Let me be the first to admit that the only reason that the hamantaschen archives on this site aren’t stronger are that I’m completely stubborn and generally a pedant and this gets in the way of what I know needs to be done to achieve hamantaschen perfection. If you read that sentence and thought “I know what some of those words mean but maybe not in that order,” don’t worry, you’re not alone. Hamantaschen are triangular cookies traditionally eaten during the Jewish festival of Purim (think: Jewish Mardi Gras) that falls next week. Haman, the villain in the biblical story, was said to wear a tricorne hat — with the brim turned up on three sides, something that was wildly fashionable in the 1700s which means it’s due for a hipster revival any day now — and this is where the cookies get their shape.
While I’ve made them a few times before — really, what is there not to love about filled cookies — mine tend to flop open and leak because I find the traditional ones floury and dull, and prefer those that are like tiny open-faced fruit tarts or galettes — light, flaky and tender with inspired fillings. [This is probably what happens when you have a mother that made french onion more often than matzo ball soup, beef bourguignon instead of roast chicken, not that we minded one bit.] These little fruit tarts are high on delicious but low on structural integrity.
One might overcome this leakiness by folding the corners in a overlapped manner rather than the vertical pinch-style I use, but but but (Pedant Alert!) have you even looked at a tricorne hat before? Do you see those corners? How come I’m the one doing it wrong?
All of this is to say that every year I promise to share a better recipe here and even fold it the way I know they work better and every year this desire collides with my worst traits (stubbornness, pedantry, procrastination) and really, I’m the worst. Or, I was until this week. This week, I’ve finally make good on my promise. The recipe below is a good standard hamantaschen dough that can even be made dairy-free should you use olive or another oil instead of butter. But. Ahem. If the sound of a vanilla bean-flecked brown butter dough with a hazelnut brown butter and apricot jam filling sounds good to you, you’re in for a treat, because it turns out you can use this recipe to be very traditional or very very not. Basically, we all win.
One year ago: The Consolation Prize (A Mocktail)
Two years ago: Sizzling Chicken Fajitas
Three years ago: Coconut Bread
Four years ago: Carrot Cake Pancakes
Five years ago: Tiny Poppy Seed Taschen
Six years ago: Irish Soda Bread Scones
Seven years ago: Layer Cake Tips + The Biggest Birthday Cake Yet
Eight years ago: Fast White Bean Stew
Nine years ago: Mediterranean Eggplant and Barley Salad
And for the other side of the world:
Six Months Ago: Zucchini Rice and Cheese Gratin
1.5 Years Ago: Cucumber Lemonade
2.5 Years Ago: Fudgy Chocolate Sheet Cake
3.5 Years Ago: Roasted Apple Spice Sheet Cake
4.5 Years Ago: Roasted Tomato Soup with Broiled Cheddar
Apricot Hazelnut Brown Butter Hamantaschen
To make these cookies dairy free, simply use a non-dairy butter, olive oil or another cookie oil of your choice instead of the of butter in the dough. This works. I have not made the filling, a frangipane-style paste, with non-dairy butter before, but I have a hunch it should work just fine. If hazelnuts aren’t your thing, use 3/4 cup of another nut of your choice — almonds are traditional, pecans and walnuts are excellent. I’ve even made this paste with pistachios before. You’re going to have twice the paste you need because it seemed more trouble than it was worth to scale it down. The paste keeps in the fridge for several days and can be frozen for future treats. Or, you can just make more hamantaschen. Nobody will mind.
