Hamentaschen Cookies

This recipe is not too demanding, but there are a few tricks to guiding you to success. First, the dough has a bit of butter in it which makes these cookies delicious, but can cause them to spread while they bake. It is important to chill the dough before rolling it out and again after the shapes are formed before baking. Resist over-filling them. One teaspoon of filling for a 3-inch cookie is plenty—if you make smaller cookies, add less filling. Gently, but firmly, pinch the corners—you want them to be well-sealed so they do not leak, but be careful not to make the dough too thin at the corners or they will burn before the rest of the cookie is done baking. Lastly, fill these with whatever you like. Apricot, raspberry and prune preserves are the most common choices, but we’ve seen Belgian chocolate, Nutella, halvah and other less traditional options; these are YOUR cookies, so have some fun and fill them with whatever you like best!

Makes about 20 cookies 

2/3 cup (11 tablespoons) unsalted butter at room temperature
½ cup sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon (or orange) zest, about one small lemon
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch salt
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
1 tablespoon poppy seeds, optional
2/3 cup raspberry, apricot or prune jam, or the filling of your choice

In the bowl of a stand mixer with whisk attachment or using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar for about 2 minutes, or until pale and fluffy. Stir in the egg, vanilla and lemon zest until well-combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the baking powder, salt, 2 cups flour and the poppy seeds if using. Using a spatula, combine the dry ingredients with the wet, just until the dough is well-combined. Transfer the dough to a sheet of plastic wrap, form into a 1-inch thick disk, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before using.

Heat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or use a silpat baking mat.  

Lightly dust a work surface with flour. Roll the dough out to 1/8-inch thick. Using a 3-inch biscuit cutter (or drinking glass), cut circles out of the dough and arrange onto the baking sheet. (Roll out and cut excess dough one time). Place one teaspoon of filling in the center of each circle. Pinch the outer edge of the circle into a three a cornered triangle surrounding the filling in the center. Make sure the pinched corners are sealed, but do not press too thinly or the edges will burn. Refrigerate 10 to 15 minutes. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until the edges begin to brown. Let rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then finish cooling on a wire rack.

This recipe appeared as an online exclusive in March 2020 as part of a larger story on Hamentaschen for Purim.