It’s that time of year again… time to break out the bakeware and get into a “triangular” state of mind! The Jewish holiday of Purim is all about triangle-shaped foods– classic Jewish baked goodies like bourekas, sambusak, and of course hamantaschen cookies.
In the story of Purim, it is said that the villain Haman wore a triangular hat everywhere he went. Triangular foods like hamantaschen have three corners to represent Haman’s hat. My husband grew up in Israel calling these cookies oznei haman, which translates from Hebrew to “Haman’s ears.”Apparently, in some versions of the story, haman has triangular ears.
There is also a theory out there that Haman had triangular pockets, since the word hamantaschen literally translates from Yiddish as “Haman’s pockets” (I tend to think the translation has more to do with the fact that these cookies are filled, like little pockets of dough). A more poetic interpretation links the three corners of the triangle shape to the three founding fathers of Judaism—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Whatever the reason, it’s traditional to eat triangular foods like hamantaschen on Purim… so eat them we must!
I hit upon this Dairy Free Hamantaschen recipe after a few years of experimenting in the kitchen, searching for a foolproof hamantaschen dough. I’m a perfectionist, so my go-to dough needs to be absolutely perfect! I had a long list of criteria for the dough. I wanted it to have the following qualities:
– Easy to roll out
– Easy to shape
– Won’t expand/open around the filling when baked
– Does not include margarine or shortening
– Bakes up delicate with a nice texture (not heavy)
– Wonderful flavor that will compliment any kind of sweet filling
This dough satisfies all the criteria… it is truly a wonderful dough. It does not require refrigeration before rolling out. It’s also very easy to work with– the “feel” of the dough is terrific. It’s the best texture I’ve developed for rolling and shaping. Most importantly, it creates the tastiest hamantaschen ever. My family is in love with these cookies!
You can use any hamantaschen filling you like with this dough; I’ve linked to the filling recipes available on my site below (both dairy and non-dairy fillings). The key to a good filling is to make sure it is thick enough to prevent running, but not so thick that it bakes up dry or tough.
All of these filling recipes are tasty, and they all have the proper texture for use in hamantaschen. I will update this list of fillings as I add new ones to the site.
Hamantaschen Fillings
Rabbi Olitzky’s Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Filling
Prefer a butter-based hamantaschen dough? Click here for my Buttery Hamantaschen recipe. To learn more about the holiday of Purim, click here.
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Dairy Free Hamantaschen
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1-5 teaspoons water (if needed)
- Nonstick cooking oil spray
Instructions
- Before you begin making the hamantaschen, choose and make your filling and have it on hand to work with. This dough will dry out quickly if left to rest too long, so it's best to have everything ready to assemble when you start.Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, canola oil, orange zest and vanilla.
- In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Slowly stir the dry ingredients into the wet, using a large wooden spoon and using circular motions until a crumbly dough begins to form.
- Knead until smooth and slightly tacky to the touch. Try not to overwork the dough, only knead till the dough is the right consistency. If the crumbles are too dry to form a smooth dough, add water slowly, 1 teaspoon at a time, using your hands to knead the liquid into the dough. Knead and add liquid until the dough is smooth and slightly tacky to the touch (not sticky), with a consistency that is right for rolling out. It can easily go from the right consistency to too wet/sticky, so add water very slowly. If the dough seems too wet, knead in a little flour until it reaches the right texture.
- Lightly flour a smooth, clean surface. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thick. Scrape the dough up with a pastry scraper, lightly reflour the surface, and flip the dough over. Continue rolling the dough out very thin (less than 1/8 of an inch thick). The thinner you roll the dough, the more delicate and crisp the cookies will turn out-- just make sure that the dough is still thick enough to hold the filling and its shape! If you prefer a thicker, more doughy texture to your cookies (less delicate), keep the dough closer to 1/4 inch thick. Lightly flour the rolling pin occasionally to prevent sticking, if you need to.
- Use a 3-inch cookie cutter (not smaller) or the 3-inch rim of a glass to cut circles out of the dough, cutting as many as you can from the dough.Gather the scraps and roll them out again. Cut circles. Repeat process again if needed until you've cut as many circles as you can from the dough. You should end up with around 35 circles.
- Place a teaspoon of filling (whichever filling you choose) into the center of each circle. Do not use more than a teaspoon of filling, or you run the risk of your hamantaschen opening and filling spilling out during baking. Cover unused circles with a lightly damp towel to prevent them from drying out while you are filling.
- Assemble the hamantaschen in three steps. First, grasp the left side of the circle and fold it towards the center to make a flap that covers the left third of the circle.
- Grasp the right side of the circle and fold it towards the center, overlapping the upper part of the left side flap to create a triangular tip at the top of the circle. A small triangle of filling should still be visible in the center.
- Grasp the bottom part of the circle and fold it upward to create a third flap and complete the triangle. When you fold this flap up, be sure to tuck the left side of this new flap underneath the left side of the triangle, while letting the right side of this new flap overlap the right side of the triangle. This way, each side of your triangle has a corner that folds over and a corner that folds under-- it creates a "pinwheel" effect. This method if folding is not only pretty-- it will help to keep the cookies from opening while they bake.
- Pinch each corner of the triangle gently but firmly to secure the shape.Repeat this process for the remaining circles.
- When all of your hamantaschen have been filled, place them on a lightly greased baking sheet, evenly spaced. You can fit about 20 on one sheet... they don't need to be very spaced out because they shouldn't expand much during baking.Place them in the oven and let them bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes, until the cookies are cooked through and lightly golden.
- Cool the cookies on a wire rack. Store them in a tightly sealed plastic bag or Tupperware.
