This Hamantaschen Recipe makes soft, cake like Purim cookies filled with your choice of fun fillings from jam to peanut butter cups! Chocolate drizzle or sparkling sugar add an extra layer of festive deliciousness.
About this recipe
The Jewish holiday of Purim is a festival filled with merriment. There's costumes, noise making, and a story involving an evil, bad guy and a beautiful queen who saves the day.
And there are triangular Hamantaschen cookies named after the bad guy, Haman. Hamantaschen, is a Yiddish word meaning Haman’s pockets.
Traditionally, the three-cornered cookies are filled with prune or poppy seed filling. Non-traditionally, they can be filled with anything.
The cookie dough itself is often hard and dry. Not with this Hamantaschen Recipe. This dairy free version is made with vegetable oil which creates a soft, cakey cookie that stays flavorful and fresh for at least one week.
One Purim tradition is to give food baskets to friends and family, usually containing hamantaschen. The cookies from this recipe are ideal for gifting in person or by mail.
Recipe ingredients
Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat eggs, sugar, and oil.
- Mix in vanilla and orange juice.
- Add the flour mixture, and mix until combined. The dough will be very soft and will require overnight chilling (preferred method for softer texture) or an additional flour (about one cup) until the dough is roll-out consistency.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
- Roll out the dough to ⅙" - ¼" on a lightly floured surface.
- Use a round cookie cutter or the rim of a drinking glass to cut out circles.
- Place ½" heaping teaspoon of jam or one candy piece in the center of each circle.
- Fold up the edges to form a triangle shape, pinching the seams together firmly.
- Place the cookies on a parchment lined cookie sheet, about 2" apart. Coat with egg wash.
- Bake until light brown.
Tips
- This hamantaschen dough is very soft (about the consistency of brownie batter). Chilling overnight is recommended for the best cookie texture and easiest to use dough. Even with chilling, additional flour may be necessary to knead into the dough until not sticky.
- If there is no time to chill overnight, add an additional cup of flour while mixing the dough and knead in as much as necessary until not sticky.
- The orange juice adds very mild flavor and moisture. Water can be substituted.
- Don't be tempted to add additional filling. Too much filling will overflow while baking.
- Pinch firmly to keep the pockets from opening while baking. Add additional egg wash, if needed, to make sides stick.
- Filling possibilities are endless. Thicker fillings are optimal to reduce leaking.
- Be sure to line baking sheets. The filling overflows occasionally and cleanup is much easier with parchment lined baking sheets.
- These hamantaschen cookies, because they are cakey and made with oil rather than butter, stay fresh for a long time. Flavor continues to improve for the first few days.
- If you are mailing these, any topping must set firmly. I personally prefer not to embellish the cookies I am mailing unless I know the weather will be cold.
Decorating ideas
- Drizzle with icing or melted chocolate.
- Add decorating sugar or sprinkles over the egg wash before baking. This is a good choice for decorating method that won't melt if shipping.
- Dip one or more corners in melted chocolate. Leave the chocolate plain or cover with sprinkles or chopped nuts.
- Spread icing or melted chocolate on the sides of the cookies and dip in sprinkles.
- Paint the sides of the cookies with simple syrup and dip in poppy seeds.
Frequently asked questions
Though the word "hamantaschen" is Yiddish for "Haman's pockets", the triangular cookies are said to represent Haman's pockets, ears, or hat. The cookies are symbolic of the Jewish people's triumph over Haman.
Though it is tempting to use lots of filling, using a minimal amount is essential to prevent overflowing. Firmly pinching the seams of the dough and using egg wash as glue, keeps the cookies from opening while baking.
Yes, these cookies can be frozen for several weeks, baked or raw.
More Jewish holiday recipes
These Triangle Cookies are fun slice and bake Hamantaschen! Triangular sugar cookies with flavored centers are a tasty twist on traditional Purim cookies.
Rosh Hashanah Honey Cake is a deliciously moist loaf that you will want to bake all year!
Passover Mandel Bread full of chocolate chips is the absolute best Passover recipe. Try it and you will agree!
Rugelach is made with a flakey, buttery pastry dough wrapped around sweet fillings. Raspberry Rugelach are beautiful crescents filled with jam. Chocolate Rugelach are sparkling spirals cut in slices.
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Hamantaschen Recipe
Ingredients
Cookie dough
- 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour up to 1 extra cup is needed if not chilling the dough plus additional for flouring the rolling surface
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 large eggs 1 is used for the egg wash
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup orange juice
Fillings
- ½ cup Jam
- 12 Reese’s Cups or other round miniature chocolate candy: 24 mini candies, unwrapped
Instructions
Prepare dough
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk to combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer beat together 3 eggs, sugar, and oil until color lightens (about 2 minutes).
- Add vanilla and orange juice, mixing until blended in.
- Add the flour mixture. Mix until completely combined. Dough will be wet and soft (about the consistency of thick brownie batter). If not chilling the dough, mix in about 1 more cup of flour until the dough is roll-out consistency.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
When ready to bake
- Pre-heat oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
- Liberally flour (about 2 heaping tablespoons) the rolling surface.
- Working with ½ of the dough at a time, knead the dough on the floured surface, adding more flour as needed, just until the dough is smooth and no longer sticks to the counter surface.
