The Best Easy Hamentashen Recipe (2024)

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This is my favorite easy Hamentashen recipe. The cookies are crunchy, crumbly, just sweet enough. Shaped into triangles and filled with sweet poppy seed or fruit fillings, they’re a popular treat for the Jewish holiday of Purim. I love this oil-based dough because it is very easy to handle.

The Best Easy Hamentashen Recipe (1)

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I feel like I’ve tried just about every hamentashen recipe out there, but this one is my all-time favorite. The dough, which uses oil instead of butter, is easy to handle and holds its shape well during baking.

These crunchy filled cookies are gorgeous to look at, especially if you use an assortment of fillings. Some of my favorite fillings to use with this hamentashen recipe include the very traditional poppy seed filling, strawberry jam, peach jam, or blackberry jelly. Nutella makes is a break from tradition, but a delicious one!

What is Purim?

Purim is sort of a raucous Jewish holiday with a good story. This guy named Haman was King Ahaseurus of Persia’s top minister. This other guy, Mordecai (who happened to be Jewish), was also high ranking, but not as high Haman.

Mordecai thought Haman was full of it, so he dissed him and Haman got super pissed. But the king loved Mordecai because he had once saved the king’s life. In fact, the king ordered Haman to honor Mordecai for this good deed, which really ticked Haman off.

Haman got so mad that he concocted a plan to not only kill Mordecai, but to kill all of his people (the Jews). Knowing the king was partial to Mordecai, he made vague accusations about a group of dangerous people within the kingdom. And he convinced the king to sign an order to allow Haman to kill all of them.

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But Queen Esther, who happened to be Mordecai’s niece/adopted daughter and also a Jew, found out about his plan. And she concocted a plot of her own to stop it.

Esther convinced the king to throw a party to “honor” Haman. Once the party was underway, she revealed, in dramatic fashion, that that she was Jewish. And also that she was the niece/adopted daughter of Mordecai. And finally, that Haman had tricked the king into approving Haman’s plan to kill all the Jews so that he could kill Mordecai.

In the end, the King had Haman executed. And guess who got Haman’s job? Yeah, obv. It was Mordecai.

I guess it’s a bit of grisly story. But it’s commemorated with much merry making, drinking, dressing in costumes (it’s sometimes referred to as the Jewish Halloween or the Jewish Mardis Gras), exchanging gifts of food, and eating these delicious filled triangle cookies!

Why is hamentashen triangular?

Have you ever heard the phrase “ask 2 Jews, get 3 answers?” We Jews love food symbolism, and we also love to debate all the possible interpretations of a thing. There are at least three different answers for the question of why hamentashen are triangular.

Some say the three-pointed cookies represent a three-pointed hat Haman wore. To take a bite out of Haman’s hat is to defy him and, well, to say screw you, Haman. We see your evil plan and we’re stopping it. But… did Haman wear a three-pointed hat? Who’s to say? There’s no mention of it in the original story.

Others say the cookies represent Haman’s ears that (trigger warning!) were cut off of his head before he was hanged. Apparently they used to do this in medieval Europe—cut off a man’s ears before they executed him. Whoa. That’s intense. And, um, gross.

The Best Easy Hamentashen Recipe (3)

The more plausible explanation is that they were originally called “mohn tashen” in German. Mohn meaning poppy seeds and tashen meaning pockets—cookie pockets filled with poppy seeds!

These poppy seed-filled cookies became a popular Purim treat among European Jews in the early 19th century.

Mohntashen sounds a lot like hamentashen, doesn’t it? Makes perfect sense!

Fruit jams and preserves, chocolate, and other fillings are also common these days but were introduced more recently.

When these cookies got popular as a Purim treat, apparently the rabbis felt they needed to provide symbolic meaning. In Hebrew, tash means “weakened.” So they said, well, we eat these cookies because Haman was weakened. I mean, I guess I can see the logic, but I’m not buying it.

Personally, I’m going with the hat explanation.

What makes this Easy hamantaschen recipe the best?

I love this recipe because the dough is super easy to handle. Most hamentashen dough is made with butter. While buttery dough is delicious, it can be hard to shape and handle.

This dough uses oil instead of butter. It is every bit as delicious as the buttery kind, but in my opinion, much easier to deal with.

Using oil instead of butter also makes this recipe parve if that is important to you. These dairy free oatmeal cookies are also parve.

Vargebeles is another fun dessert for the holidays. It’s not a Jewish recipe, but it reminds me of noodle kugel!

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For the complete list of ingredients with quantities and detailed prep and cooking instructions, please see the recipe card that appears at the end of this post.

What ingredients do you need to make this easy hamentashen recipe?

The ingredients for hamentashen are simple pantry ingredients, similar to any basic cookie recipe. You can use any type of jam or preserves for the filling, or use poppy seed filling. You can even use something like Nutella!

