This kosher recipe for the Best Cheesecake Hamantaschen is great for serving at Purim dairy or pareve meals. Filled with sweet creamy cheesecake, these Hamantaschen are sooo yummy plain or with any number of our delicious suggestions. The Best Cheesecake Hamantaschen are kosher, dairy, and nut free. And the best part is they are soft!!
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Why This Recipe Works
Purim is a great time to experiment with fun new recipes for family and friends. Our Cake Mix Hamantaschen, Chocolate Cheesecake Hamantaschen, and Classic Hamantaschen are great but sometimes you want to mix it up. This is the only time of year when we get to give mishloach manot and are commanded to think up gifts of food for others. These Cheesecake Hamantaschen are soft, sweet, and delicious and so easy to combine different fillings and combinations to really make them your own. We love this Hamantaschen recipe because:
- Easy to make. Most of this recipe involves an electric mixer or Kitchen Aid doing the work for you. Super easy to make...and then you get cheesecake!
- No chill time. Unlike a lot of hamentashen dough recipes that need to chill in the refrigerator before rolling out, this dough is ready to go immediately.
- No spread. The dough holds its shape really well so you don't end up with flat, messy cookies. The perfect triangles you make are the perfect triangles that come out of the oven!
The Best Cheesecake Hamantaschen step by step:
Step 1 - Make the cheesecake filling
Make sure you take the cream cheese and butter out of the refrigerator about an hour before you begin. Room temperature butter and cream cheese makes it so much easier to work with. If your dairy ingredients are too cold then they won't combine properly during this first step and this leads to lumpy cheesecake filling. Time to grab your KitchenAid. If you don't have one, an electric mixer will do. Put the cream cheese and butter into a large bowl and beat on the low setting.
Slowly add the confectioner's sugar and vanilla and keep the mixer on low until your cheesecake filling is smooth and creamy. This filling can be made ahead and will keep really well in the refrigerator for 3 days.
Step 2 - Make the Hamentaschen dough
In a stand mixer cream the butter or plant based butter stick with sugar and vanilla. Mix for a full minute or until good and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, and fully mix after each egg. Mix in salt and baking powder dissolved in 1 tablespoon warm water. Finally, add in the flour. Stir in flour until just combined, scraping the bowl periodically. The dough should be smooth and thick but also pliable. If it feels too stiff add another tablespoon of warm water.
Step 3 - Roll out and cut out
The dough does not need to be chilled before rolling which is one of the great things about this recipe. Working with about half to ⅓ of the dough at a time, roll the dough pretty thin; about ¼" inch. You may need to lightly flour your surface so the cut outs don't stick but don't add more flour than absolutely necessary as it could stick to your dough.
Step 4 -Fill your Hamantaschen
Now is your time to get creative but DO NOT get heavy handed with your fillings. The trick to hamantaschen that do not leak is to limit the amount of filling to around 1 tsp.
Step 5 -Fold and Bake
Fold your Hamantashen into their notorious triangular shape and place 2 inches apart on a lined baking sheet. Bake 9-12 minutes or until slightly starting to brown. These cookies will soft and will remain soft when cooled. As tempting as they are, allow hamentashen to cool for at least 10 minutes because filling will be very hot.
Recipe FAQ
Most cookies freeze very well and these are no exception. Due to their unique shape hamantashen are prone to breakage. It is best to freeze flat on a baking sheet and once frozen the cookies can be tranfered to a freezer bag or airtight container. Thaw for 30 minutes before serving. You can freeze them for up to 6 months.
This happens when your Hamentaschen dough dries out. Add 1 tablespoon of water to the dough and knead it in. If the dough is still crumbly, add water 1 tablespoon at a time until you get to the right consistency.
First, make sure that you have enough water in the dough. Dry dough doesn't stick very well. Second, make sure that you pinched the corners nice and tight. If you pinch them together too loose, the corners will fall apart. Then you have a Haman pancake instead of the Best Hamantaschen.
Serving suggestions
- Hamantaschen with Pie Filling. Cherry, apple, or blueberry are really tasty compliments to the cheesecake center. We have not tried it yet, but we really want someone to try poppyseed filling with this recipe. Let us know if you do.
