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.
Robin says
Searched for years glad I didn’t stop cause this is the one!! Recipe is great. Rolling the dough thin seemed counter intuitive but it works. I had a harder time folding them when the dough was closer to the quarter inch. For fillings because I was pressed for time I used Nutella (but of course!) and solo brand apricot and prune/plum fillings. I didn’t have an orange so I didn’t use the zest but they are still amazing. Will try it with the zest next year.
The only thing I did differently was after I formed the cookies I put them in the freezer on the baking sheet for ten minutes and then popped them in the oven. Thank you so much I can now look forward to making these yearly instead ignored dreading it.
Jennifer says
Since my daughter and her best friend were 5 years old, we have had a hamantashcen baking day. I make about 6 or 7 batches of dough ahead of time and then they fill and fold them. We had our day a few weeks early this year as we will be traveling during Purim, but I really love this recipe. I have tried a few others on occasion from very websites or cookbooks but none beat this recipe. It’s perfect! The orange zest is my favorite part.
The girls’ favorite fillings are Nutella or apricot. We also use almond filling (the sweet pie filling in a can version) and it gives a delicious marzipan -like hamantaschen.
Thanks!
Rachel says
A delicious and easy sugar cookie recipe. But not hamentashen. It folded beautifully and held its shape but it didn’t have the strong orange flavor I associate with hamentashen or the dense texture. And they looked so beautiful I bit into it with high expectations and it just wasn’t there.
Tori Avey says
Hi Rachel, I don’t think it’s quite fair to say it’s “not hamantaschen.” While it may not align with the type of hamantaschen you ate growing up, family recipes vary greatly. As you can read in the comments, readers have loved this recipe through the years and it has become a family tradition for many. I’m sorry it didn’t live up to your personal expectations; better luck next time!
Mindy Jacobs says
There’s no baking powder listed in your ingredients, was that an oversight?
Tori Avey says
Nope. I found that baking powder did not help the texture of this cookie and made it more prone to popping open rather than holding its shape.
Claire says
I’m hosting a Purim party and am worried it’ll be stressful to try to make cookies day of instead of making them ahead. How far ahead would you say still yields fresh cookies, or could they potentially be frozen and then baked from frozen? Is that bonkers?
Tori Avey says
Not bonkers! These should bake from frozen fine, I think– I’ve never tried it myself but I can’t see why it wouldn’t work. They will keep for 2-3 days in a covered airtight container, too.
Roberta says
Do you have a gluten free dough recipe?
My friends asked me to teach them how to make your perfect-every-time hamentashen And two are gluten-free.
Thank you
Roberta
Tori Avey says
Hi Roberta, I haven’t come up with a gluten free recipe that I like yet. Gluten makes the dough flexible, and most substitutes are crumbly/don’t hold together well. If I do come up with one I’ll be sure to post!
Mary says
Using your marvelous dough I engineered (with difficulty) a mold my father-in-law invented. His ideas stem from the need to brand an item rather than a love of food. We have an on going discussion, I want recipes from scratch that taste delicious and he is interested in an image and or branding of the food item.
6 by 3 inch metal triangle is what he gave me. Getting the dough inside the mold was tough, the baking time was extended to approx 30 min. The size is over the top…why would people want a Hamantaschen this large?!?! With the remaining exceptional dough I made wonderful normal size Hamantaschen…even a mini or two. Watch out, I told him I used your recipe and he may try to contact you. ?
KH says
My bible study class is finishing up our study on the book of Ester. I can’t wait to make these cookies for the class!
Danielle says
Made this dough in record time! It yielded about 25 small cookies. Surprisingly easy to make and work with. Actually didn’t use a sifter and it came out fine. Used a cup to make circles of dough and that was perfect. I pre-made the dough and assembled this with friends, filling them with prune and apricot jam, chocolate chips and halva.
Thanks!
Penny says
Update: I shared these poppy seed hamantaschen with several friends who have been eating them since childhood. All said they were good. Two gave me a big hug. One said they were the best she had ever eaten!
Penny says
Thank you!
This is the first time I have made Hamantaschen – indeed, the first I have even heard of them!