Yield: About 3 dozen cookies
Brown butter
9 tablespoons (130 grams) unsalted butter, cold is fine
Dough
1/4 cup (65 grams) browned butter, from above
2/3 cup (130 grams) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
Seeds from half a fresh vanilla bean (optional)
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons (310 grams) all-purpose flour
Filling
3/4 cup (100 grams) toasted hazelnuts, skins rubbed off
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
Few pinches of sea salt
1/3 cup (65 grams) granulated sugar
Remaining browned butter from above, or about 4 to 5 tablespoons, cold
1 large egg
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon brandy, or another flavoring of your choice (totally optional)
1/2 cup (rough estimate) apricot jam
Brown your butter: You’re going to use this in two places. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Keep cooking it after it has melted, stirring frequently, until it begins to smell nutty and pale brown flecks appear at the edge of the pan, which takes a few minutes. Once these reach a dark beige/medium brown color (you’ll want to watch this like a hawk, this happens quickly once it begins to toast) remove from heat. Pour 1/4 cup exactly of this browned butter mixture into the bottom of the large bowl you’re going to make your cookie dough with. Place the rest (this will be 4 to 5 tablespoons) in a small-medium dish and freeze it until you need it for the filling, which uses a more flexible amount of butter.
Make your dough: Let the 1/4 cup browned butter cool slightly in the bottom of a large bowl, then whisk in sugar, vanilla extract, scraped vanilla bean seeds (if using). Whisk in eggs, one at a time, followed by salt and baking powder. Switch to a spoon and add first cup flour, stirring to combine. Repeat with second cup of flour, then 1/4 cup. Dough is going to become stiff, just do you best. Add the last 2 tablespoons flour and if it’s too stiff to stir with a spoon, knead it in with your hands.
Divide dough into two parts and wrap each in a flattish disc in plastic in the fridge for 2 hours, or up to a few days. Impatient? So am I? Place discs in freezer until firm but not frozen, 20 to 30 minutes.
Make your filling: Place nuts, flour, salt and sugar in the workbowl of a food processor and run the machine until the nuts are finely ground but not yet forming a paste. Remember that browned butter you froze? Scrape it into the machine and run it until combined. Add egg and any flavorings and run the machine until a smooth paste forms. Scrape hazelnut paste back into that browned butter dish (fewer dishes) and place it in the fridge until needed. It doesn’t have to be cold to work, but it is easier to scoop.
Assemble and bake cookies: Heat oven to 350 degrees and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat.
Roll chilled dough, one packet at a time, out on a floured counter until 1/8-inch thick. These cookies puff in the oven, so err on the thin side. Cut into 3-inch circles. In the center of each circle, dollop the tiniest amount (a scant teaspoon, this expands in the oven so use less that it seems you’d need) of the hazelnut paste and a little (1/2 teaspoon, tops) dab of apricot jam. Fold sides up, forming a triangular shape and pinching the corners closed well.
Arrange on baking sheet with an inch or so between cookies. Reroll scraps as needed. Repeat with remaining packet of dough.
Bake cookies for 11 minutes to start, then check the color and return them to the oven, a minute at a time, until they’re nice and golden at the edges. For me, this usually takes a couple more minutes.
Let cool on racks. Cookies keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week, and longer in the freezer.
Looks great. This will be my Saturday project. Thank you.
Browned butter AND vanilla bean?! So perfect. I would not dare make them dairy free.
These look awesome. I have tried every hamantaschen recipe you’ve posted. My folding sucks so they always have exploding bellies but still delicious. I make your rugelach recipe with apricot and pistachio and will definitely be trying that combo here.
Congrats on getting so many types of deliciousness in one place — ay yi yi!
I haven’t tried anything like these before. They sound wonderful!! The filling alone is calling to me.
Next week is Purim?? Whoops! I actually haven’t made Hamantaschen since Hebrew School because I just don’t love jammy cookies, but that frangipane might convince me…
I’m not a big jam fan – can I make these with just that yhe hazelnut filling? Also, do you have weights for the flour? Thank you!!!
Whoops – sorry – just saw your comment about the weights!
OK, Deb! Challenge accepted. I have yet to find a reliable hamantaschen recipe where the cookies don’t flatten out completely in the oven or the folds open (despite valiant attempts to pinch the dough together, glue it with water/egg/etc.) Hoping this recipe is the answer to my problems. :) Happy Purim!