- Roll out to ⅙" - ¼” thickness. Use a cookie cutter or glass rim to cut out circles. ( Trimmings can be re-rolled )
- Place ½ heaping teaspoon of jam filling or one candy piece in the center of each circle. (This sounds like and looks like very little filling, but it is plenty. Any more than this and the filling will erupt during baking).
- Fold up the edges to form the triangular shape, firmly pinching seams together.
- Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets about 2” apart.
- In a small bowl, beat 1 egg for the egg wash. Brush the egg wash over the cookie surfaces.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes until cookies are very lightly golden brown.
- Cool on wire rack.
- Optional: once completely cooled, embellish with chocolate drizzle or dip a cookie corner in melted chocolate or candy melts.
- Store hamantashen in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 10 days.
Notes
- This is a very soft dough (about the consistency of brownie batter. Chilling overnight is recommended for the best cookie texture and easiest to use dough. Even with chilling, additional flour may be necessary to knead into the dough just until not sticky.
- If there is no time to chill overnight, add an additional cup of flour while mixing the dough and knead in as much as necessary just until not sticky.
- The orange juice adds very mild flavor and moisture. Water can be substituted.
- Don't be tempted to add additional filling. Too much filling will overflow while baking.
- Pinch firmly to keep the pockets from opening while baking. Add additional egg wash, if needed, to make sides stick.
- Filling possibilities are endless, from traditional fillings like prune and poppy seed or your favorite fillings like fruit preserves, chocolate chips and peanut butter cups. Thicker fillings are optimal to reduce leaking.
- Be sure to line baking sheets. The filling overflows occasionally and cleanup is much easier with parchment lined baking sheets.
- These hamantaschen cookies, because they are cakey and made with oil rather than butter, stay fresh for a long time. Flavor continues to improve for the first few days.
- If you are mailing these, any topping must set firmly. I personally prefer not to embellish the cookies I am mailing unless I know the weather will be cold.
Nutrition
First Published: February 22, 2013. Last Updated: February 14, 2023. Updated for additional information and improved photographs.
Leah O
This is my hands down favorite hamentashen recipe. This is my second year in a row using it. Thank you very much!
Wendy Sondov
I love hearing that, Leah! I've been using this recipe for decades and love it too.
Cheryl Hoffer
Hi Wendy, I was going to try your recipe, but then I saw that they are cakey and soft, because of the oil. I like them (and any cookies) crisper.
Other than anyone else, my mother's recipe uses a raisin filling, and they are the only ones my sisters and I, and my nieces will eat. The raisins are soaked to plump them up, drained well, and then partially 'mushed' in the food processor (excess liquid discarded). After being filled and shaped, they get sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. I also add a little plain cinnamon into the dough.
When they come out of the oven, and for the rest of the day, they are a little crisp, like a cookie (not hard and dry). After that, the filling makes them quite soft. I usually put a few in the toaster oven briefly to crisp them back up to cookie texture before eating.
My recipe uses 1 stick of margarine, 2 eggs, 5Tbl of water or orange juice, 5-6 cups of flour (depending on the humidity), and NO baking powder. I was wondering if there is any way to keep them from getting too soft, or if I should alter the recipe somehow.
I love your recipes, and will be making some of them for Passover!
Cheryl Hoffer
Correction, my recipe calls for 1-1/3 cup of margarine. (I was thinking of something I made earlier today that used just one stick / ½ cup of margarine.)
Wendy Sondov
Hi, Cheryl. I find that the versions of things we grow up with, simply tastes the BEST. No comparison. 🙂 I've never had raisin hamantaschen, but love raisins, so your recipe sounds delicious. I would love to try them. Is there sugar in the recipe? (you don't mention it in your comment.) As for the softening issue, I wish I had an answer for that. It's the fruit. I have a fig jam biscotti that does the same thing. Crisp the day it's baked and each day a little softer after that. Assuming that your dough would stay crisp if it didn't have the raisins, the only thing I can think of, might be to try baking a cookie without the filling (maybe even with an egg white wash painted on the inside to "seal" the inner surface) and spoon/pipe some filling into the baked cookie as needed? Have fun baking and happy Purim!
Cheryl Hoffer
Wendy, that's a great idea about pre-baking the shells, like a pie crust.
Yes, my recipe has 1 cup of sugar, and ½tsp of vanilla.
Cinnamon sugar and raisins were made for other, LOL. (Add some raspberry jam, fold the appropriate dough up differently , and you have the taste of my mother's Russian Tea Biscuits)
saltandserenity
Dipping all three corners in chocolate looks so pretty. It’s hard to make triangular shaped cookies beautiful. In our family, we love the hard dry dough! I think it’s all what you grew up with!
Happy Purim.
Lazy Budget Chef
Thank you for this recipe! I haven't been able to find one that doesn't have dairy in it until now. I can't wait to try them
Cat | Curly's Cooking
I've never heard of Hamantashen Pocket Cookies but I enjoyed reading the story behind them. They also look really tasty.
The Monday Box
Hi, Cat! I'm glad you found the background information interesting! These are a tasty cookie! If you Google Hamantashen or Hamantaschen, you will find hundreds of recipes for doughs and fillings. Everyone has their favorite and some people have several favorites! This dough is soooo easy to work with that I first started making it with 10 year olds in my classroom when I was a teacher!
Frugal Hausfrau
YUM! I love the different fillings and what gorgeous cookies these are! Thanks so much for sharing with us on Throwback Thursday! Hope to see you next time!
Mollie