NOTES
Nutrition
I just found your recipes on Pinterest and was wondering how to access your blog. I am somewhat computer illiterate and not a great cook but always willing to try. I like your recipes because they show it step by step and most likable, how they Re supposed to look like.
Another thing that attrCts me is that my family came from the Ulraine and your recipes reflect the foods I ate while growing up and lost after the old timers passed. And, too, the enjoyment I had while feasting in Jerusalem. Thank you so much for your your recipes….
I made my Hamantaschen late this year, but needed something to bring to an event. I have always had problem with my Hamantaschen going flat. This recipe was awesome! They were the best “stand up” cookies I have ever made. On top of that, I got so many complements on the taste, that I would make them again, even not for Purim. A note I didn’t see how many cookies I would get out of the recipe, but I got about 1 – 1/2 dozen per the recipe above and made two separate batches to get 3 dozen cookies.
Great recipe. Easy directions to make and follow. I highly recommend.
These were delicious! Thank you for the recipe! The dough worked perfectly and they didn’t open while baking. I don’t why but 10 minutes turned out to be the best baking time for me; 15 made the edges a little burnt.
Hi tori! Yet again your recipes are my savior! This is the best parve biscuit base I have ued for hamentashen in that it doesn’t flake and holds the dilling really well and most importantly is yummy!! I used the orange zest when filling with nutella and took the zest out when filling with other ingredients. Thank you yet again for making my life so simple!! Regards michelle x
Hi tori! Yet again your recipes are my savior! This is the best parve biscuit base I have ued for hamentashen in that it doesn’t flake and holds the filling really well and most importantly is yummy!! I used the orange zest when filling with nutella and took the zest out when filling with other ingredients. Thank you yet again for making my life so simple!! Regards michelle x
Forgot to mention, your folding method is genius! No more exploded hamentaschen!! 🙂
My hubs and I tried this tonight with raspberry & peach fillings. Great recipe but for some reason our dough required a TON more flour. After some playing around we ended up with some delicious hamentaschen though, this cookie recipe is perfect to balance out the sweetness of the filling! Thanks & Happy Purim!
Soooooo simple and delish! Just made them! Love you!
Hi Hadassa– I’m a convert to Judaism, so I was not born Jewish. However, I fell in love with Jewish food and food history long before I converted in 2010. Read this for a more detailed explanation: http://theshiksa.com/about/
Tori, this recipe make me miss my kitchen more, I can’t wait to go back home and cook, cook and cook more, hahaha
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I’ve never been successful with hamantashen before, they always opened up when I baked them and made a mess. Your recipe is the first I’ve tried that has actually worked, they are so pretty. It tastes great! That orange zest is such a nice touch. My family gobbled them up. Made half nutella and half with your apricot filling. Really great step by step directions. Can’t thank you enough!
I’m very happy to hear the recipe was a success, Carly. I went through the “opening hamantaschen” issue when I first started learning to bake these bad boys. Super frustrating! So pleased that my recipe helped you. Happy Purim, Chag Sameach!
I can not wait to make these today! Originally, I was going to make the dairy version, but alas..no butter in the house (which is probably a good thing..lol)…I’m so glad you have a non-dairy version! The dough looks delicious!
Fabulous Samantha! Let me know how it goes. Hope you have a chance to try that poppy seed filling too, it’s so yummy!
This recipe is exactly what I was looking for!! I never bake with margarine or shortening….this is perfect! Thanks!!
You’re welcome Malky! I also try to avoid margarine and shortening when I can. Let me know how you like the cookies!
I made these tonite! Very fast and easy to make, and the dough is easy to work with. I used half whole wheat pastry flour and half regular AP flour. The cookie was a bit more crisp than I expected and it wasn’t as sweet, both for the better! The four and five year olds liked them as much as the adults! Definitely a keeper.
So happy you enjoyed them Naidre! I prefer less sweetness in the cookie to let the filling shine. It is, after all, so much about that wonderful burst of sweetness in the center, isn’t it? 🙂
Looks Yumm me and my daughter wants to try this recipe. Can we also deep fry the folded dough and put filling after that ?
Smita, I can’t say that I’ve ever tried that, I’m not sure how it would work. If you try it, let us know how it went!
Thank you!
I was just thinking today that I wanted to make hamantachen for the girls this weekend. This recipe is perfectly timed!
And they look perfectly perfect… Amazing, as always.
Thanks Deena! 🙂 If you have a chance to make them, let me know how it goes…
This dough is a lifesaver when working with kids. thanks so much!
Thanks, Tori. I was waiting for these, one question- how to make filling. Thanks in advance. I cann’t wait to make them.
Hi Vera! There are several filling options linked in the blog above, under where it says “Hamantaschen Fillings.” Each filling listed is a link that you can click on, which will lead you to that filling’s recipe page. Good luck! Let me know how it goes. 🙂
Always ready to try a new version of basic pastry dough! I’m going to test this with a filling that I found in Jane Cohen’s “Jewish Holiday Cooking” and that combines dried apricots, dates and pistachios. Happy Purim!
Chag Sameach Ale! Wishing you all the best. That filling sounds like a keeper!
You make everything look so easy. I love these cookies. I plan on trying this on Sunday. Do you have a raspberry filling recipe? Or is that no traditional?
Anna, in my opinion anything yummy can be traditional– every family has different traditions, so raspberry can be your family’s tradition! 🙂 I have heard of using raspberry filling before, but I’ve never tried it myself. If you find a good recipe for it, let us know!
they look so delicious – can’t wait to try them. Can I use the chocolate chip cream cheese filling with this dough as well?? Thanks for posting before the weekend, as I’ll now be busy!
Yes, you can use it with any hamantaschen filling Merle. Just know that the cream cheese filling is dairy. 🙂 Good luck!