Pull out all the stops this Purim and make the best Easy Hamantaschen Recipe for your Purim feast! This is the classic Jewish cookie with its signature three corners and filled center served on the Jewish holiday of Purim. This is one of our easy traditional Hamantaschen recipes that is fun to put together. It is also pareve so you can serve it with any meal.
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How do you spell Hamantaschen?
There seems to be a big debate among food bloggers about whether this delicious Purim treat is spelled with an "a" and a "c" Hamantaschen or with an "e" and no "c" Hamentashen. Even though my spell checker has the dreaded red line underneath the one with the "c," the blogging community seems to be split. Considering that this is not an English word, it doesn't really matter how you spell it.
It's all about the Fillings
The fun thing about Hamantaschen filling is that it can be filled with virtually anything you can dream up. Glute Free Chocolate Chip Banana Hamantaschen don't use any filling and are just amazing! This is one of our filled cookie recipes made with a sugar cookie type base and has a jam filling. Then it is folded into a triangle shape. Our Cheesecake Hamantaschen up the ante by starting with a sweet cheesecake filling and then adding jam. Check out the list of our favorite fillings later on.
In our house, we prefer apricot preserves or jam with strawberry as a close second. Old schoolers, like your bubbie and zadie, probably prefer prune and poppy seed filling. If filled with Nutella or chocolate spread you get a creamy smooth filling. You can even use chocolate chips as your filling for Hamantaschen cookies and they will not melt completely. This means that they do not lose their shape but remain as chunky chocolate chips.
How To Make Hamantaschen
This is a small batch Hamantaschen recipe and will make about 24 cookies. To make a larger batch of cookies, you can double the recipe.
Step 1 - Cream the butter
To make the dough begin by taking a large mixing bowl and creaming the softened non-dairy butter substitute. Add the sugar and beat for 3-5 minutes or until fluffy. Beat in the egg and vanilla.
Step 2 - Zest a lemon
This recipe calls for a bit of lemon zest or lemon juice. it is not absolutely necessary but it really enhances the taste of the dough. They will not tastes like lemon cookies but the drop of citrus adds a flavor element that puts these cookies on the next level. I highly recommend using the lemon.
Step 3 - Mix the dough
Add in flour and salt and a tiny bit of water if the Hamantaschen dough is too stiff. I typically do not need to add water but if you feel your dough is too stiff add water a drop or two at a time until your dough is a good pliable consistency. Be careful not to add too much water to your Hamantaschen recipe or your dough will become to wet and squishy.
Step 4 - Refrigerate
Gather your dough into a ball and cover in plastic or zip top bag and refrigerate a minimum of 2 hours but ideally overnight. Refrigerating helps the dough not spread as much while baking so you won't end up with flat Hamantaschen cookies.
Step 5 - Prep the cookie dough for filling
Once the dough has had time to chill take it out of the fridge. I like to let it sit out on the counter for about 30 minutes to warm up a bit so it's more pliable and easier to work with. While the dough is acclimating, get your filling ready. It's important to have you filling ready once you have rolled out the cookies as the cookie dough will start to dry out once it is exposed to air and dry dough will crack when you're trying to fold it into its signature triangle shape.
Step 6 - Cut the dough
On a lightly floured surface use a rolling pin to flatten the dough to about ⅛ inch thick. Cut circles in the Hamantaschen dough using a biscuit cutter, round cookie cutter, or rim of a drinking glass. Cut out as many circles as you can and carefully transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicon mat. You can gather the scraps, knead, and re-roll out the dough until it is depleted.
Place one teaspoon of filling and pinch the corners to hold it in.
Bake anywhere from 15-20 minutes depending on your oven and how "done" you like your Hamantaschen. The cookies will rise even without baking powder.
Pro Recipe Tips
- The trick to filling Hamantaschen so they don't leak out all over the place is to remember that less is more. One teaspoon of filling is plenty.
- To create the signature triangle shape I essentially pick two sides of the circle and pinch to create a corner. As I pinch two sides are lifted guiding as to where the next pinched corner should go. Pinch three corners and voila, a folded triangle!
- Plan ahead. This tasty Easy Hamantaschen Recipe dough is produces truly delicious cookies. They hold up well during baking but this dough does need to be refrigerated for at least 2 hours.
- This Hamantaschen recipe is made with a plant based non-dairy unsalted butter substitute. The kind I used is in stick form and turns out much better than the kind in a tub. Refrigeration makes this dough into a more solid and less cakey Hamantaschen recipe. A no-chill Hamantaschen recipe like our Chocolate Cheesecake Hamantaschen will be have a more fluffy consistency.
Recipe Suggestions
Here are some of our favorite fillings for this Easy Hamantaschen Recipe:
- Fruit Jam
- Lemon curd
- Peanut butter
- 3 Ingredient Homemade Cranberry Sauce
- Nutella
- Chocolate chips
- Apple pie filling
- Cherry pie filling
- Prune paste
- Poppy seed paste
How to store
- On the counter. Hamantaschen will keep wrapped in plastic wrap for a few days or in an airtight container for up to a week. After that, you can still eat them for another week but they will not taste as fresh and some of the fillings may dry out.
- In the refrigerator. Stored in an air tight container, Purim cookies should taste pretty fresh for up to 2 weeks.
- Freeze them. Keep them in an airtight container for up to 6 months in the freezer. Make sure to thaw for at least an hour before serving.
Recipe FAQ
Purim is the Jewish holiday celebrating triumph of Jews in the exile over a plot for their execution. The holiday has several important customs such as bringing edible gifts to friends and family, giving charitable gifts to the poor, and eating a large festive meal. Purim usually falls sometime between mid February and mid March. For more on Purim, check out this article on Chabad.com.
This Easy Hamantaschen Recipe will produce a hard cookie which is more common in traditional recipes. For a soft Hamantaschen recipe try our Yellow Cake Mix Hamantaschen Hack recipe.
📖 Recipe
Easy Hamantaschen Recipe
Equipment
- cookie cutter
- Baking sheet
Ingredients
- ¾ cup non-dairy butter substitute
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice or lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 ¼ cup flour
- jam for filling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º F.
- Using an electric mixer, cream non-dairy butter substitute. Add in sugar and beat until light and fluffy.
- Beat in egg, lemon juice, vanilla, and salt.
- Stir in flour until combined and dough starts to come away from the bowl. Add a few drops of water if dough is too dry.
- Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours but ideally overnight.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out to ⅛ inch thickness.
- Cut out circles and transfer to baking sheet. Collect scraps and re-roll and cut out additional circles until dough is used up.
- Spoon 1 teaspoon of filling into center of circle and form into triangles.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until light brown.
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