The Best Hamantaschen

How to make the best hamantaschen, plus all my tips, tricks, and a giant list of fillings so you never get bored.

Out of the literally dozens of Jewish holidays, Purim has always been my favorite. Okay, besides Passover. But top two! Why? Costumes, drinking, carnivals, and cookies. I LOVE a costume and will take any excuse to dress up. My best one ever? A three-way tie between Leonardo of Ninja Turtle fame, Blaze from the original American Gladiators, and She-Ra (please tell me you know who She-Ra is so I don’t feel so old). No, I will not be posting photos. Those stay safe on secure websites. Like Facebook. See also: my bagel and lox costume.

Now to the cookies. This is a soft, cakey hamantaschen, not the dry, crumbly kind that sends you reaching for a glass of milk. The dough mixes up by hand, rolls easily, and actually holds its triangle in the oven. It is also forgiving, which makes it a great recipe if you have never made hamantaschen before. Here is everything I know about making them.

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What are hamantaschen?

Hamantaschen are triangular filled cookies eaten on Purim. The name is Yiddish, and the most common translation is “Haman’s pockets” (taschen means pockets). Haman was the villain of the Purim story, so naturally we celebrate by eating cookies shaped like part of him. Some people say the triangle is his three-cornered hat. Others say his ears, which is why the Hebrew name is oznei Haman, literally “Haman’s ears.” There is even a story that the pockets stood for the bribe money Haman offered the king. Pick whichever origin you like. Either way: triangle cookie, sweet or savory filling, pinched at three corners. Hamantaschen are a Purim food, so you mostly see them once a year, which is exactly why everyone goes a little overboard when they do.

Poppy seeds and prunes are the old-school fillings. I have also been known to fill mine with the priciest jam at the store and then dip the whole thing in chocolate, because I can.

How do you pronounce hamantaschen?

It is roughly “HUM-un-tosh-en.” One cookie is a hamantasch. Two or more are hamantaschen. You will also see them spelled hamantashen, hamentaschen, hamentashen, and the occasional hamantash. All fine, all the same cookie. Yiddish transliteration is a free-for-all and I fully support that.

What is Purim?

If I had to sum up most Jewish holidays, it goes like this: someone tries to wipe us out, by some ridiculous miracle we triumph despite being outnumbered, and then we eat and drink about it. Purim is no different.

Around 400 BCE in Persia, Queen Esther saved the Jewish people from Haman, King Ahasuerus’s adviser, who had a whole plan to destroy them. Esther kept her Jewish identity hidden, then revealed it at exactly the right moment with some coaching from her cousin Mordechai. Haman’s plot fell apart.

So we celebrate Esther’s bravery with the fun stuff: costumes, carnivals, a festive meal, and mishloach manot, the little gift baskets of food you hand out to friends. Alcohol is not just allowed but encouraged. Female empowerment, Jewish pride, hidden miracles, and snacks. Sign me up.

There is more to the day than costumes. We read the Megillah, the Book of Esther, out loud, and every time Haman’s name comes up the whole room boos, stamps, and spins noisemakers called groggers to drown it out. There is a festive meal called the seudah. We give mishloach manot, baskets of food, to friends, and matanot la’evyonim, gifts to people in need, so nobody is left out of the celebrating. And yes, there is a real tradition of drinking until you cannot tell “cursed is Haman” from “blessed is Mordechai.” Purim lands in the Hebrew month of Adar, usually late winter or early spring.

How do you make hamantaschen?

This recipe makes a softer, cakey hamantaschen, because dry hamantaschen are a tragedy. The dough is simple enough to mix with your hands, which makes it a good one to make with kids, and it rolls out without a fight. You cream the butter and sugar, beat in an egg and a little vanilla, then mix in the dry ingredients until a soft dough comes together. That is the whole project.

Roll the dough about a quarter inch thick and cut circles with a glass or a round cutter. Add a small spoonful of filling to the center of each circle. Then shape: pinch three corners up into a triangle, or fold the sides over and overlap them. I am team pinch. Plenty of people swear folding holds better. Try both and pick your side. The full recipe with measurements is in the card below.