Sounds delicious! Because I’m rather lazy, I’m wondering if I could make these in mini-muffin tins as tiny tarts? Do you think it would work?
Always looking for a hamantaschen recipe that holds together. Although yours sounds great, I want prune filling, too, the same sort we had when I was a little girl at the local Purim fest. Yum! Happy Purim!
the recipe sounds great but just have to say that that baby is RIDICULOUSLY cute! And OMG, her hair!!!!
They are beautiful. They remind me of my grandma’s cookies. I will have to try this recipe.
Made these today, used store bought hazelnut paste, poppy filling, raspberry jam and some with Nutella! I didn’t have fig anything on hand or would have tried a few of that too. Anyway, cheating a bit. Purchased premade brown butter at Tr. Joe’s. Hahaha so easy. And delicious. Not your average Hamantachen.
Deb, I’m SO glad baby is better. Her picture before–being brave on the exam table just broke my heart. Glad she bounced back. Terrible when the little guys are sick–but it is good to teach them how to trust doctors to help.
These are so unique! I’ve never seen a pastry like this before!
Waaaahh!! The hipster ! I love the hipster! Thank you for that video treat :-) now I’ll read the recipe. .. no, first the video again ! Sweeter than the cookies.
Yum! Brown butter makes everything better so these have got to be killer hamantaschen!
You’re right, Deb. Tricorn hats are definitely due for a hipster revival. Thanks for the delicious-looking recipe and the wonderfully fun intro, as usual!
Why’d you have to complicated my life like this, Deb? I was perfectly happy with my hamentaschen recipe until your cookbook came along. Then I tried that almond dough of yours, and whoa! I was never looking back. This was it, the holy grail of hamentaschen dough that would see me through all the Purims to come, and I was getting ready to make it tomorrow. And now you come along with this!
Okay fiiinne, Deb. You’ve convinced me to try hamantaschen for the first time. I can’t wait to see what all of the hype is about.
Hi Deb, I just would like to make sure about the Browning of the butter do you mean to clarify the butter or just Brown the butter, thank you.
Hey Deb!
These sound delish, but as one pedant to another, the tricorn hat was popular in the 18th century, i.e. the 1700’s, i.e. colonial times. By the 1800’s they were VERY unhipster-ish. ;-)
Mary#20…you will LOVE these, even the store-bought-not-as-fresh-as-we-would-like ones are wonderful. Lovely way to welcome spring! By the way that cooing angel in the video takes the proverbial cake. Amazing what can happen in 8 short months isn’t it? Give that little peanut a cookie, and a gigantic hug from all of her “fans”.
do you think almond butter would go well with hazelnuts??
oh sorry…i mean almond butter would go well with apricot jam?
Deb, I made your Hamentaschen with your powdered sugar recipe. They were the most delicious, delicate triangle I’ve ever made.
Shall I stray from, what I thought was the best, to your newest version? I’m going to take the leap.
Also, my girls love Meyer lemon in everything. Could you suggest a lemon/Meyer lemon filling?
Kindly,
Jenn
Every year I say I will make hamentaschen and so far I never have. But maybe this year…
In my kitchen, your apricot and pistachio frangipane squares have morphed into plum hazelnut bars and we enjoy them on Rosh Hashanah. There isn’t a better reviewed dessert than that one, and they’re devilishly simple to make. How great is it that frangipane has made it’s way into another Jewish food on your site? Hope everyone is on the mend.
I am not Jewish, make hamantaschen every year as one of my top two favorite Christmas cookies, and my Jewish boyfriend just scratches his head before tucking in heartily. I think this year they will be enjoyed by the Easter bunny as well. Your corner folds look great! Thanks for another great recipe share.