Here’s what you need:

  • Eggs
  • Oil (any type of neutral flavored oil, like sunflower seed, safflower, corn, vegetable, or canola oil)
  • Sugar
  • Salt
  • Flour
  • Baking powder
  • Vanilla extract
  • Filling (jam, preserves, jelly, poppy seed filling, etc)

How do you make it?

This hamentashen recipe is super easy to make. Because the dough uses oil instead of butter, it is much easier to handle than other the dough in other recipes.

It also means that you can make it in one bowl with nothing but a spoon or whisk for mixing. Here’s how:

  1. Mix the eggs, oil, sugar, and vanilla in a mixing bowl until well combined.
  2. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and mix until well combined in a stif dough.
  3. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for about an hour (or longer).
  4. Roll the dough out to 1/8-inch thickness and cut into circles.
  5. Dollop the filling onto the circles and fold up the sides to form a triangle around the filling.
  6. Bake until lightly golden brown.

Tips for success

These Hamantaschen are especially easy to make since the oil-based dough is so easy to handle. Here are a few more tricks to making perfect hamentashen:

  • Be sure to roll the dough out to an even thickness. I find that somewhere between 1/8 and ¼ inch is perfect—thick enough that it doesn’t fall apart instantly when you try to shape it, but thin enough that it cooks thoroughly and evenly.
  • For the ideal size and shape, use a 2 ½-inch round cookie cutter or biscuit cutter. If you don’t have one, you can use a drinking glass that size.
  • Don’t add too much filling. As tempting as it is to load up on the jewel-colored, sweet-tasting jams and preserves, too much filling will prevent the cookies from holding their shape. The triangles will bust open and filling will bubble out all over the place. About a teaspoon of filling is just right if you’re using a 2 ½-inch round cutter.
  • Place the filling on the dough round before folding up the sides.
  • There is an endless variety of possible fillings. Poppy seed filling is the most traditional. I like the Solo Poppy Seed Filling. Or you can make your own poppy seed filling!
  • You can also use fruit jams, jellies, or preserves. Some modern-day bakers have strayed far from tradition to use fillings like Nutella or peanut butter.
  • Use an assortment of fillings for a particularly attractive display, or if there is one filling you just love, just go ahead and use that for the whole batch.
  • Pinch the corners and sides of the dough together well when you create your triangle. This will keep them from opening up during baking.

More cookie recipes you’ll love

If you love making cookies, try theseHoney Cookies, Flourless Chocolate Cookies,Kolacky,Ginger Snap Cookies,Rhubarb Cookies, Black Sesame Cookies, Salted Toffee Cookies, orLemon Coconut Macaroons.

If you want to cook multiple batches of cookies at the same time but only have one oven, you can makeAir Fryer Cookies, like theseAir Fryer Peanut Butter Cookies or Air Fryer Hot Cocoa Cookies.

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More Jewish holiday recipes you’ll love

  • Honey Cake
  • Honey Cookies
  • Lemon Coconut Macaroons
  • Jewish Beef Brisket
  • Meat-Filled Borekas or Pastelicos
  • Passover Orange Sponge Cake
  • Passover Potato, Tomato, and Olive Stew
  • Hamentashen
  • Kreplach with Beef Filling
  • Sufganiyot or Jelly Donuts for Hanukkah
  • Potato Latkes for Hanukkah
  • Classic Chopped Liver
  • Vegetarian Chopped Liver
  • Check out all of my Jewish Recipes!

The Best Easy Hamentashen Recipe (6)

Hamentashen

Robin Donovan

Hamentashen are crunchy, crumbly, just sweet enough triangle shaped cookies with a center filled with sweet poppy seed or fruit fillings. They're a popular treat on the Jewish holiday of Purim.

4.42 from 93 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 14 minutes mins

Additional Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 34 minutes mins

Course Dessert Recipes

Cuisine Jewish

Servings 30 cookies

Calories 89 kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ cup neutral-flavored oil safflower, sunflower seed, canola, etc.
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¾ cup filling of your choice Solo Poppy Seed Filling; fruit jam, jelly, or preserves; or a non-traditional filling like Nutella

Instructions

  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, sugar,
    and vanilla extract.

  • Add the flour, baking powder, and salt and stir with a
    wooden spoon (or feel free to use an electric mixer), until well combined.

  • Turn the dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap and form it into a disk. Wrap the dough disk in the plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

  • On a lightly floured board, roll the dough out to about
    1/8-inch thickness. Cut with a 2-inch round cutter.

  • Place about a teaspoon of filling in the center of each of
    the dough rounds. Fold up three sides and pinch them together to form a triangle around the filling, making sure to leave the center open so that the filling is visible.

  • Bake for 12 to14 minutes, until the cookies are very lightly browned. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1Calories: 89kcalCarbohydrates: 11gProtein: 2gFat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 31mgSugar: 3g

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Hamentashen Story

The Best Easy Hamentashen Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What does hamantaschen mean in English? ›

The name literally means “Haman's pockets” (not Haman's hat, as is usually translated), after the villain of the Purim story, and probably comes from an 18th-century German snack cake, Mohntaschen—Mohn means “poppy seed,” and Tasch means “pocket.” Hamantaschen, therefore, is a play on words (and you know how we Jews ...