- Jam or Preserves. Apricot, strawberry, or raspberry are some of our favorites.
- Caramel and Chocolate Syrup. Don't fill the center with anything but the normal cheesecake and then drizzle caramel or chocolate syrup over the top.
- Black Forest Hamantaschen. Cherry pie filling with chocolate syrup drizzle.
- Melted chocolate drizzle. Melt chocolate chips or white chips and drizzle on top or dip your hamantashen for a fancy chocolate embellishment.
More recipes like this one
Did you enjoy this recipe? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
Recipe
The Best Cheesecake Hamantaschen
Equipment
- 9x 13 baking sheet
Ingredients
Cheesecake Filling
- 4 oz cream cheese or vegan cream cheese room temperature
- 4 oz butter or plant based butter stick room temperature
- 2 cups confectioner's sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Soft Hamantaschen Dough
- 8 tablespoon butter or plant based butter stick room temperature
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 2 ¾ cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1-2 tablespoon warm water
Instructions
Cheesecake filling
- In a large bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter with the electric mixer on low speed.
- Slowly add the confectioner's sugar and vanilla extract. Keep mixing until smooth and creamy.
Hamantashen dough
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- In a stand mixer cream the butter or plant based butter stick with sugar and vanilla. Mix for a full minute or until good and fluffy.
- Beat in eggs, one at a time, and fully mix after each egg.
- Mix in salt and baking powder dissolved in 1 tablespoon warm water.
- Finally, add in the flour. Stir in flour until just combined, scraping the bowl periodically. The dough should be smooth and thick but also pliable. If it feels too stiff add another tablespoon of warm water.
- Working with about half to ⅓ of the dough at a time, roll the dough pretty thin; about ¼" inch. You may need to lightly flour your surface.
- Cut out into circles using a cookie cutter or drinking glass.
- Fill each circle with no more than a heaping teaspoon of filling and fold into triangles. Pinch corners well so they will keep their shape.
- Place cookies on lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake 9-12 minutes until just starting to turn golden.
- Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes.
Notes
Serving suggestions
- Hamantaschen with Pie Filling. Cherry, apple, or blueberry are really tasty compliments to the cheesecake center. We have not tried it yet, but we really want someone to try poppyseed filling with this recipe. Let us know if you do.
- Jam or Preserves. Apricot, strawberry, or raspberry are some of our favorites.
- Caramel and Chocolate Syrup. Don't fill the center with anything but the normal cheesecake and then drizzle caramel or chocolate syrup over the top.
- Black Forest Hamantaschen. Cherry pie filling with chocolate syrup drizzle.
- Melted chocolate drizzle. Melt chocolate chips or white chips and drizzle on top or dip your hamantashen for a fancy chocolate embellishment.
Marsha
So excited to find this recipe today. Because I make everything in advance and freeze I am wondering if wanting to make the caramel or chocolate syrup ones , do you drizzle before freezing.
Also is the caramel syrup the one used for ice cream .
Since I need at least 60 in quantity for my family do you suggest me making one batch of dough at a time or just multiply everything by 5 as my mixer will handle the quantity.
Some of my other hamantaschen recipes just don’t turn out right if multiplied.
Really looking forward to your response and I am sure my grandchildren will be thrilled eating these.
Ben
Marsha thank you so much for your questions. I would wait until after the Hamantaschen are thawed to top with the chocolate and/or caramel syrup. We used a bottled "sundae" syrup for the photo in the Hamantaschen recipe.
As far as the question about multiplying, I find that it never works as well. I would not do more than double at a time.
Let us know how they turn out.
Happy Purim!
Irene Klein
There are no eggs in the ingredient list for the cheesecake filling, but the instructions says to mix the cheese with eggs and butter. Please clarify which is correct and if there are eggs, how many.
Ben
Thank you for pointing this out. There are no eggs in the cheesecake filling. The only eggs in the recipe are in the Hamantaschen cookie batter. Let us know how you liked this recipe. Happy Purim!