This is like a mini version of the one we did at Tasting Table this week.
http://www.tastingtable.com/cook/recipes/hamantaschen-galette-apricot-almond-frangipane-purim-pastry
Can you use salted butter? its the only one i have in my fridge right now. thanks
But but but….you can’t make dessert with dairy or else you can’t have it with your fleishig meal! (It probably never even crossed my dad’s mind to keep our kitchen kosher, and my grandparents were the type who wanted to send me to Israel but ate shrimp at restaurants–and yet Jewish baking recipes with dairy in them still strike a primordial chord in me!) There are exactly two recipes that I keep shortening around for–my grandmother’s hamantaschen and my mom’s flour tortillas.
That little baby squeak. BLEH! I’m pretty sure I just barfed up a rainbow and died of cute! <3
,West Side Markets usually have Simon Fisher Prune Lekvar, and Simon Fisher Apricot Butter which are my go to Hamantashen fillings.. You do ,however, have to look up and down, and in all their little hidey holes before you can find them.
Anything hazelnut brown butter & apricot jam – gosh, I wish I would not have to wait until May to eat sugar and white flour again. Torture.
Do you think almond flavouring would be good in the filling? Your daughter is the sweetest!
Hazelnut butter? This alone sounds utterly delicious, maybe as a spread? Love the flavor combination here!
Looks and sounds amazing. Every time I have made these in the past, they flop open and all my filling runs all over the baking tray. Maybe the secret is the frangipane?
I freeze the hamantaschen and then bake them frozen. That helps a lot with them opening up.
Jennifer – Marcy Goldman at better baking.com has a fabulous meyer lemon filling
I haven’t made hammentaschen in 40 years even though I promise myself I’ll do so every Purim. Your dough recipe is a sure thing but I’m a poppy seed addict so I’ll probably use my grandmother’s recipe for the quintessential hammentaschen filling.
I just made hamentaschen using this dough but using my great aunt’s peach preserves as the filling. So incredible! Thanks for the inspiration.
Those cookies look so very good, but I’d really like a little nibble of that baby! Maybe just a tip of an ear…no? Actually, I’m here to ask a question. Have you tried, and what is your opinion of, vanilla bean “paste’? I bought a big bottle of it, thinking it would be my be-all, end-all secret ingredient for baking, but so far, meh. Lots of pretty vanilla speckles, but I don’t detect a better flavor. I’d love your input.
Yum, I love hazelnuts (so Oregonian, the state where most of America’s hazelnuts are born)! I wish I’d invited you to our Hamentashen baking party! We made the pinched 3 corner hamentashen, with traditional fillings (poppy seed, prune) and some fun ones: fig, cranberry marmalade, white chocolate. One of the women brought delicious cannoli filling! The dough we used was dairy free, and held up pretty well to the 3 corner pinching process, but yours look gorgeous! C’mon by for our party next year! (You need a trip to Portland, don’t you?)
Take a look at Maida Heatter’s hamentaschen for next year. Grated orange peel in the dough — so delicious.
I look forward to trying this hazelnut version.
S’mores Hamantashen! I make the dough from your Brownie Roll Out Cookies, fill them with marshmallow fluff, sprinkle with graham cracker dust. Awesome Smitten Kitchen Hamantashen and you didn’t even know it.
Wow!! These look amazing! I love your photos! Feeling inspired! :D
Yum! I am so happy you had a spill-free experience this year. Bon Appetit actually wrote an entire article last year tackling all the common hamataschen problems (dryness, rock-hardness, spills..) and provided a shortcake dough that they promised was hamantasch salvation.
Its a shame I only found it this year, but it did inspire some lovely strawberry shortcake flavored hamantaschen!
Happy Purim!
Adorable video you’ve got going there. Can she get any cuter?
“tricorne hat — with the brim turned up on three sides, something that was wildly fashionable in the 1800s which means it’s due for a hipster revival any day now”
One of the greatest things you’ve ever written!! And I wouldn’t put it past the hipster crowd either.