Tips for the best hamantaschen

A few things I have learned after making approximately ten thousand of these:

• Chill the dough before you roll it. Cold dough is easier to handle and the cookies keep their shape better. An hour in the fridge works, or make the dough the day before.
• Roll between two sheets of parchment instead of dusting with flour. Too much extra flour makes the cookies tough.
• Use a 3-inch round cutter for a good ratio of cookie to filling. The rim of a drinking glass works in a pinch.
• You can re-roll the dough scraps, but the second round bakes up a little tougher, so roll efficiently the first time.
• Let the cookies cool on the pan for a few minutes before you move them. Cakey hamantaschen are fragile while warm and firm up as they cool.
• Bring the butter and egg to room temperature before you start so they blend into a smoother dough.

How do you keep hamantaschen from opening?

The number one hamantaschen complaint: they pop open in the oven and spill their filling everywhere. Here is how to keep that from happening.

• Don’t roll the dough too thin. About a quarter inch is right. Thin dough has nothing to hold onto.
• Don’t overfill. One teaspoon of filling, maybe a little less. I know it is tempting. Resist.
• Pinch hard. Really commit to those corners so they stick together.
• Freeze the shaped cookies for 20 to 30 minutes while the oven preheats. Cold dough holds its shape and spreads less.
• Brush with egg wash. It adds color and helps the seams hold. You can even dab a little egg wash on the dough before adding filling, like glue.
• Use thicker fillings. Runny jam escapes. Thick jam, lekvar, and pastes behave much better.

15+ hamantaschen filling ideas

Poppy seed and prune are traditional, but a hamantasch is really just an edible delivery system for whatever you want. Here are more than fifteen fillings to try, sweet and savory.

Poppy seed (mohn)

The original. Mohn is a sweet poppy seed paste, a little nutty and a little earthy. If your only experience is a dry bakery version, homemade mohn filling is a different cookie entirely. Buy canned poppy seed filling, or make your own by simmering ground poppy seeds with milk, sugar, and honey until thick.

Prune (lekvar)

Lekvar is a thick prune butter and the other classic. Do not let the word prune scare you off. It is deep, jammy, and not too sweet. This is the filling your great-grandmother probably used.

Apricot

Apricot jam is the easiest entry point. Sweet, a little tart, holds its shape, and everyone likes it. Making hamantaschen for the first time? Start here.

Raspberry

Raspberry jam is bright and tart and looks gorgeous peeking out of the triangle. Use seedless if seeds bother you, and a thicker preserve instead of a loose jelly.

Nutella

Chocolate hazelnut spread, straight from the jar. It firms up as the cookies cool. Kids vote for this one every single time.

Halva

Halva, the sesame candy, makes an incredible filling: nutty and not too sweet. I love it enough that I gave it its own recipe. Try my halva hamantaschen.

Chocolate

A spoonful of chocolate ganache, or just chopped chocolate that melts into a puddle as they bake. A square of a good chocolate bar works as well as anything fancy. You can also dip finished hamantaschen in melted chocolate, which is my personal love language.

Dulce de leche

Thick, caramelized, and a little salty if you add flaky salt on top. Dulce de leche is sturdy enough to behave in the oven and rich enough to feel fancy.

Lemon curd

Lemon curd brings tang and a sunny yellow center. It is on the softer side, so freeze the shaped cookies well before baking and go easy on the amount.

Strawberry

Strawberry jam is a crowd favorite, and strawberries and cream is even better. I have a whole strawberries and cream hamantaschen recipe if you want to go there.

Fig

Fig jam is jammy and grown-up, especially with a little orange zest in the dough. This one belongs on a cheese board next to the savory options.

Date

Date paste, sometimes called silan filling, is naturally sweet and very Middle Eastern. Mash soft dates with a little orange juice and you have a filling with no added sugar.

Nut butter

Peanut, almond, or any nut butter, on its own or with a dot of jam for a PB&J hamantasch. Nut butter is thick, so it stays put.

Savory cheese

Hamantaschen do not have to be dessert. A savory cheese filling, think feta and herbs, turns them into an appetizer. My spinach artichoke dip hamantaschen are exactly that.

Pizza

Tomato sauce, mozzarella, a little oregano. Pizza hamantaschen are a hit with kids and a fun savory option for a Purim spread. Keep the sauce thick so they do not leak.