What is hamantaschen made of? ›

Hamantaschen are triangular cookies made of shortbread dough. The cookies are folded to form a center pocket that's stuffed with anything from poppy seed filling, jams, and Nutella to savory fillings like smoked salmon. Hamantaschen are typically enjoyed on Purim, which marks the day Esther told Haman she was Jewish.

How do you make hamantaschen stay closed? ›

Once you've folded your hamantaschen, place them on a cookie tray and freeze for 15 minutes. Freezing the dough helps it to keep its shape in the oven. If you prefer a shiny look to your hamantaschen, brush with egg just before baking. Bake the dough and you'll get beautiful hamantaschen for Purim!

What is another name for hamantaschen? ›

Hamantashen are known as "oznei Haman" in Israel, a term that also refers to the Sephardic pastry "Orejas de Haman", twisted or rolled strips of dough that are fried, and are the most popular cookie sold at bakeries across Israel in the weeks leading up to Purim each year, with both large chains and small independent ...

What is the difference between hamantaschen and rugelach? ›

Where rugelach can be filled with a raisin-walnut filling and rolled up into a crescent, hamantaschen is stuffed with a prune butter-walnut filling (or something equally sticky) then formed into a triangle before baking.

Why do Jews eat hamantaschen? ›

These cookies were called “mohntaschen” which translates to “poppy seed pockets.” In the early 19th century, Germany Jews started making them specifically for Purim and called them “hamantaschen” because the name of the Purim villain, Haman, sounds like “mohn.” Playing off the pun, it was said that the cookies stuffed ...

Why do hamantaschen have three corners? ›

Hamantaschen are traditional cookies eaten during the Jewish holiday, Purim. They consist of pockets of dough filled with poppy seeds or a variety of other fillings. The three corners of the hamantashen are thought to represent the three-cornered hat worn by Haman, the villain of the Purim story.

What country is hamantaschen from? ›

Mohntaschen, or "poppy seed pockets," were a popular German pastry dating from medieval times. Around the late 1500s, German Jews dubbed them Hamantaschen, or "Haman's pockets." The play on words likely references the rumor that the evil Haman's pockets were filled with bribe money.

Why is it called hamantaschen? ›

The word is probably derived from the Yiddish word mohn-taschen, which means "poppy-seed pockets" and refers to pocket-like pastries. Eventually, as they became popular Purim treats, the word transformed into Hamantaschen, because of a Midrash or folklore that says that Haman had a three-cornered hat.

How do you thicken Jam for hamantaschen? ›

Thicken the filling: I like to use already made jams as fillings. Most jams are too thin for hamantachen, hence the bubbling over in the oven problem. Before I make the dough, I put the jam in a small pot and simmer it on low heat until it's reduced.

How do you store hamantaschen? ›

STORING YOUR HAMANTASCHEN

Hamantaschen will always be best the day that they're baked, but they'll hold well at room temperature up to two days after baking. Store the cooled cookies in a sealed container or wrapped in plastic.

Can you freeze hamentashen? ›

The baked hamantaschen are best served the same day they are made, but they can be frozen for a few weeks. Defrost completely before serving.

What holiday is the hamantaschen for? ›

Hamantaschen, a triangular-shaped cookie, is served during the Jewish holiday of Purim, which begins Wednesday. In the days leading up to Purim, Peleg expects to sell as many as 10,000 cookies a day, with a variety of fillings: chocolate ("sort of like a brownie nestled inside the cookie"), poppy seeds, or jam.

How many calories are in a hamantaschen? ›

Apricot Hamantaschen Nutritional Facts and Calories
Amount Per Serving% DV
Calories153kcal8%
Fats2g3%
Sat. fats1g5%
Mono. Fats1g2%
7 more rows

What are Purim flavors? ›

Hamantaschen (Yiddish for “Haman's pockets”) are the most famous Purim food. These triangular cookies are often filled with poppy seed, chocolate, jelly or other sweet flavors. Known as oznei haman (Haman's ears) in Hebrew, hamantaschen are commonly included in mishloach manot or served as a snack at Purim parties.

What does hamantaschen mean in German? ›

Purim is a Jewish holiday to celebrate the Jewish people being saved from Haman. The tradition to eat hamantaschen on Purim appears to have begun in Europe. The name is derived from two German words: mohn (poppy seed) and taschen (pockets).

Why are they called hamantaschen? ›

The word is probably derived from the Yiddish word mohn-taschen, which means "poppy-seed pockets" and refers to pocket-like pastries. Eventually, as they became popular Purim treats, the word transformed into Hamantaschen, because of a Midrash or folklore that says that Haman had a three-cornered hat.

Is hamantaschen a cookie or pastry? ›

A true treat baked and enjoyed on the joyful Jewish holiday of Purim, hamantaschen aren't just cookies—they're cookies with a backstory.

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