Filling was delicious, though as an apricot lover, my jam:pistachio ratio was 1:1. I tried the same filling with Deb’s straight-up shortbread from the rhubarb hamentashen, and liked that the best. In the brown-butter dough, with melted butter base, I missed the flakiness that comes from the tiny nubbins in shortbread.
Wow what a beautiful hamantaschen recipe!! I used to have these as kids – my grandparents always made them for me. Thank you!
I just made these and they are really tasty. I used almonds because that’s what I’ve got on hand. I also used peach jam that I made a couple summers ago, that I got creative with and made with vanilla beans. We had some trouble folding them. Not going to kid you, these aren’t winning any awards for prettiest tri-corner hats. We did end up using all the nut paste. Fabulous!
I adore brown butter! It elevates baking to a taste sensation.
with the exception of the hazelnuts on the ingredients were on hand. Swapped them for ground almonds. Absolutely delicious hamantaschen.
Using a dish of water, run a damp finger around the edge of the circle before pinching the corners. This helps seal the dough and prevents leaks. Works for all kinds of filled items (ravioli, dumplings, kreplach, etc. etc.)
Hi Deb! Since you like open face tartlets, I recommend you get a British friend to source you a jam tart pan. Butter crust + raspberry jam… swoon! (And Happy Purim!)
Thanks Deb, these were great! Used almonds instead of hazelnuts, and homemade peach jam because that’s what I had. After experimenting a bit, I found that I preferred a 1:2 ratio on almonds:jam. I will definitely make these again, although I might cut the sugar in the dough down to 1/2 cup. Thanks again :-)
Doesn’t anyone make hammentashen with ground up poppy seeds, “muhn” as my mother pronounced it. I have a small poppy seed grinder that was attached to a step ladder. Nothing beats poppy seed hammentashen! Happy Pesach, everyone!
These look amazing! I need them in my life right now!
doesnt anyone make yeast dough hamantaschen? when i was a kid in brooklyn all the bakeries made a light, not very sweet, yeast dough pastry filling with either poppyseed or lekvar(prune) paste. some also offered your kind of cookie, something of a johnny come lately assimiliational hybrid. hmph!
I was raised on the sweet yeast dough humantashen. I’ve never liked the cookie dough version and wonder where these came from. I finally figured put how to make the sweet dough. The only choices in my childhood were poppy seed or prune. My favorites were and are the muhn.
How do you “brown” the olive oil/almond oil if making them non-dairy? Or do you just skip that step?
Ann, the RVer, here. Congrats on the NYT Cooking shout out
Btw, your crispy broccoli is my husbands favorite!
Have to share my experience. Read this when it was posted and thought “yeah, I’m ready to make these again but no Jewish pals around me here in Labrador. Still…” I’d made them from an earlier Deb recipe when I still lived in Nova Scotia. Then my mother-in-law began to fail -she was in long term care in nearby Goose Bay. My husband’s siblings started to arrive and one has recently converted to Judaism. My mother-in-law died yesterday morning. We’re having the funeral on Thursday – Purim. I told my brother-in-law I’d make them. Today l set out to do so. Not exactly as recipe because I live in an isolated Northern community – but close enough. Made the pastry, chilled it and went to roll it. Absolutely wouldn’t. I don’t have enough ingredients to make more or different. Filling ready. Oh and did I mention a huge snowstorm going on? No going anywhere. So…dumped it into processor and whirred it up with some more butter. Beautiful! Now I’m going to roll, fill and bake. Cross your fingers.
I am happily vegan now, but my polish grandmothers recipe has powdered sugar and sour cream in the dough, and either poppyseed filling, my fav, or chunky sweet walnut paste, also v. good! We always flash froze before baking too, for shape retention. Love the idea of hazelnut/apricot!