Mine don’t look ‘Perfect”, but they sure do taste wonderful! I especially appreciate the photos. Flours are so different and the humidity can make such a difference, getting the amount of flour right in any recipe is always as much just “knowing” by look or feel as an exact level measure. My dough needed a lot more flour — but your photo and description helped me get it right. And since I’d never made a poppy seed filling, seeing the photo of it gave me confidence that I really should put all that ground poppy seed in there. No breaking or leaking. I made the butter version dough and didn’t use parchment – either over the rolled out dough that was waiting for me to cut and fill it, or on the baking sheets. I did use a pastry cloth to roll it on. All-in-all, it worked well — no cracks or leakage in the finished cookies. I’ll make them again. (Well, I have to – I only used about half the poppy seed mix — I think I was too stingy with it to start – the second sheet full had more filling – and looks better. )
So, I’m calling my first attempt a SUCCESS! Thanks to your help!
Tori Avey says
Fabulous Penny! Thank you for the detailed feedback, it will be helpful to other readers.
denise says
I love your 2 recipes. I tried the dairy free dough last year and have told everyone I know to try it – it is so easy. I tried the buttery one this year, and i did put it in my bread machine to make it easier, but it worked well, even after chilling and rolling it out (and I am no expert). Do you have a chocolate dough recipe for hamantaschen that is easy to work with? And what filling would go well inside? Thanks!
Lance says
How long can your buttery hamantaschen dough be refrigerated before baking, and will affect the cookies taste/texture tremendously? Mazel Tov!
Tori Avey says
Up to 24 hours. I wouldn’t do it longer than that, because the dough can lose moisture and cause it to become crumbly.
Lauren Y. says
Pro-tip: Sometimes I “cheat” and use jam for my fillings. Fig jam works really well. To thicken the jam, I mix in a bit of almond meal.
Elsie says
It’s become tradition for me to make a triple batch of these to share our friends and co-workers. Thank you for the recipe and inspiration for the tradition <3. I usually just make poppy seed but this year I added Nutella. Both are wonderful. But this year when I asked my husband which I should use for the final dozen or so he said "both" and poppytella was born! OMG the combination is outstanding!
Tori Avey says
Wowsa! Poppytella sounds inspired!
Erica says
Thank you for the great recipe. Do the. Hamantashen need to be refridgerated? I want to mail a bunch out to family.
Tori Avey says
Not unless you’re making the filling with cream cheese– that one I would refrigerate just to be safe. The others don’t need refrigeration.
Marsha says
Interesting to find your reply on using straight jam for a filling. How much minute tapioca would you have to add to the jam. Also it seems that the recipe for apricot filling that I used produced not crispy hamantashen.. is there any way to crisp up the bottoms. Very interested in your response.
Tori Avey says
I don’t have an exact amount on the minute tapioca, it depends on how much jam you’re preparing. For a pie filling I generally use 1/4 cup of minute tapioca. For jam, I would cook it on the stovetop together with the tapioca until tapioca dissolves and jam thickens. I would probably start testing it with a ratio of about 1 tablespoon of tapioca for 1 cup of jam… but I haven’t tested this out as a developed recipe, so I can’t be certain. For the crisping issue, did you use my recipes? I would recommend my Dairy Free Hamantaschen for a crisper bottom, paired with my apricot filling. Both are mentioned in the post above. Wetter filling may produce a doughier result, but the recipes I’ve linked to above should give you the result you’re hoping for. Good luck!
Merrill says
I’m new to Pinterest, and glad to have found your recipe for hamamtashan. I have made them several times and now know why they’ve always leaked their filling. Thank you for your in depth look at the problems that arise when they are made incorrectly. I am Jewish by birth and while my husband was going through his conversion to Judaism in 2008, I attended classes with him as suggested by our Rabbi and that is where I received the only Jewish education I ever had. I love reading your posts with its rich histories. Even at the age of 66, it is still possible to learn and grow.
Tori Avey says
Thanks Merrill! So happy the recipe is helpful.
2pots2cook says
Oh, what a pleasant surprise. Apricot filled are the best ! Thank you so much !
Aliza says
Hi Tori! If I want to do a raspberry filling, do I simply use a teaspoon of jam as-is per cookie? Or do I need to thicken a store bought jam?
Tori Avey says
Hi Aliza, jam on its own is not thick enough, it needs to be thickened to keep the cookies from weeping. You can use minute tapioca to thicken it to a consistency that is similar to pie filling.