Hamentashen are crunchy, crumbly, just sweet enough triangle shaped cookies with a center filled with sweet poppy seed or fruit fillings. They’re a popular treat on the Jewish holiday of Purim.
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These crunchy filled cookies are gorgeous to look at, especially if you use an assortment of fillings. Some of my favorite fillings are the very traditional poppy seed filling, strawberry jam, peach jam, or blackberry jelly. Nutella makes is a break from tradition, but a delicious one!
What is Purim?
Purim is sort of a raucous Jewish holiday with a good story. This guy named Haman was King Ahaseurus of Persia’s top minister. This other guy, Mordecai (who happened to be Jewish), was also high ranking, but not as high Haman.
Mordecai thought Haman was full of it, so he dissed him and Haman got super pissed. But the king loved Mordecai because he had once saved the king’s life. In fact, the king ordered Haman to honor Mordecai for this good deed, which really ticked Haman off.
Haman got so mad that he concocted a plan to not only kill Mordecai, but to kill all of his people (the Jews). Knowing the king was partial to Mordecai, he made vague accusations about a group of dangerous people within the kingdom. And he convinced the king to sign an order to allow Haman to kill all of them.
But Queen Esther, who happened to be Mordecai’s niece/adopted daughter and also a Jew, found out about his plan. And she concocted a plot of her own to stop it.
Esther convinced the king to throw a party to “honor” Haman. Once the party was underway, she revealed, in dramatic fashion, that that she was Jewish. And also that she was the niece/adopted daughter of Mordecai. And finally, that Haman had tricked the king into approving Haman’s plan to kill all the Jews so that he could kill Mordecai.
In the end, the King had Haman executed. And guess who got Haman’s job? Yeah, obv. It was Mordecai.
I guess it’s a bit of grisly story. But it’s commemorated with much merry making, drinking, dressing in costumes (it’s sometimes referred to as the Jewish Halloween or the Jewish Mardis Gras), exchanging gifts of food, and eating these delicious filled triangle cookies!
Why is hamentashen triangular?
Have you ever heard the phrase “ask 2 Jews, get 3 answers?” We Jews love food symbolism, and we also love to debate all the possible interpretations of a thing. There are at least three different answers for the question of why hamentashen are triangular.
Some say the three-pointed cookies represent a three-pointed hat Haman wore. To take a bite out of Haman’s hat is to defy him and, well, to say screw you, Haman. We see your evil plan and we’re stopping it. But… did Haman wear a three-pointed hat? Who’s to say? There’s no mention of it in the original story.
Others say the cookies represent Haman’s ears that (trigger warning!) were cut off of his head before he was hanged. Apparently they used to do this in medieval Europe—cut off a man’s ears before they executed him. Whoa. That’s intense. And, um, gross.
The more plausible explanation is that they were originally called “mohn tashen” in German. Mohn meaning poppy seeds and tashen meaning pockets—cookie pockets filled with poppy seeds!
These poppy seed-filled cookies became a popular Purim treat among European Jews in the early 19th century.
Mohntashen sounds a lot like hamentashen, doesn’t it? Makes perfect sense!
Fruit jams and preserves, chocolate, and other fillings are also common these days but were introduced more recently.
When these cookies got popular as a Purim treat, apparently the rabbis felt they needed to provide symbolic meaning. In Hebrew, tash means “weakened.” So they said, well, we eat these cookies because Haman was weakened. I mean, I guess I can see the logic, but I’m not buying it.
Personally, I’m going with the hat explanation.
What makes this hamantaschen recipe the best?
I love this recipe because the dough is super easy to handle. Most hamentashen dough is made with butter. While buttery dough is delicious, it can be hard to shape and handle.
This dough uses oil instead of butter. It is every bit as delicious as the buttery kind, but in my opinion, much easier to deal with.
Using oil instead of butter also makes this recipe parve if that is important to you.
What ingredients do you need to make hamentashen?