MaryM — I feel exactly about it as you do. I don’t bother with it. Buy beans, buy extract, the paste just doesn’t give an oomph commensurate with its price. Btw, I have been making my own extract the last year or so and it’s really wonderful. We regularly open the bottle just for a sniff. :)
Jan — Yes, almond flavoring would be great here.
nosh — An almond paste, yes, but almond butter straight from the jar would likely melt and make a mess. You can use almonds instead of hazelnuts in this recipe.
Susan — Thanks, now fixed.
Beck — That is the most insane thing ever because my original plan for last week, like, word for word on my to-do list was “Mega-Taschen” — I wanted to make a galette-style giant hamantaschen with almond paste and some other stuff. I ended up getting stuck on how I wanted to assemble it and made this instead. It’s actually almost terrifying to see something close to the idea I had outside my head. :)
Re, yeast dough hamantaschen — I’ve always wanted to make these. I’ve never even tried them. Do you have a favorite recipe? Perhaps I’ll finally tackle them next year. :)
Allie — You skip that step.
Jan — I’m so sorry about your mother in-law. I so hope these offer everyone a little comfort.
Thanks Deb -she was 92 years and grew up the eldest daughter with 8 siblings in a trappper’s family. She was a tough cookie! Speaking of cookies just took these out and dough failure and all they are delish!
Well I have never made hamantaschen before so I have no idea what they are supposed to look or feel like but these look incredible so I think I’ll give them a try. The filling alone I think is worthy of stuffing just about anything!
I made these this weekend and I was pretty disappointed. I found the dough to be incredibly dry (definitely didn’t need those last 2 T, perhaps not even the last 1/4 cup) and a lot of effort for something that ended up not tasting all that good. I was convinced we left something out of the recipe b/c your baked goods are always top notch, but I think it was just the recipe. Just make regular hamantaschen with some yummy fillings (lemon curd is my favorite).
P.S. The best hamantaschen tip is to fold the cookies and not to pinch. They hold their shape much better folded.
Made these this weekend, and they were tasty, but I agree with a reviewer above that I prefer a more shortbread-like cookie. The brown butter just doesn’t lend itself to that. The filling was yummy, but as silly as it may sound, these just didn’t taste like hamentaschen to me. I guess I’m more of a hamentaschen traditionalist than I’d realized!
I have a lot of filling left over. Any recommendations on something different to do with it?
I’m an experienced baker but this recipe is a disaster. I think the amount of flour in the dough is way off. I should have followed my gut and not put it all in because the dough is so dry that every cookie I try to fold cracks. Now have a pile of dough that’s going in the garbage, guess I can use the filling (which is delicious) for something else.
Just made these and baked a test cookie. Concerned about a possibly delicate/shape-shifting dough, I did what I do with pie dough – replaced a small amount of the butter with shortening. Cookie held its shape without sacrificing it’s buttery flavor. Will definitely be making these again with this small adjustment. Filling is delicious as well. Thanks, Deb!
Mind-bogglingly nontraditional filling that no one has ever complained about: Nutella.
Good recipes and step-by-step instructions/photos: http://toriavey.com/how-to/2012/03/how-to-make-perfect-hamantaschen/
Rolling very thin is one solution to spillage, it says.
Ruth — Not sure if you’re a more avid baker (probably if you made these!) but I love using it to line the bottom of a fruit tart.
Arielle — I’m sorry it didn’t work out. It shouldn’t have been too dry, but definitely firm — was it hard to fold when it was very cold, or when it was soft too? How do you measure cups of flour?
Make these 100% as written, no subs, and doubled the dough. They came out perfect… I couldn’t ask for a more well behaved dough!!! Seriously. I make a lot of Jewish cookies at every holiday and this recipe deserves a spot in everyone’s rotation. I tried another new one yesterday – a chocolate dough for rocky road hamantaschen – and it’s beyond frustrating to touch. Thank you for polished recipes, you’re my kitchen hero every time. Sending you Purim love from upstate!
The dough is cracking both cold and when I lit it sit out. Rolling it out was nearly impossible as it was breaking into many tiny shards. I have one disc of dough left, maybe I will try spritzing it with water before folding?
