Traditionally served on the Jewish holiday of Purim, these hamantaschen cookies are made of a delicate shortbread cookie dough and filled with anything from jam to chocolate spread.
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Table of contents
What are hamantaschen?
Hamantaschen are traditional eastern-European cookies served on the Jewish holiday of Purim. They’re made from shortbread cookie dough which is formed into triangles and filled with all types of fillings, like poppy seed, chocolate spread, and jam to name a few. This is my family’s favorite hamantaschen recipe.
Why do hamantaschen have three corners?
One explanation for the triangular shape is that it’s the same shape as the Purim story’s villain, Haman’s ears.
Cookie Ingredients
Hamantaschen dough consists of flour, powdered sugar, salt, butter, egg yolk, lemon zest and vanilla extract.
How to make hamantaschen
- Process flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor for a few seconds until combined. Add butter and pulse several times until the mixture becomes crumbly and resembles coarse meal.
- Add egg yolk, lemon zest, and vanilla, and keep pulsing until dough starts to clump together. Do not process to the point that a large ball of dough is formed. The dough should be quite crumbly with large clumps. If the dough is too dry you can add 1-2 teaspoons of water at a time until it comes together. (Note: To check if the dough is done, take a piece and press it between your thumb and forefinger – the dough should stick well together without feeling dry). Avoid overworking the dough throughout the process.
- Chill the dough. Form the dough into a disc shape and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 3 days.
- Cut out your hamantaschen. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until it’s about 4 mm or ⅛ inch thickness. If the dough is too crumbly and breaks, leave it for a few minutes to soften. Cut disks of dough using a 3-inch (8 cm) round cookie cutter or a glass.
- Transfer rounds gently using a thin spatula to the prepared baking sheets, placing them 1-inch (3cm) apart. Put 1 teaspoon of filling in the center of each round, then fold up the edges to form a triangle, pinching the corners together tightly to prevent filling from leaking while baking.
- Bake for about 15 minutes or until the cookies are golden just at the edges. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
- Sift powdered sugar on top.
Recipe notes and shaping tips!
Note: Powdered sugar and egg yolk make these cookies extra tender with a melt-in-your-mouth texture. You can use a whole egg and granulated sugar instead, just keep in mind that it will slightly change the texture and the cookies will be more crumbly. I use lemon zest and vanilla extract for extra flavor.
Tip: Here’s a visual guide on how to shape these cookies.
Hamantaschen fillings and flavors
The most traditional filling in hamantaschen is poppy seed, so that’s the filling I included in this recipe. For the best flavor, use freshly ground poppy seeds. You can grind them yourself at home using a coffee or spice grinder. Once ground, freeze the ground seeds until you’re ready to use them.
Other filling options include:
- Nuts and dates: Process dates and nuts of your choice in a food process until a thick mixture forms.
- Prunes and apricot
- Nutella
- Jam
Note: It’s important that the filling is thick enough to hold it’s shape so it doesn’t leak out of the cookie while baking. Also, be careful not to overfill your hamantaschen – this will cause them to break open during baking.
Special Equipment Used
3-inch Round cookie cutter, rolling pin (I like this one with pre-set thickness rings), silicone baking mat, food processor, wire cooling rack.
More of my favorite filled cookies
- Linzer Cookies: Delicate, buttery cookies filled with jam and topped with powdered sugar.
- Nutella Stuffed Cookies: Soft sugar cookies filled with rich and creamy Nutella.
- Alfajores: Buttery cookies filled with dulce de leche.
- Thumbprint Cookies: Super tender and so easy to make!
Hamantaschen
Delicate, buttery cookies filled with a traditional sweet poppy seed filling – or whatever fillings you like! These traditional Purim cookies will literally melt in your mouth.
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- 2 and ¼ cups (315g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (90g) powdered sugar*
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¾ sticks (200g) unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch cubes and chilled
- 1 large egg yolk
- Lemon zest of ½ medium lemon, optional
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Poppy Seed Filling
- 1 cup (100g) freshly ground poppy seeds**
- ⅓ cup (80ml) whole milk
- 2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup (70g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- Pinch of salt
- Zest of ½ lemon or orange
- ¼ cup ground or finely chopped nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans), optional
- 2-4 tablespoons raisins , optional
- Powdered sugar , for sprinkling on top, optional
Instructions
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Make the cookies: Process flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor for a few seconds until combined. Add butter and pulse several times until mixture becomes crumbly and resembles coarse meal. Add egg yolk, lemon zest, and vanilla, and keep pulsing until dough starts to clump together. Do not process to the point that a large ball of dough is formed; rather, the dough should be quite crumbly with large clumps. If dough is too dry, add water, 1-2 teaspoons at a time. Another way to check if the dough is done is to take a piece of dough and press it between your thumbs – the dough should stick well together without feeling dry. Avoid overworking the dough throughout the process.
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Turn the dough to a floured surface and form into a ball. It should come together easily without being sticky. Flatten the ball slightly with your hands (for easy rolling later on) and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 3 days.
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Make the filling: In a medium saucepan, place poppy seeds, milk, butter, sugar, honey, and salt and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes or until the seeds absorb the milk and the mixture has thickened. Remove from heat. Add lemon zest, nuts, and raisins, and mix to combine. Let cool to room temperature before using.
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Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Line 2 pans with parchment paper and set aside.
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Roll out the dough on a floured surface until it’s about ⅛-inch (4mm) thick. If the dough is too crumbly and breaks, leave it for a few minutes to soften. Cut rounds of dough using a 3-inch (8 cm) cutter or a glass.
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Transfer rounds gently using a thin spatula to the prepared baking sheets, placing them 1-inch (3cm) apart. Put 1 teaspoon of filling in the center of each round, then fold up the edges to form a triangle, pinching the corners together tightly to prevent filling from leaking while baking.
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Bake for about 15 minutes or until the cookies are golden just at the edges. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Sift powdered sugar on top.
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Store cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Recipe Notes
* Powdered sugar can be replaced with ½ cup granulated sugar. Note that cookies with powdered sugar will have a more tender, melt-in-you-mouth texture.
** Don’t use whole poppy seeds, just freshly ground. Use a spice or coffee grinder for this, not a food processor. Also, some spice shops will grind them for you.
