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
Hi,
Wow, they look absolutely amazing, I’m gonna try to make them! It’s gonna be my first Hamantaschen so cross your fingers! 🙂
Fingers crossed! 🙂
Made my first Hamantaschen tonight. I made poppy seed and cherry. Glad I decided to go with the dairy free option for the dough. Rolling out the dough to the best thickness, and shaping each cookie around the filling took some practice. A few actually look almost perfect! They are soooo tasty!
Thank you for the detailed recipe, hints and tips
You’re welcome Elyse!
Can you freeze this dough?
Hi Natalie– I’ve never frozen this dough, so I can’t give you an answer. Sorry! Maybe another reader has tried it and will let us know.
The fold over corners worked well.
3.5″ circles baked in 13 min 350F convect.
I’d up the salt to 1/2 t fine sea salt.
2 ‘extra large’ eggs with 4.5 c sifted flour was perfect consistency. No water needed.
I like your writing style. 🙂
Thanks Liz! 🙂
Yikes I just realized I mistyped.
I doubled the recipe.
1 t fine sea salt
4 extra large eggs + 4.5 c flour measured after sifting.
I’m trying the butter recipe tonight
I have used the same recipe for years. I was in the mood for a change.I just made this one, was a winner.Thanks for sharing!
Great to hear that Bracha!
Thanks Tori I will go look at the site.
I wouldn’t have thought flax would work. May have to try it.
Oh my goodness. I just tried this with flax instead of eggs, and it was SO GOOD! I made them for a Purim party, but I should probably make another batch, since I just ate a few too many…
Great Sydni! Good to know the flax egg substitute works here.
Tori no I wasn’t looking for vegan but thanks. I never kept kosher so don’t know the rules. My Rante in Detroit did, but I was a kid then so didn’t pay attention. I learn something new every day.So glad I came upon ypur website
You’re welcome Bev! I don’t keep kosher, but all of the recipes on ToriAvey.com (with the exception of some historical recipes) are kosher out of respect for my Jewish kosher readers.
The dairy free Humantaschen recipe has eggs in the dough. How can it be dairy free then?
Bev on my website the word dairy refers to recipes without butter, milk, and other dairy products. Eggs are considered neutral in kosher law, neither meat nor dairy. If you are looking for egg-free and dairy-free recipes, I have a vegan category here for recipes that contain neither dairy nor eggs (or have easy marked modifications to make them vegan): https://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/recipes/recipes-vegan/
Can you recommend an egg-free alternative? I was so excited when I saw this was dairy free, but for me alas it must be eggless as well. Thanks in advance!
Hi Bett! I haven’t tried it with this particular recipe, but here is a vegan baking sub for eggs: https://toriavey.com/how-to/how-to-make-a-vegan-egg-substitute/ If you try it with this hamantaschen recipe please report back and let us know how it works for you!
This cookie dough is excellent. A lot of recipes with oil turn out mealy, but these cookies are nice and crisp. My favorite filling….a teaspoon of creamy organic peanut butter topped with 5 semisweet chocolate chips. Easy and delicious.
Thank you for this wonderful recipe Tory.
Hello, these cookies look absolutely delicious, I would very much like to try them. I have only one question, which I think comes from my poor english. When you write “vanilla” in the recipe, are you referring to vanilla-sugar, or vanilla beans, or extract?
Hi Dora, I am referring to vanilla extract. Enjoy!
Wow! These look AMAZING!!!! I’m so excited to try them! Thank you so much for such a detailed description and wonderful recipe :*
I have a question though. This is the 1st time I’ll be making serious baking and I’d like to try to use at least a few fillings. I imaging it will take me a while to get this done. Can I make the fillings and dough in advance and freeze them? Or refrigerate if not..? Or may be I should make Hamantaschen and freeze it ready to bake? What would be the best way?
Hi Natalia, the fillings on my website can all be made in advance… except for maybe the cream cheese filling, I haven’t tried making that ahead. I would make the fruit fillings ahead and refrigerate them to save on time (not sure how they will freeze).
I made both the cream cheese and poppy seed fillings in advance, made one batch with them a day later; and a second batch 5 days later. Both came out great.
Thanks Tori! Sorry for the misunderstanding- I meant I was inspired but the idea of the nutella filling that I thought I might also try peanut butter filling (alone) and just wondered if I could use it alone or do I need to add anything. Thanks again!
Hi Tori! I love your recipes, but I wondered if I could add cocoa powder or melted chocolate to the batter to make it chocolate dough? Also, I love the idea of nutella filling! Can I go ahead and add straight peanut butter too or would it need some confectioner sugar added? Thanks!
Hi Carey, yes you can add cocoa powder but I can’t give an exact amount because I haven’t tested it lately. I’m not sure about the peanut butter added to the nutella, I’ve never tried it.
Hi Tori,
This recipe looks awesome! Our kids’ Jewish youth group will be making these for a fundraiser and I wanted to know whether orange juice could be substituted for orange zest. (The zest is too labor intensive for a bunch of teen chefs!) If so, could you share what amount of OJ should be added to the dough? Thanks so much! Lisa
Hi Lisa! Orange juice won’t provide the same essence as orange zest, and adding extra liquid (orange juice) may throw off the texture balance of the dough. I really recommend the zest if you can swing it. It’s not too difficult to make (a teenager should definitely be able to handle it!), and you only need a teaspoon per batch. Perhaps a parent can do the zesting and they can simply measure out the zest? You can omit it, but it adds a nice flavor to the dough.
Hi Tori,
Can’t wait to try this recipe! Your hamentashen look delicious!
Do these freeze well?
Esther
Hi Tori, I found your recipe and add to my pinterest, today i wanna come cookies and made this, I used fig with balsamic vinegar and apple for filling, delicious! i love the cookie, i had some trouble with the dough but i made it 🙂 i have to make it again I have some dats and pecans for that.
thanks!
Hi,
Just tried your recipe and the hamentashen were delicious! My toddler loved them too! I wasn’t able to make nearly as many as you mentioned so I must not have rolled the dough thinly enough. The dough began to stick to my countertop (which is granite), even though I floured the surface. Also, do these freeze well? Thanks for a great recipe!
Lauren