I made these tonight. Skipped the filling because I’m lazy and I figured I’d use some jam, only to discover we didn’t have jam! I tossed in whatever I had around (some chocolate, some butterscotch chips, some sliced almonds) hoping to salvage them. The ones that just came out of the oven are tasty! But I bet they’re tastier with a more wet filling like the one given- straight chocolate left them a bit dry.
What a great idea! These look so delicious and also pretty cute. :-) Thanks for sharing!
I made these early this morning and followed the recipe exactly – turned out perfectly! I used the spoon method for measuring the flour and had no issues with dry dough.
I made these over the weekend and they are delicious! Good enough to send some to my mom!
I didn’t add the egg to the filling, wanting to just eat the leftovers with a spoon, which was definitely a mistake, but still very happy with the turnout.
Thinking of swirling these fillings into a vanilla ice cream!
Yeah, I had the same problem as Arielle and Bloomie. The dough wasn’t dough–it was a mound of crumbs that cracked in the fridge and was in no way roll-able. I measured the dough with fanatical attention to amounts. Also, they completely came apart in the oven and turned into pancakes, despite more than 2 hours of refrigeration… I had to throw them out.
Deb, made these over the weekend with a friend. They were delicious. But, the dough was very dry. We added water, still dry. I would make them again but would try less flour. That said, we took them to synagoge for the Purim celebration and hamantashen bake-off and we won for best overall hamantashen out of 45 different kinds! Thanks so much! I may try using the extra filling in a challah!
It’s interesting to me that so many people found the dough to be too dry. I saw the recipe and sent it to my mother, and in our kitchens on opposite sides of the country, we both made it. We both had the experience that it “rolled like a dream” (her words). She rolled hers quite thin, apparently, so some of them collapsed in the oven, but mine look fantastic. (That’s not me bragging. Just, I followed directions, is all.)
I do really like the tip someone else gave of freezing the cookies after shaping them but before baking them. Will have to try that in the future.
For my whole life, Mom and I have both been using Jennie Grossinger’s dough from “Joy of Jewish Cooking,” and though we’d never discussed it, I guess we both have been finding it way too dense, so we were both ready to try something different! To think, we could have stopped making that dough decades ago if either of us had ever said out loud to the other that we didin’t like it!
And, that filling paste? That is to die for! Used burbon for the flavoring. :-) Figure that it’s holiday appropriate. As predicted, I have some left over and am trying to figure out what to do with it. Tempting to just eat with a spoon, but that would be wrong… wouldn’t it? ;-)
Hope everyone had a festive Purim!
I have never had a problem with one of your recipes-but this one did not work for me. I followed the recipe to a T, but the dough came out way too dry. I couldn’t even roll it out after refrigeration! I had to throw it away. I think it was because my eggs (even though the package said extra large) were small. maybe should have added another. Very sad.
I made these without experiencing difficulty with dry dough. I kneaded it for a few minutes before letting it chill, and it developed a delightfully workable consistency. I am so surprised others did not have such good experiences – is there something about this recipe that would make it unusually susceptible for humidity?
I was surprised at how much the cookies puffed up when baked. A few popped open and looked almost like biscuits. I grew up on Jenny G.’s dense, honey dough. I wanted something lighter this year, but this might have gone just a teeny bit too far the other direction. Perhaps I am more of a traditionalist than I thought – my husband, who has no childhood memories of hamantaschen, loved the cookies.
Yes please! Don’t forget the weights. I can’t wait to try them.
Won my office hamentashen contest with these beauties (by a landslide)! Recipe worked perfectly although I agree the dough was rock hard right out of the fridge. Took a few minutes to warm up to rolling consistency.
I used toasted pecans instead of hazelnuts. My only suggestion is to keep nut paste cold. Once it warms up the end result is not as pretty – although just as tasty.
These look delish! Such a nice holiday treat that I wish I would have discovered earlier.
