Steel Measuring Spoons-6 Piece – I love the long, rectangle design. They even fit into small spice jars.
- Hamilton Beach 12-Cup Food Processor – this inexpensive tool makes food prep so much easier!
- Stainless Steel Rolling Pin and Silicone Baking Pastry Mat Set – A stainless steel rolling pin, so the dough sticks less AND it even has rings that fit on the ends of the rolling pin so you can accurately roll out the perfect thickness. Genius!
- AirBake Nonstick 2 Pack Cookie Sheet Set – These baking sheets are insulated, helping the bottom of your baked goods get perfectly browned, but not too brown.
- AmazonBasics Silicone Baking Mat Sheet, Set of 2 – Why pay for the fancy French name? These are amazing…and inexpensive.
Need a few more dessert ideas for your Purim holiday table? Here are a few suggestions:
- Red Velvet Cupcakes
- Russian Tea Cakes
- Elegant Mojito Tart
- Easy Peanut Butter Cookies
- Millie’s Old Fashioned Lemon Bars
- Kicked Up A Notch Texas Sheet Cake
- Individual Cream Cheese Pound Cakes
- Ultimate Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies
POPPY SEED HAMANTASCHEN
This traditional Purim cookie recipe is a delightful triangle of flaky pastry and a sweet filing of poppy seeds and dates.
- Prep Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes
- Yield: about 36 cookies 1x
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Jewish
Ingredients
For the dough:
1 cup powdered sugar, more for rolling out the dough
2 large egg yolks, room temperature
8 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into tiny pieces
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
Dash of salt
1 large egg, beaten for the glaze
For the poppy seed filling:
1 cup whole milk
½ cup sugar
Finely grated zest of ½ orange
1 cup poppy seeds
½ cup pitted, chopped dates
Juice of ½ lemon
½ tablespoon brandy
½ tablespoon orange liqueur
½ tablespoon butter
½ tablespoons vanilla
Instructions
Start by making the dough.
In the bowl of a food processor, add the powdered sugar and egg yolks. Pulse to blend slightly.
Add the butter and lemon zest and pulse to mix completely.
Spoon in the flour, a quarter of it at a time, and pulse. Sprinkle in the salt with the last bit of flour and pulse the mixture until a dough forms and it pulls away from the sides and forms a ball.
If the dough seems to moist to form a ball, add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, and process after each addition until it forms a ball.
Form the dough into two equal-sized balls. Flatten each into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and chill until firm – at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
While the dough chills, make the filling.
In a large saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the milk, sugar, and orange zest.
Using a coffee or spice grinder, or blender, grind the poppy seeds to a fine powder. Don’t process into a paste.
When the milk begins to steam, but not boil, reduce the heat to low.
Spoon in the poppyseed powder and dates. Simmer, stirring often, until the seeds begin to absorb the milk and thickens, about 20 minutes.
Stir in the lemon juice, brandy, orange liqueur, and butter. Cook, stirring constantly, for two additional minutes.
Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
Keywords: Purim cookie recipe, holiday cookies, filled cookies, poppy seed filled cookies, Jewish food, Jewish cookie recipes