This poppy seed filling can be used for cookies like hamantaschen, kolaches, strudel, coffee cakes and more. The natural bitterness of the poppy seeds mellows when ground and cooked with butter, milk, sugar, and honey. Tempered egg and cooking over gentle heat slowly thickens the filling. The result is a rich, delightful filling that won’t run out of baked goods as they cook.
During the Jewish holiday of Purim, poppy seed hamantaschen are a popular treat. The most traditional filling for hamantaschen cookies is poppy seed (known in Yiddish as mohn). Some people believe this tradition finds its roots in a pun. In Yiddish, Hamantaschen literally translates to “Haman’s pockets.” A slight variation of the word, ha-mohn-taschen, literally translates to “the poppy seed pockets.”
Whatever the reason, poppy seed is the most popular of all hamantachen fillings. This is my favorite recipe for poppy seed filling. I have also used it to make kolaches and coffee cakes with great results.
Some people purchase Solo canned filling to make their poppy seed baked goods. This homemade filling is comparable in terms of texture, with all the goodness of homemade.
To make this filling parve (dairy free), I’ve recommended some specific substitutes below. I really like this filling better using dairy, but you can get a descent parve result using the recommended substitutions.
Need a delicious and foolproof hamantaschen dough recipe? For my Dairy Free Hamantaschen dough, click here. For my Buttery Hamantaschen dough, click here.
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Poppy Seed Filling for Cookies, Pastries and Hamantaschen
Ingredients
- 8 ounces whole unground poppy seeds
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter (see cooking instructions for parve subs)
- 1 cup milk (see cooking instructions for parve subs)
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs, beaten
NOTES
Instructions
- Grind the poppy seeds in a coffee grinder in batches for about 15-20 seconds per batch, until they are ground soft and powdery.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the milk, sugar, honey and salt (read the salt note in the notes section of this recipe before adding). Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, till the sugar dissolves and the honey melts.
- Pour about 1 cup of the hot liquid into a cup.
- Immediately but gradually being drizzling the hot liquid into the beaten eggs. Whisk briskly and constantly till all of the hot liquid is integrated into the eggs. Do not pour too quickly, or you'll scramble your eggs. It should take about a minute to drizzle all of the liquid.Slowly pour the heated, tempered egg mixture back into the hot liquid in the saucepan, whisking constantly.
- Continue to whisk and cook for 3-5 more minutes over medium heat till the mixture thickens and turns light yellow. It is ready when it thickly coats the back of a spoon.
- Remove the saucepan from heat. Whisk the ground poppy seeds into the buttery liquid and stir well to blend all ingredients.
- Allow filling to cool to room temperature before using. Store in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
- To make this filling parve (dairy free), you will need to use a substitute for the milk and the butter. For the milk, I like SoDelicious coconut creamer, which gives it a creamy, very faint coconut taste (vegan, but produced on dairy equipment for those who are strictly kosher). You can also use regular coconut milk, rice milk, almond milk or soy milk as a sub.
Nutrition
tried this recipe?
Let us know in the comments!
Naomi says
I am going to go ahead and add the salt into the sugar/milk mixture, but you might want to add that instruction for the benefit of others.
Daniella says
I have frozen Poppyseed filling with no problem.
Ariela LeGendre says
I was born in Israel during Purim, but never learned to bake my own “oznei haman” (hamman’s ears…) Cannot wait to try and feed my Arkansas friends this delight.
Thanks for the recipe. You start with a 1 and 1/2 poppys and then add (8 oz). In cooking lingo 8 oz IS a cup. Should I use the 8 oz or a measuring cup and a half???
Ariela
ida krecek says
Where can I buy 1 can of poppy seed filling in orange co, california.
Maureen says
Hi! About how many cookies does the 2 cups of filling make? I’d like to make a variety, so I’m wondering if the recipe will half well or if the filling can be frozen for future use. . .
Jodie says
Hi Tori
Your website is a godsend being married to an Israeli living in Sydney it is difficult to find recipes for food he ate when growing up on the Kibbutz. Especially food made to celebrate a holiday.
We love your poppy seed filling for Hamantaschen but also use it to flavour left over pastry of any shape or size. Can you please advise if you can successfully freeze leftover poppyseed filling?
Look forward to your reply and thank you again for your wonderful recipes – Cheese Borekas is also another one of our favs!
Tori Avey says
Hi Jodie! I’m so happy you’re enjoying the site. I’ve never frozen the poppyseed filling, so I can’t help you there… wish I could! If you try it and it works out, can you please report back and let us know? Thank you!
Ken Zuckerman says
I made Mohn and Lekvar – both were delicious. I used extra Mohn in a strudel like my gramma used to make.
