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.
Why you'll love this recipe
- These triangle-shaped Purim cookies stay fresh for over a week, making them ideal for making ahead, gifting, and shipping.
- The flavor of these delicious, soft cookies continues to improve over time.
- The filling is completely customizable to allow for individual preferences and allergies.
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.
The best part are the triangular Hamantaschen cookies named after the bad guy, Haman. Hamantaschen is a Yiddish word meaning Haman’s pockets. The cookies are also thought to symbolize Haman's hat or Haman's ears.
Traditionally, the three-cornered cookies are filled with prune or poppy seed filling. Non-traditionally, they can be filled with a variety of fillings.
The cookie dough itself is often hard and dry. Not with this delicious Hamantaschen Recipe. This dairy free version is made with vegetable oil, creating 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 Hamantashen recipe are ideal for gifting in person or by mail.
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 dry ingredients, 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 chilled dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
- Roll dough to ⅙" - ¼" on a lightly floured surface.
- Use a round cookie cutter or the rim of a drinking glass to cut out 3-inch circles.
- Place ½" heaping teaspoon of jam or one candy piece in the center of each cookie.
- 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. Substitute with water, if preferred.
- Don't be tempted to add additional fruit 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 in the story of Queen Esther.
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, freeze hamantaschen 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 has a flakey, buttery pastry dough wrapped around sweet fillings. Raspberry Rugelach are filled with jam, then rolled into crescents. 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 15, 2024. Updated for additional information and better user experience.
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
bakerbynaturea
Hamantaschen! I love it!!!
themondaybox
Glad you like them, Ashley! I made about 15 dozen! Most were given to friends and family (including 7 dozen to my son's fraternity) and the rest we ate!
shannon
Oh my goodness how cute are those hamantaschen!! I never thought about decorating them around the edges like you did with the sprinkles and frosting; adorable. I love your fillings, and i'm adding this to my list of hamantaschen recipes to try next year.
themondaybox
Thank you Shannon! After all your extaordinary hamantashen efforts this year, I would have thought you would be pleased to say,"Been there, done that!" Your homemade jam fillings were amazing! I don't usually decorate my hamantashen. I glitzed them up this year for the blog, then liked the results.:) If you are interested, perhaps we can make a batch together next year. 🙂
Chandra@The Plaid and Paisley Kitchen
Oh I can tell that I would not be able to stop at just one of these cookies either! What a great post and fun information! Thanks for stopping by my blog so that I could find you. I am your newest follower on Facebook!
themondaybox
Thanks so much for finding me, Chandra! I'm a Pinterest fiend but I'm just getting started with Facebook. Thanks for following. 🙂 So much to learn.
BruCrew Life
Those are such pretty cookies! I love all the fun fillings, but that PB cup one is my favorite!!!
themondaybox
Thanks, Jocelyn! I used to make more fruit flavors but the PB cup is EVERYONE's favorite 🙂
ohsweetbasil
Those look wonderful and I love learning about new recipes!
themondaybox
Thanks, Carrian! I like learning about new recipes too, especially recipes tied to cultures and traditions. Without new recipes, cooking and eating would get boring 🙂
Christine Pittman (@CookTheStory)
These are such pretty cookies. I love the shapes and the fillings and the decorations. They have it all! Thanks for introducing me to these!
themondaybox
Thank you, Christine for your kind words. I'm glad you came by the blog! I think its so much fun to learn about and try new goodies 🙂 If you decide to try the hamantashen , please let me know what you think.
Rachel @ Bakerita
These look so delicious!! I've never made these at home, but I definitely want to try them!
themondaybox
Thanks, Rachel! I hope you will give them a try and let me know what you think 🙂
Jess @ On Sugar Mountain
A co-worker of mine just made these the other day for us! Love them. I'll have to send this recipe over to her for sure 😀
themondaybox
Thanks Jess. There are so many different hamantashen recipes. I like to collect them and try them all!
Monica
I'd never heard of hamantashen cookies and I'm really grateful to know about it now. I love the variety and they look great!
themondaybox
Hi Monica. Thanks for reading! You are right, Hamantashen come in sooo many varieties and are so tasty. They really should be baked all year!
Reeni
I love learning about these cookies! They look absolutely delightful! Love that you can use a variety of fillings.
themondaybox
Thanks, Reeni! We have definitely eaten our weight in hamantashen for the last few days 🙂 These are kind of like a triangular cookie danish, if a danish had the texture of a cake. Hard to describe. You better just bake them to see for yourself 🙂
chewtown
These look amazing! I've never heard of these before, so it was great to learn about the story behind them.
themondaybox
Thanks, Amanda! These hamantashen are a little different than the traditional cookie dough type. They are fluffy and cake like. Perfect with a cup of tea or coffee. I hope you will give them a try. 🙂
Ashley
These sound delicious! Love the peanut butter cup filling - that is so right up my alley : )
saltandserenity
Wendy, your hamentashen look so pretty, not to mention delicious looking. Thanks for the link to my blog! I had to laugh as I read your blog. I thought I was the only one to be making Canada Post and UPS wealthy by sending so many goodies to my loved ones so far away. Shipping treats is truly a labour of love, isn't it? Happy and healthy Purim to you and your family!
themondaybox
Happy Purim! You aren't kidding about the postal rates. I thought I would pass out when my first 4 UPS boxes weighed in at $48 (total). The love inside those hamantashen were worth a fortune I guess! I did make a batch with your cinnamon roll hamantashen filling (including your fantastic graham cracker tip) and they were delicious. 🙂