I love Purim and this super easy Hamentashen recipe is really the best! Seriously, you don’t need any other hamentashen recipe ever. You can use this dough with ANY filling, topping or flavor that you can imagine. I love classic raspberry jam, but I’ve suggested a whole bunch of my families favorite fillings/topping combos below.
Here in Israel, pretty much the day after Chanukah, the bakeries start selling Hamentashen! So the Purim spirit really starts early and why not?! This recipe is so good, you may want to make these all year round.
What does Hamentashen mean?
Hamentashen is the name of triangular filled cookies traditionally eaten on the Jewish holiday of Purim. The meaning of the name is debated, some say it represents the evil Haman from the book of Esther that we read on Purim while others say it represents the traditional filling of Poppy Seeds (mohn).
The Hebrew name for these cookies is Oznei Haman, which translates to Haman’s ears.
Learn more all about Purim Hamentashen here.
What is the Best Hamentashen recipe?
I am obviously biased, but I absolutely love this recipe! Some of the reasons why I think it is the best are as follows:
- These hamentashen are dairy free
- The dough requires no chilling
- They are made with ingredients you have at home (no orange juice)
- No margarine!
- Comes together super quickly
- And it’s DELICIOUS!!
Hamenstashen fillings
I am a basic girl at heart when it comes to Hamentashen fillings. I like classic jam (jelly) or white chocolate. The dough from this hamentashen recipe goes well with all kinds of fillings. Here are some of the fillings/toppings combos that my family loves but feel free to be creative!
- Lotus spread with crushed lotus cookies
- Popping chocolate Klik spread with Chocolate Klik balls
- Pesek Zman chocolate spread with pesek Zman chocolates
- Creamy milk spread with cookies ‘n cream chocolate
- Chocolate spread
- Fruit Jelly
- Peanut Butter & Jelly
When to make Hamentashen?
You can make hamentashen whenever the mood strikes 😉 but these are traditionally eaten on and around the Purim holiday.
Can I freeze Hamentashen?
Yessssss! This hamentashen recipe freezes really well. Just put the baked and cooled hamenstashen into an airtight container or ziplock bag and freeze. They defrost pretty quickly at room temperature.
How to make Hamentashen?
These favorite cookies are so easy to make, just follow these steps and you’re 20 minutes away from the best hamentashen ever!
- Whisk the eggs with oil, sugar and vanilla.
- Add in the dry ingredients and form a dough the is slightly sticky, but not too sticky to roll.
- Roll out the dough in between 2 pieces of baking paper until it is about 1/4 – 1/2 inch thick.
- Cut out circles of dough.
- Place a little bit of filling in the center of each circle.
- Fold the hamentashen (see instructions below).
- Bake & enjoy!
How to fold Hamentashen?
While folding hamenstashen seems like it requires some skill, it’s actually pretty easy and anyone can do it!
Using both hands simultaneously hold the circle of dough and fold the three sides in toward the center.
Then lightly pinch the edges and flatten them out. That’s it!
See below for my best tips on how to keep hamentashen from opening in the oven.
How to keep your Hamentashen from opening?
This is the number 1 question on all the Jewish cooking platforms everywhere (and in my inbox) around Purim time every year!
Well, you came to the right place, because after yearsssss of making these I have perfected the method and now I’m ready to reveal to you the secret. I have a 99.9% success rate (can’t control everything lol) Are you ready to get in on the perfectly shaped hamentashens?
There are 3 simple tricks to make sure you’re hamentashen don’t open during baking every time.
1. DO NOT OVERFILL.
Guys, it’s as simple as that. I know, I know, you want to bite in and get filling in every bite, the best part is the filling etc… But if you overfill the extra filling expands during baking and pushes the sides open. It’s not worth it. Trust me.
2. DO NOT OVER FLOUR.
Let me explain. Hamentashen dough should be sticky. Not too sticky that you can’t roll it out, but sticky enough for the sides to STICK together. If you follow this recipe you’ll notice that the ingredient list calls for 2 and 1/4 cups flour plus extra as needed. The texture of the dough can be affected by many different factors such as the weather, the altitude, the size of the eggs or your measuring cups. You may need to add some more flour, but it is important that you don’t add too much. If the dough is too dry, the sides will not stick and will open during baking. If the dough is too sticky to handle, try rolling in between 2 pieces of parchment paper lightly floured.
3. USE THICK FILLINGS.
When picking your fillings make sure to check the consistency. If using jelly make sure to use the most solid part of the jelly and not the liquidy part.
Love these cookies? Try these other easy recipes:
These Easy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies from my blog are a huge hit.
As well as these Cinnamon Sugar Donut Muffins.
Did you try this recipe?
I LOVE to hear what you think of my recipes! It would mean so much to me if you could rate this recipe below and leave a comment or share with your friends ❤ Thanks for being here!
The Best Hamentashen Recipe
Equipment
- Rolling pin (can use wine bottle)
- Circle cookie cutter (can use top of drinking glass)
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup oil
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups flour plus extra as needed
- 1/2 Tbsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
Filling
- rasberry jam or any other filling of your choice
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl lightly beat 2 eggs with a whisk, add ½ cup of oil, ¾ cup of sugar and 1 tsp vanilla, mix well.
- Add 2 ¼ cups of flour, ½ Tblsp baking powder and ¼ tsp of salt. Mix until dough forms.
- If the dough is very sticky to the touch add about 1 Tablespoon of flour at a time. The dough should not be dry, so do not add too much.
- Roll out the dough between two pieces of lightly floured parchment paper until about 1/2 inch thick and cut out circles using a cookie cutter or the top of a drinking glass.
- Place a teaspoon of filling in the center of each circle. Fold up the edges to form a triangle. Gently pinch sides and smooth them out.
- Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.
- Top each cookie with appropriate toppings if using.
A perfect recipe.
Thank you so much Terry!!
The best hamentaschen recipe! The dough was so easy to manage (not too sticky) and didn’t unfold in the oven.
Thank you so much Adina! I’m so happy you liked it!
I changed over to this recipe after my own of 12 years. Amazing!!
That is the bst compliment EVER!!!! thank you so much Esther!!
This is my 3rd time making this recipe since my family keeps eating them!!! They are delicious, quick, and easy to follow!
Thank you so much Baila! I’m so happy to hear that!
The perfect recipe for soft and fluffy hamentashen! Got so many compliments on mine and I’m saving the recipe for next year 🙂
Thank you so much!!! I’m so glad to hear!
I grew up making hamentashen every year. The recipe included lots of margarine, orange juice, and lemon rind, and it was always a pain to make.
After I got married. I stopped making them because my husband hates lemon and fruit filling. For YEARS I have been on the lookout for an easy, no mess hamentashen recipe that can work with any filling.
This recipe is the perfect hamentashen recipe! No lemon rind, no fridge time, and no margarine. It tastes like a sugar cookie (I’m probably going to make these year round with some sprinkles) and goes well with any filling.
We tried it with chocolate, strawberry jam, and lotus filling. Every one was delicious but the lotus filling was the true winner.
You can definitely make the dough in advance and put it in the fridge, but let it warm up before hand. (I made the mistake of trying to roll cold dough and it did not work well.)
Highly recommend this recipe! We’re going to make it every year.
OMG SARIT!!! This is the nicest review ever!!! Thank you so so so much! I am so happy that you were able to go back to this super fun (and delicious) hamentashen baking tradition with my recipe!!