Hamantaschen are filled triangular cookies, classically made to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Purim. For this hamantaschen recipe, you’ll choose from three different sweet fillings. First up, a riff on the quintessential poppy seed iteration, traditionally made with mohn (sweetened poppy seed paste), which we’ve brightened with lemon zest and enriched with vanilla.
There’s also a a baklava-inspired honey-nut filling (with pecans, pistachios, and walnuts) and an orange-scented date version spiced with cinnamon. You could also use store-bought (or homemade) jam—apricot, prune, cherry, and raspberry are all popular choices.
A few tips for success: First, it's important to use a scale to measure your ingredients by weight, particularly the flour. This crisp, shortbread-like dough is easiest to work with at room temperature. If you want to make and chill the dough ahead of time, be sure to let the chilled dough sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before rolling out. If the dough becomes too soft, chill it for a few minutes until it firms up again. Rolling the dough between two sheets of parchment paper makes it easier to maneuver—and eliminates the need for added flour, which could make the cookies tough. Don’t worry if there are some cracks in the dough as you fold up the edges—they will disappear when you pinch and seal the points together. The bottoms of the cookies will brown more quickly than the tops, but be careful when checking for doneness: Those sweet centers can turn lava-hot in the oven so let them cool on the baking sheet until just warm before tasting.
Editor’s note: This recipe has been updated since it was first published. Upon re-testing, we found that accurately measuring at least the flour by weight is the most important step for success; we’ve updated the recipe to include metric measurements.
What you’ll need
Scale
$26 At Amazon
Rolling Pin
$13 At Amazon
Round Cookie Cutter Set, 12-Pack
$13 $10 At Amazon
Stand Mixer
$400 $380 At Amazon
Microplane Grater
$18 At Amazon
Whisk
$10 At Amazon
Wire Cooling Rack
$18 At Amazon
Recipe information
Yield
Makes about 24 Servings
Ingredients
4
1½
1
1
1
1
2
Special Equipment
3½
Need to make a substitution?
Preparation
Step 1
Whisk 4 cups (500g) all-purpose flour, and 1 ½ tsp. baking powder in small bowl until well combined.
Step 2
Beat 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, 1 cup (200g) sugar, 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal kosher salt, and 1 tsp. (packed) finely grated lemon zest in a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment on medium speed until pale and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add 2 large eggs, one at a time, beating for 30 seconds after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl. Reduce speed to low and add dry ingredients; beat until just combined. Divide dough in half and pat into disks.
Step 3
Working one disk at a time, roll out dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper to ¼" thick. Stack sheets of dough, still sandwiched between parchment, and slide onto a baking sheet. Chill until firm, about 1 hour.
Step 4
Roll out dough on a very lightly floured surface to about ¼" thick, dusting with flour as needed (use as little flour as possible). Cut out 3 1/2" rounds with cutter and, using an offset spatula or bench scraper, transfer to 2 parchment-lined baking sheets. Gather up scraps, reroll, and cut out additional rounds.
Step 5
Place racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 350°. Unstack dough sheets and transfer to a surface; carefully peel away top sheet of parchment paper from each. Punch out cookies as close together as possible with cutter. Transfer cutouts to 2 parchment-lined baking sheets (reuse the top sheets from rolling out cookies). Gather up scraps, reroll, and cut out additional rounds, chilling dough briefly in between if needed.
Step 6
Place 2 tsp. of your chosen filling in center of each cookie round. Fold three sides up and over filling (leaving about 1” of filling exposed) to make a triangle, pressing points gently but firmly to seal.
Step 7
Bake cookies, rotating baking sheets top to bottom and front to back, until bottoms are golden brown, 18-22 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to wire rack and let cool completely.
Do ahead: Dough can be rolled out 2 days ahead; stack, sandwiched between parchment, on a baking sheet, wrap in plastic, and chill. Cookies can be assembled 3 days ahead; store airtight at room temperature.