Having trouble making hamantaschen for Purim? Are your hamantaschen spreading or opening when they bake? Are they losing their shape? Maybe the filling is leaking. Perhaps you’re having trouble folding your cookies into neat triangles. Or maybe you’re just looking for an easy hamantaschen recipe that will get you perfect results, every time. Whatever your question, I’m here to help!
I have compiled this list of tips to help people who are new to baking hamantaschen (sometimes spelled hamentashen). It took me several years to master the proper technique and develop some terrific dough recipes. I now have a firm understanding of what it takes to make pretty and delicious hamantaschen. I want to share that knowledge with you, so you can avoid some of the pitfalls I’ve encountered over the years. Hopefully my tips will help obtain a tasty and beautiful result from the very first try! But first, a little history.
What is the meaning of Hamantaschen?
Purim is the Jewish holiday in which we commemorate being saved from persecution in the ancient Persian Empire. A symbolic food eaten during the holiday of Purim is hamentaschen (“ears of Haman”). Haman is the villain of the Purim story (more on that below). This triangular-shaped cookie is supposed to represent either Haman’s ears or his three cornered hat. The center of each “hat” is filled with jam or sweet filling.
According to the Book of Esther in the Bible, the Jews of the city of Shushan were threatened by Haman, a prime minister who convinces the King Ahasuerus to kill all the Jews (because the Jewish Mordecai refused to bow down to Haman). Haman casts lots (the word Purim means “lots”) to determine the date he would carry out his plan: the 13th of Adar. In the end, the Jews are saved by the heroic Queen Esther, Mordecai’s niece (and adopted daughter), who married Ahasuerus (after he banished his first, rebellious wife Vashti). When Ahasuerus discovers that his wife Esther is Jewish, he decides to reverse Haman’s decree, and instead of the Jews being killed, Haman, his sons, and other enemies are killed instead.
Tips for Creating Perfect Hamantaschen (Hamentashen)
1) Find a great dough recipe. Here are two foolproof, tasty dough recipes that I highly recommend. They are easy to handle and shape, and they provide great results when baked. You won’t need a food processor or stand mixer or any fancy kitchen gadgets (the buttery one calls for an electric mixer – the dairy free one, a wooden spoon). One thing you’ll notice – my dough recipes do not contain leavening like yeast or baking powder. The cookies are easy to shape, and can be made quickly without needing to wait for a rise.
Dairy Free Hamantaschen Recipe
2) Roll your dough out to 1/8 inch thick (or less) on a floured surface. You want your rolled dough to be as thin as possible, while still being thick enough to maintain the cookie’s structure. 1/8 inch seems to be the magic number; sometimes I roll mine out even thinner than that. For a more doughy texture you can roll it thicker, but remember– the thicker the dough is, the harder it will be to handle and shape. Thick dough is also more prone to opening/spreading in the oven.
3) Use a thick filling that won’t run/weep from the cookies while baking. Knowing the proper consistency of a hamantaschen filling takes experience, because each type of filling is slightly different. Poppy seed filling has a very different texture than fruit filling, for example. A good filling should be somewhat thick so that it doesn’t run. However, you don’t want it too thick, or it will bake up dry or tough. It’s best to follow a tested and proven recipe. Try one of these fillings, which have all been thoroughly tested:
Rabbi Olitzky’s Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Filling
4) Cut your hamantaschen dough in 3-inch circles (or larger) before filling and folding into triangles. Anything smaller than 3 inches will be difficult to fold around your chosen filling.
5) Most fillings can be chilled before using to fill hamantaschen. I’ve found that fruit filling, poppy seed filling, and cream cheese-based fillings tend to be easier to work with when they’re chilled in the refrigerator. The chilling process thickens the fillings and makes them less sticky, which makes them easier to handle with when you’re assembling your hamantaschen. However, some fillings are better at room temperature — particularly chocolate-based fillings like Nutella, which will harden with prolonged refrigeration. Check your filling recipe to see if refrigeration is recommended.
6) Do not overfill your hamantaschen. Use roughly 1 teaspoon of filling per hamantaschen cookie – not more. However tempting it might be to put lots of delicious filling in the middle of your cookie, using more than 1 teaspoon can cause your hamantaschen to spread open and leak in the oven. 1 teaspoon is plenty, especially when you cut your dough circles to 3 inches… it’s the perfect amount of filling.
7) Fold your triangles the right way! Using the proper folding method will help your hamantschen hold together and create a beautiful shape. I’ve provided detailed, illustrated, step-by-step folding instructions below.
8) Remember, the filling will be very hot! Once you remove the baking sheets from the oven, move them to a rack to cool completely before serving.
Follow these tips, and you’ll be creating beautiful batches of homemade hamantaschen in no time! What are your favorite hamantaschen fillings?
How to Fold Hamantaschen
Ingredients
- Hamantaschen dough , recipe options linked in blog post above
- Filling of your choice , filling recipes linked in blog post above
NOTES
Instructions
- Roll dough between 1/8 - 1/4 inch thick and cut into circles with a cookie cutter or glass rim that is at least 3 inches wide. 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 dough circles. Bake according to recipe instructions.
Nutrition
tried this recipe?
Let us know in the comments!
See recipe links above for nutritional information related to specific recipes.
Penny says
Tori-
It seems like no matter what Jewish subject I am googling – a link to ToriAvey.com always is one of the links. Purim Baskets, Jewish Chicken Soup, Chanukkah cookies, and now Hamantaschen! Google may claim to have all the answers- but seems like it always sends me to you!
