Tatiana’s Table

Purim is one of the most joyful holidays on the Jewish calendar. It’s a celebration of bravery, faith, and a story that almost feels too dramatic to be true. It’s the tale of Queen Esther, who risked everything to reveal her identity and save the Jewish people from the villainous Haman’s plot. There are twists, turns, hidden identities, and ultimately… a triumphant, happy ending. Basically, it’s a holiday made for storytelling — and for baking.

That’s where hamantaschen come in. These iconic triangular cookies are said to represent Haman’s hat (or his pockets, depending on who you ask!), and biting into one feels like a delicious little victory. Each sweet, jam-filled center is a reminder that even when things seem uncertain, goodness can prevail — preferably with a side of pastry.

This year, we started our own hamantaschen tradition, adding little hands into the mix to help with folding and filling. Sure, there are extra dishes and a bit more flour on the counters, but there are also extra memories being made. Every shared giggle and every bite of sweet, jammy goodness feels like a moment worth savoring this Purim season.

Purim is about joy, generosity, and sharing, and these cookies capture that spirit perfectly. They’re festive, playful, and meant to be given away. Because what better way to celebrate a story of sweetness overcoming bitterness than with a cookie that’s literally filled with something sweet?

Hamantaschen

This traditional Jewish treat is usually eaten during the celebration of Purim.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 14 minutes mins

Chill Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 44 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine Jewish

Servings 30 cookies

Calories 97 kcal

Equipment

• Kitchen scale
• Standing mixer
• Mixing bowl
• Microplane
• Rolling Pin
• 2 Baking sheet
• Round cookie cutter
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Parchment Paper
• Plastic Wrap

Ingredients

  

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Dough

• 325 g all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• 170 g unsalted butter
• 100 g granulated white sugar
• 1 large egg room temperature
• 1 tbsp orange zest optional
• 1 tbsp fresh orange juice
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Fillings

• 1/2 cup various jams and sweet fillings traditional fillings include prune, poppy, apricot and raspberry but feel free to go wild with fillings like nutella, lemon curd or orange marmalade!

Instructions

 

• In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Mix until combined. Set the bowl aside.

  325 g all purpose flour

  1 tsp baking powder

  3/4 tsp kosher salt
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar on medium speed.

  170 g unsalted butter

  100 g granulated white sugar
• Add the egg, orange zest, fresh orange juice and vanilla extract to the butter mixer. Start combining on low and work up to medium speed until incorporated.

  1 large egg

  1 tbsp orange zest

  1 tbsp fresh orange juice

  2 tsp vanilla extract
• Slowly begin adding the flour mixture into the butter mixture on low speed. Mix until all of the flour is incorporated, scraping down on the sides of the bowl, as needed. Do not overmix.
• Separate the mixture into 4 and wrap them in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• Line cookie sheets with parchment paper
• Once the dough has been chilled, take the dough out, 1 piece at a time. Roll out the dough on a well floured piece of parchment paper
I like to roll out my hamantaschen in between two pieces of parchment paper, flouring both the top and bottom. I roll mine out to 1/8" (8mm) thickness.
• Once the dough is rolled out, use a 3 inch circle cookie cutter (or biscuit cutter) to cut out as many circles as possible, carefully moving them onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving a little space between each.
I like to lift the bottom parchment paper a bit and try to carefully flip the round into my hand, peeling the parchment carefully if possible, versus peeling them off of the paper. I find this keeps more of the original shape.
• Once the baking sheet is filled with rounds, place 3/4 tsp of desired filling onto each round.

  1/2 cup various jams and sweet fillings
• Now comes the hard part… shaping! For shaping, I go ahead and imagine my triangle within the circle and essentially, try to bring each side in. I start on one side and fold it in to where the triangle base should be, then I find the middle point on the other side and try to fold one of the other sides, having that midpoint be where the side ends. I fold in the last side, gently making sure to press the sides together, so that they don't come apart when baked.
• Put the tray back in the fridge for 20 minutes to let the dough firm back up.
• During the 20 minutes, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
• Bake each tray for 14 minutes, rotating halfway through. When they are coming out of the oven, they should be just barely getting golden around the edges.

Nutrition

Calories: 97kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 1gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 18mgSodium: 76mgPotassium: 17mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 153IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 12mgIron: 1mg

Keyword Jewish, Purim

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