The ingredients for hamentashen are simple pantry ingredients, similar to any basic cookie recipe. You can use any type of jam or preserves for the filling, or use poppy seed filling. You can even use something like Nutella!
Here’s what you need:
- Eggs
- Oil (any type of neutral flavored oil, like sunflower seed, safflower, corn, vegetable, or canola oil)
- Sugar
- Salt
- Flour
- Baking powder
- Vanilla extract
- Filling (jam, preserves, jelly, poppy seed filling, etc)
How do you make it?
These hamentashen are super easy to make. Because the dough uses oil instead of butter, it is much easier to handle than other the dough in other recipes.
It also means that you can make it in one bowl with nothing but a spoon or whisk for mixing. Here’s how:
- Mix the eggs, oil, sugar, and vanilla in a mixing bowl until well combined.
- Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and mix until well combined in a stif dough.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for about an hour (or longer).
- Roll the dough out to 1/8-inch thickness and cut into circles.
- Dollop the filling onto the circles and fold up the sides to form a triangle around the filling.
- Bake until lightly golden brown.
Tips for success
These Hamantaschen are especially easy to make since the oil-based dough is so easy to handle. Here are a few more tricks to making perfect hamentashen:
- Be sure to roll the dough out to an even thickness. I find that somewhere between 1/8 and ¼ inch is perfect—thick enough that it doesn’t fall apart instantly when you try to shape it, but thin enough that it cooks thoroughly and evenly.
- For the ideal size and shape, use a 2 ½-inch round cookie cutter or biscuit cutter. If you don’t have one, you can use a drinking glass that size.
- Don’t add too much filling. As tempting as it is to load up on the jewel-colored, sweet-tasting jams and preserves, too much filling will prevent the cookies from holding their shape. The triangles will bust open and filling will bubble out all over the place. About a teaspoon of filling is just right if you’re using a 2 ½-inch round cutter.
- Place the filling on the dough round before folding up the sides.
- There is an endless variety of possible fillings. Poppy seed filling is the most traditional. I like the Solo Poppy Seed Filling. Or you can make your own poppy seed filling!
- You can also use fruit jams, jellies, or preserves. Some modern-day bakers have strayed far from tradition to use fillings like Nutella or peanut butter.
- Use an assortment of fillings for a particularly attractive display, or if there is one filling you just love, just go ahead and use that for the whole batch.
- Pinch the corners and sides of the dough together well when you create your triangle. This will keep them from opening up during baking.
More Jewish holiday recipes you’ll love
- Hamentashen
- Sufganiyot or Jelly Donuts for Hanukkah
- Potato Latkes for Hanukkah
- Classic Chopped Liver
- Vegetarian Chopped Liver
- Honey Cake
- Check out all of my Jewish Recipes!
Hamentashen
Hamentashen are crunchy, crumbly, just sweet enough triangle shaped cookies with a center filled with sweet poppy seed or fruit fillings. They're a popular treat on the Jewish holiday of Purim.
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup neutral-flavored oil (safflower, sunflower seed, canola, etc.)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup filling of your choice (Solo Poppy Seed Filling; fruit jam, jelly, or preserves; or a non-traditional filling like Nutella)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, sugar,
and vanilla extract. - Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and stir with a
wooden spoon (or feel free to use an electric mixer), until well combined. - Turn the dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap and form it into a disk. Wrap the dough disk in the plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- On a lightly floured board, roll the dough out to about
1/8-inch thickness. Cut with a 2-inch round cutter. - Place about a teaspoon of filling in the center of each of
the dough rounds. Fold up three sides and pinch them together to form a triangle around the filling, making sure to leave the center open so that the filling is visible. - Bake for 12 to14 minutes, until the cookies are very lightly
browned. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Nutrition Information
Yield
30Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 89Total Fat 4gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 4gCholesterol 12mgSodium 31mgCarbohydrates 11gFiber 0gSugar 3gProtein 2g
Nutrient values are estimates only. Variations may occur due to product availability and manner of food preparation. Nutrition may vary based on methods of preparation, origin, freshness of ingredients, and other factors.