More savory ideas

Once you go savory there is no end to it. Try crab rangoon hamantaschen, pita and hummus, or a shakshuka filling. Treat the triangle as a tiny hand pie.

Hamantaschen vs other Jewish cookies

Hamantaschen get grouped with other Jewish baked goods, but they are their own thing. A few quick comparisons:

Rugelach are rolled, crescent-shaped cookies, usually a cream cheese dough wrapped around a filling. Hamantaschen are flat circles folded into triangles. Different shape, different dough.

Babka is a yeasted, braided loaf, more bread than cookie. Hamantaschen are an unyeasted cookie you make by the dozen.

Mandelbrot is the Jewish cousin of biscotti, twice-baked and crunchy. Hamantaschen are soft. One more difference: rugelach, babka, and mandelbrot show up all year, while hamantaschen are tied to Purim. What makes a hamantasch a hamantasch is the triangle and the filling tucked into the middle like a little pocket. No triangle, no hamantasch.

Creative hamantaschen flavors to try

Want to get weird with it? I have spent years doing exactly that. Here are some of my favorite hamantaschen recipes, sweet and savory. Check out all my Purim recipes and my roundup of 10 unique hamantaschen too. A few of my favorite flavors are pictured here.

Sweet hamantaschen:

• Strawberries and Cream Hamantaschen
• Ginger Lime Hamantaschen
• Papaya Coconut Hamantaschen
• Bananas Foster Hamantaschen
• Lemon Lavender Hamantaschen
• Strawberry Champagne Rainbow Hamantaschen
• Chocolate Bourbon Hamantaschen with Bailey’s Glaze
• Manischewitz Hamantaschen
• Millionaire’s Shortbread Hamantaschen
• Halva Hamantaschen
• Mint Chocolate Hamantaschen
• Red Velvet Hamantaschen
• Neapolitan Hamantaschen

Savory hamantaschen:

• Bialy Hamantaschen
• Shakshuka Hamantaschen
• Pita and Hummus Hamantaschen
• Spinach Artichoke Dip Hamantaschen
• Crab Rangoon Hamantaschen
• Savory Caramelized Onion Hamantaschen

How to store and ship hamantaschen

Hamantaschen keep well, which is part of why they are perfect for Purim, when you are handing them out in mishloach manot baskets.

• To store: keep baked hamantaschen in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3 to 4 days. The cakey ones soften over time but still taste good.
• To freeze: freeze baked and cooled hamantaschen in an airtight container for up to 3 months. You can also freeze them shaped and unbaked, then bake straight from the freezer with a couple of extra minutes.
• To ship or gift: jam and lekvar fillings travel best because they do not ooze. Skip anything that melts (looking at you, chocolate and Nutella) if the basket is headed somewhere warm. Pack the cookies snugly in a tin with parchment between layers so they do not slide and crack.

Hamantaschen FAQ

Why do my hamantaschen open in the oven?

Usually one of three things: the dough was rolled too thin, the cookies were overfilled, or the corners were not pinched firmly enough. Chilling the shaped cookies in the freezer before baking helps a lot, and a thicker filling helps too.

Can you freeze hamantaschen?

Yes. Freeze baked hamantaschen in an airtight container for up to 3 months. You can also freeze them shaped and unbaked, then bake from frozen with a couple of extra minutes added.

How long do hamantaschen last?

About 3 to 4 days in an airtight container at room temperature. They are a soft cookie, so they will not go stale fast, but they are best in the first couple of days.

Can I make hamantaschen dough ahead of time?

Yes, and you probably should. The dough rolls more easily when it is cold. Make it up to 2 days ahead and keep it wrapped in the fridge, or freeze it for up to 3 months.

What is the most traditional hamantaschen filling?

Poppy seed (mohn) and prune (lekvar) are the two classics. Poppy seed is probably the most traditional of all and shows up in the oldest recipes.

How do I make hamantaschen dairy-free?

Swap the butter for a good vegan butter or a neutral oil and the dough works fine. Then pick a dairy-free filling. Most jams and fruit fillings already are, which keeps the cookies pareve so you can serve them after a meat meal.

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Ta da! They taste fantastic, especially dipped in melted chocolate. Happy Purim, and go a little meshugenah with your fillings.