Manischewitz Hamantaschen! Now I want all my cookies to be boozy. Get on that, Oreo!
Well you can’t be totally surprised to see this recipe, right? I’ve been known to dabble in the magical powers of Manischewitz before. And gosh darn it I’ll do it again! You can’t stop me. That sweet, sweet Bar Mitzvah wine just does something special for me. And for recipes, apparently.
You may recall Manischewitz Short Ribs with Horseradish Gremolata, Manischewitz Cupcakes, Manischewitz Ice Cream and, who could forget, Manischewitz Jell-O Shots. All winners! A meal that would impress any lover. And speaking of lovers, how was your Valentine’s Day? If you showered your lady or man friend with roses and Jewish wine, then I’m sure it was fantastic. I went on a platonic double date to a “show”. What kind of show, you ask? You know air guitar, right? It was sort of like that but called Air Sex. So instead of fake guitars, people have fake sex, fully clothed, by themselves. I’m not kidding. It was…interesting. Some contestants really brought it! The perfect way to celebrate.
Anyhoo, back to the hamantaschen.
Purim is coming up faster than, well, fast (resisting the urge to use an air sex analogy). I’ve got some more details on the holiday right here, but basically Esther saves all the Jews from the King’s evil adviser Haman’s devious plans of extermination. So we rejoice with tons of rowdy parties, costumes, boozing and cookies. Hamantaschen are triangular cookies that represent the fashionable three-cornered hat Haman was known to sport.
So I thought to myself, why not combine the boozing of the holidays with the cookies?? And what better avenue of drunkenness than everyone’s favorite grape wine. That’s you, Manischewitz!
There is wine in the dough, in the filling, drizzled on top, and in my glass as I write this. Kidding, it’s 7am. It’s whiskey!
Some people say Purim is a holiday for the kiddos. But these cookies are as adult as (insert air sex analogy here).
I hope this knock your socks off, but if you are looking for more boozy cookies, stay tuned! I’ve got something magical in the works.
Manischewitz Hamantaschen
Ingredients
- For hamantaschen:
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 stick (1/2 cup aka 4 oz), room temperature
- 1 egg plus 1 for egg wash
- Zest from 1 orange
- 2 tablespoons Manischewitz
- 2 cups all-purpose flour sifted
- ½ teaspoon baking powder (use 1 teaspoon for pouffier softer cookies)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- For filling:
- 1½ cup Manischewitz
- 6 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2½ cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- In a large bowl with a hand or stand mixer, blend together sugar and butter together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Then add in 1 egg, orange zest and Manischewitz and combine. Then add in flour, baking powder and salt. Combine with hands or spoon until the ingredients are just combined and the dough is a uniform color. Dough will be slightly sticky.
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill it in the refrigerator overnight. You can also freeze it at this point for future use for up to 2 months.
- To make filling, pour 1.5 cups Manischewitz in a small saucepan and simmer over medium high heat until it reduces down to about 3 tablespoons, about 10 minutes. Let cool, syrup will thicken as it cools.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon Manischewitz syrup with a hand mixer or spoon until combined. The filling should be thick. If it is dry, add a little more syrup.
- Roll out dough to about 1/4 - 1/8 inch thin on a very lightly floured surface and cut into circles using a 3 or 3 1/2-inch cookie cutter. Add a heaping teaspoon of the filling to the center of each hamantaschen. Fold in 3 corners to form a triangle and overlap the edges to seal. Don’t overstuff, or your hamantaschen may leak.
- Place hamantaschen on a parchment lined cookie sheet and freeze for 30 minutes to help seal the cookie so it won’t leak. Whisk the remaining egg with a tablespoon of water and brush over hamantaschen.
- Bake 12-15 minutes until lightly browned on the bottom. Cool, and drizzle with remaining Manischewitz syrup.
Notes
These look super delicious!!! Especially the filling! Thanks for another great recipe. I have been using your challah recipe multiple times now and it always comes out perfectly thanks for posting it.
Thanks so much, Heather! So glad you like the challah recipe!!
Will these feeze well if I make them a few weeks early?
Yes they freeze well! I would freeze without the drizzle though.
Cookies, cakes, ice cream = all should have booze in them! Love the color that these turned out!
I should have just done an all-booze food blog! Darn. Thanks, Liz!
First, I have been enjoying your site and instagram feed since Hanukkah – so glad I found you! Still trying to figure out what and how many varieties of hamantaschen to make on my first attempt, but this one is a must. As I consider my baking plan and how to ship these to my friends, do you have any idea on how long they last? I was thinking of baking Monday night and shipping first thing Tuesday, but if Sunday wouldn’t be too early, it might be easier. Thanks in advance for any insight you can provide.
Thanks so much, Meagan! They are best eaten as soon as possible, and the drizzle makes it a little tricky to ship if you try to overlap them. What I would do is make them Sunday, freeze them on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, and then bake them Monday night right from the freezer. Leave the drizzle off and ship Tuesday. Hope that helps!
I just found this recipe and it looks amazing. Can I substitute Tofutti cream cheese for the regular?
I haven’t tried it but I think it would work!