Jewish Recipes
Jewish recipes are the heart of every Jewish holiday celebration. There’s a special dish (or five!) for every occasion, from the high holidays to Shabbat dinners! Here are my favorite Jewish recipes for the holidays or any day.
Brisket with Apricots, Prunes, and North African Spices
Brisket is braised in a mixture of red wine, beef broth, dried fruit, and North African spices for a Mediterranean take on the traditional Jewish holiday dish. This recipe was adapted from a recipe by Jayne Cohen in Bon Appetit.
Potato Latkes
You can make a gluten-free version by substituting gluten-free brown rice flour for the flour. You can also jazz up the recipe by adding thinly sliced scallions or substituting sweet potatoes, parsnips, or apples for some (or all) of the potatoes. This recipe serves about 4 people and is easily doubled or tripled.
Instant Pot Applesauce
This Instant Pot applesauce is super quick and easy to make. It's delicious on top of crispy potato latkes--or just eat it plain!
Instant Pot Falafel
Crispy, golden brown patties are tender and moist on the inside. They're seasoned just right with cumin, coriander, cayenne, and fresh parsley.
Instant Pot Hummus
This Instant Pot hummus from scratch starts with dried chickpeas and takes less than an hour to make—and that's start to finish time. There's no need to soak the beans. The result is lush, rich, creamy, and full of flavor.
Israeli Couscous Salad with Pomegranate Seed, Pistachios, and Hummus Vinaigrette
This is a great way to use up leftover cooked couscous. The dressing can be whisked together in a bowl, but is especially easy to make in a food processor—chop the parsley leaves in the processor first, then add the other ingredients and process until smooth.
Lamb Kofta Kebabs
Ground lamb is mixed with lots of fresh herbs, aromatics, and spices and then grilled on skewers. I like to serve these with pita bread, hummus, tzatziki, harissa or chermoula, and a salad of romaine, cucumbers, and tomatoes with lemon dressing. Brown basmati rice is a great accompaniment as well.
Homemade Pita Bread
Pita bread is surprisingly easy to make and watching the rounds puff up in the oven is so, so satisfying. Use them for sandwiches or cut them into triangles and use them to scoop savory Middle Eastern dips like my Instant Pot Hummus, baba ganoush, or tzatziki.
Whipped Feta Spread with Garlic and Fresh Dill
Whipped Feta Spread is a great addition to a mezze appetizer platter. It's a tangy, salty, creamy dip with a punch of garlic and fresh dill. Scoop it up with pita chips or raw veggies.
Easy Homemade Jelly Donuts or Sufganiyot
Sufganiyot are traditional Israeli jelly donuts often eaten during Hanukkah, along with other fried foods. Because, of course, fried foods celebrate the miracle of the oil! This recipe makes a simple, lightly sweetened fried dough that can be filled with jelly or the fillling of your choice and dusted with powdered sugar.
Grandma Fran's Vegetarian Chopped Liver
Made of mostly walnuts, butter, and onions, this chopped liver is just as good as the original, but meat free!
Harissa Chicken
This deliciously spicy sheet pan chicken takes just a few minutes to prep. The recipe was inspired by one in Dinner: Changing the Game, by Melissa Clark.
Israeli Salad with Egg and Feta Cheese
Israeli Salad, distinguished by finely diced tomatoes and cucumbers, is described (by Wikipedia) as "the most well-known national dish of Israel." Variations on the theme are limitless. Our version includes hard boiled eggs and feta cheese.
Matzoh Fattoush or Bread Salad for Passover
This bright, fresh, kosher for Passover salad—a take on the popular Middle Eastern bread salad called fattoush—gives the plain crackers new life. Spiced, baked matzo “chips” replace the usual flat bread, but other than that, this hearty salad packs all the fresh herby, tangy, spicy flavor you expect from fattoush.