Barbara says
I would love to have this strudel recipe to use up the mohn I have. Seems to be ok still, and don’t want to throw it out but I’m done with hamentaschen for this year.
Pilar says
They came out great. So pretty and the filling didn’t overflow.
They are just perfect and delicious!
Danielle says
Any ideas for an egg substitute? I have egg replacer and flax seeds…
Pilar says
Hi,
My husband is Jewish and I planning to bake this cookies tomorrow.
At what time I should add the honey?
Thanks and I really like your blog. Congrats!
Tori Avey says
Hi Pilar! So happy you’re going to try this one, it’s super yummy. Add the honey at the same time you add the sugar and milk. I’ve corrected the instructions in the recipe. Good luck! Let me know how it goes. 🙂
addi says
…and chag sameach, I always enjoy your recipes 😉
Addi
Tori Avey says
Thanks Addi! 🙂
Addi says
hi, after reading your blog and tasty recipe I came across this explanation for why poppy seeds are eaten and I wanted to share it with you… “Why eat poppy seeds for Purim? This tradition honors Queen Esther. When she moved into the king’s palace, in order to avoid eating non-kosher food, she ate only seeds and legumes. In other words, she became a vegetarian. This gave rise to the custom of including poppy seeds in Purim sweets and of making use of beans and chickpeas in Purim menus.” (from Jpost)
Celesul says
Last I checked I wasn’t a goy, and I adore both apricot and raspberry filling. I also like poppy seed filing, although I’m less likely to use it, being a stressed out college student.
My typical hamentaschen fillings are nutella, seedless raspberry jam, and apricot jam, and I often put the nutella and raspberry jam in the same cookie. It’s truly divine, and the jam provides moisture that is lacking with just nutella. Any time you’re using nutella you can also mix in some chocolate chips, and that mixture is, as far as I’m concerned, the holy grail of chocolate hamentaschen. I suspect the chocolate cream spread found all over Israel would also be good in the same places nutella is, but it’s harder to find, and probably only worth the extra trouble for someone who doesn’t like hazelnut.
I think that hamentaschen filling is essentially whatever the baker feels like at the moment. That’s certainly how I do it. 🙂
Tori Avey says
Celesul– agreed! Great idea to combine the Nutella and jam. I’m mixing in some chocolate chips next time! 🙂
Tori Avey says
Hi Stella, that’s a tough one. Have you tried Earth Balance Natural Shortening? The Earth Balance has saturated fat, but it’s non-hydrogenated as well as trans-fat free and cholesterol free. I wouldn’t recommend the other subs you suggested, only because they’ll dramatically change the texture of the cookie. The shortening won’t taste as good as butter, but it makes a healthier end product that is dairy-free. Use pastry flour for a lighter texture and increase the sugar a bit for more crispness. I’ll be releasing a hamantaschen recipe soon that is made with canola oil instead of butter or shortening, which might be right up your alley. Stay tuned! 🙂
stella says
For use in Hamantaschen, what can I use instead of shortening, butter or margarine? Can you recommend substitute without saturated fat or low fat? Can I use applesauce, yogourt, ricotta cheese or sour cream?
Charles Goines says
I am a goya who was given a book, “Jewish Cooking for Dummies.” The more things I tried the better I got and the more I learned about things right under my nose. Now I want to make Hamantashen with Poppy Seed filling. I tried dried fruit, jelly, peanut butter, prunes and raisins for fillings but the best I am told is poppy seeds. Friday when I go to a dance I am taking several dozen home made” hamantaschen with poppy seed filling for my friends to try. I squeeked by with some edible rugelach last Friday. No frowns. However, this is the true test, and although my gentile friends will not complain, my Jewish friends are liable to say, “this is not like my mother made.” Wish me luck!! “Oi vai”. I would much rather visit the dentist.
Tori Avey says
Hey Dawn! Jewish food is constantly evolving, every family has their own way of doing things. New food traditions are created all the time. For example, in yesterday’s blog I shared a Rabbi’s recipe for a cream cheese and chocolate Hamantaschen filling… it’s certainly not traditional, but it’s really tasty! When it comes to cooking, follow your heart and your tastebuds; you can never go wrong. 😉
dawn says
On a side note, I was just told that only goyem put apricot or raspberry filling in their rugalach. True? I was crushed…
p.s. LOVE your blog. Not Jewish, nor am I married to one, but I love the food culture, as well as all my fab Jewish friends. Also, just learned to play mah jongg!!
Tori Avey says
Hey Pearl! You would have to substitute the butter and also use a non-dairy milk. I’ve provided some substitution ideas above. Good luck!
Pearl Nichols says
If I substitute the milk with either soy milk or rice milk will this still be considered dairy?