Thanks so much!
Tori Avey says
Thanks Penny! Your comment made my day. 🙂 So happy you are enjoying the site!
AJ Sabotini says
Am I the only one to miss it ? Bake for HOW LONG ? The recipe only states
“Bake according to recipe instructions.”
But never lists the actual bake instructions…
Tori Avey says
AJ, these folding instructions are meant to be used with any good hamantaschen dough recipe. That is why there is no specific temperature listed, since recipes can vary on that front. Here are two dough recipes you can try which both have specified temps:
https://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/2012/03/dairy-free-hamantaschen/
https://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/buttery-hamantaschen/
Gaye Olin says
When I was a kid we usually had hamantaschen made with a yeast dough (more like a danish than a cookie). Do you have any recipes for that type of hamantachen?
Tori Avey says
Hi Gaye, I have found that leavening (the yeast) can lead to misshapen cookies that tend to “open up” in the oven. I prefer sticking with my tried-and-true doughs that are linked above. However, I do know people who grew up on a different type of cookie with a softer texture… I don’t currently have a recipe for this variety of hamantaschen on my site, but I will keep it in mind for a future post!
Janet Sharf says
Hi Gaye,
My Gramma also made the type of H that you talk about as a mini-Danish type looking treat. She was from Romania. I wonder if that is where we should be looking for the dough.
My aunt tried year after year to replicate that dough and every year she said she thought she got closer to it. She went thru all sorts of probs with it including not being able to make them stay closed and tearing when she did the egg-wash to make them shiny until she bought a camel hair oil painting brush that was soft enough to keep them from tearing or sticking. But when she died, so did the hope of getting the recipe. Please keep me informed if you find something.
Carol Newman says
I have to prepare 6 recipes worth of dough for a temple sisterhood event this coming Sunday. Can I make the dough in advance and freeze it?
Michelle says
Your recipes are fantastic, and I especially love anything that includes poppyseed! Yum! I’ve tried this recipe and many others and they’re the closest thing I’ve had to the real deal in Israel.
Cole says
I put you recipe on Pinterest and I pinned it myself!
Jessie says
Really great recipe if you want to show off the great stuff you can make!!
Susie Q says
This is the perfect recipe. Got raves from several about the buttery goodness and I used the dairy free recipe with oil!
Brenda says
These were delicious. I made the pareve dough with prune (lekvar) filling, as well as the apple/dolce de leche filling. My Bubby passed away last December, and this would have been the first Purim we’d have gone without hamantaschen. The prune ones taste just like hers, which was very special to us. Now every Purim I will make these and pass the tradition on. Thank you so much for posting these wonderful hamantaschen recipes.
Jackie says
I’m vouching for this dough recipe. I tried all these tricks with a different recipe and my hamentaschen were STILL always a disaster coming undone in the oven, but using this recipe they stayed together like a dream. Thank you!!
Susan says
You are a genius! I have been making hamantashen for years, but have always had some percentage of them “leak”. I used your method for folding them and not one “leak” in 4 dozen cookies. Thanks so much for sharing!
Roberta Harris says
Perfect! My buttery hamentashen just came out of the oven. They are delicious and stayed in shape! Thank you Tori! (Picture on Instagram at roberta0618)
Amy Lasky says
Does this recipe call for self-rising flour or all purpose flour? Thanks!
Tori Avey says
All purpose. Any recipes that require self-rising will be noted in the ingredient list.
Toby says
Hi Tori –
Your pareve dough was tasty but I found it really hard to work with. Mine came out so sticky, I just kept adding flour until I could get my circles to come off my work surface in one piece. Since I love anything with dolce de leche I was anxious to try your apple caramel filling which was indeed delicious. Fortunately for me, I got to eat the hamentaschen that didn’t come out so pretty!
Tori Avey says
Hi Toby! Glad you liked the caramel apple filling. 🙂 Next time, if you find the dough too sticky, you might try chilling it for 2 hours-overnight. This should help with the stick factor as you roll it out. Good luck!
Sandy Koenig says
This was my first time ever making hamentashen. They came out perfect! I used blackberry jam filling for one batch and apricot for the other. I rolled the dough a little thicker, and made them a little bigger than 3″ around. I also substituted kumquat zest because I have a tree in my yard! Yum!
Trish says
Please can you tell me, in the recipes are the cups American cup sizes please, I am in the UK and we don’t tend to use cups for baking that much
Tori Avey says
Hi Trish– yes, it is in American cups, so you should definitely use a reliable conversion calculator for this recipe.
Miriam says
Just made hamentaschen using this recipe. This is the best one I’ve ever used! The dough doesn’t stick to everything, doesn’t tear, hamentaschen stay closed even if you make them with jam, and they are so delicious! Thank you so much for posting this! Purim sameach!
Tori Avey says
Bravo Miriam! Happy to hear that 🙂
David Brent says
I had no idea how to make hamentashen. This recipe with the pictures and the great tips worked perfect for me. They came out delicious. I am so appreciative. Hag Purim Sameach
Ivy Lee Berr says
Every hamentaschen dough recipe that I have found in old cookbooks use baking powder to lighten up the dough. What made you decide to omit it?
Tori Avey says
The dairy free recipe does contain baking powder. In the buttery recipe I omitted it because the buttery recipe tends to open/spread more than the dairy free one, and I noticed that when I omitted the baking powder they “stayed put” in their folded state better without a big difference in taste/texture.
Rebecca says
I love this dough recipe. Thank you for posting this detail