Made these tonight and they taste delicious. No problems at all with the dough, except for a little stiffness right out of the fridge. We used strawberry jam instead of apricot because that’s what we had, and it worked just fine. I’m looking forward to finding uses for the rest of the frangipane!
I only made the dough part of this but really loved it! I throw a “hamentaschen party” for friends every year where I make the dough and they bring fillings to finish off the cookies and bake them up. They loved this addition to my dough roster so it’s definitely going to be repeated next year! And I wrote it up on my blog, too :)
I am an avid follower of your recipes, and my top pastry recipes are from this site. But I wasn’t impressed with these at all!!! I didn’t have any trouble with the dough or filling and they looked beautiful, but the taste…the cookie was very boring and dull, and the filling, with the hazelnuts and apricot, just wasn’t a winning combination. I love hamantaschen and look forward every year to making them, but this is the second time I try one of your hamantaschen recipes and am really underwhelmed (tried the one with cream cheese in the dough). hamantaschen can (and should) be really transcendent. i just wanted to post because I rave about your cookie recipes to all, but these were so disappointing for me.
Almond browned butter dough. You kill me, Deb! I’m in NYC at the mo and am seeing hamantaschen everywhere. But I’m pretty sure, as an earlier commenter pointed out, that yours are the holy grail! Loved the rugelach at the holidays, too.
These are awesome! I rarely stray from poppyseed filling and the classic dough that my mom and I have been making since I was in preschool, but these were such a fun new flavor for this year!
I made the dough, but was not able to indulge in the filling because my temple requested that we not bring any foods with nuts. (oh well…) Although the dough tasted wonderful, I think it’s worth noting how difficult it is to work with. It also did not make anywhere near 3 dozen cookies, even though I followed instructions precisely.
We made these and felt we had achieved hamantaschen perfection, but then we switched the hazelnuts for pistachios and used Bonne Maman Apricot-Raspberry Preserves for the jam, and I believe we have found hamantaschen nirvana.
For all those having trouble with hamentaschen opening up in the oven: one of the most common reasons why this happens is that the cookies are too full. Even Deb’s look too full (and that’s why some of them are bulging and starting to spill a bit). You want to use 1/2 tsp. to 2/3 tsp. total of filling, MAX. It will seem like you’re barely using any, but it will be fine once they’re baked. Pinching the dough together with water as several other people have mentioned also helps, but the real culprit in hamentash structural failure is often too much filling.
Things that have helped keep my hamantaschen from opening (and keeps their triangular shape): Working with very cold dough AND putting the assembled hamantaschen in the freezer for 15-20 minutes before baking; NOT over-filling them, as Sarah says above (I agree that those photographed here look too full; just my two cents); using a tiny bit of water as glue around the edges of the dough circles; and, yes, folding the dough over and crimping very tightly. I’m intrigued by this hazelnut filling and will try it next year. This year, we had an abundance of Meyer lemons and I filled mine with homemade lemon curd. Happy Purim!
Apricot and hazelnut go together perfectly in these hamantaschen! These distinct, triangle shaped pastries can be filled with anything, though. It can be fun to substitute different flavors of jam until you find the combination you like the best!
Deb, I know I sound like a broken record… but could you please put in the weights for this one? I’ve been patiently waiting but I need these in my mouth now!
Would love the weights :) Thanks!
I made this dough last night (with the addition of a bit more vanilla and being very careful to measure my flour lightly!) and found it wonderful to work with and very tasty. Instead of this filling, however, I just used a jar of lemon curd I had lying around (Trader Joe’s brand). Such a nice, springtime-y cookie!
Yum, you had me at apricot. Can’t wait to make these.
yummy. My butter didn’t brown (next time more heat) and I used almonds instead of hazelnuts, because that’s what I had at home, but that did not impair the deliciousness of these cookies at all. I was especially happy about how the dough could be formed, because I’m not patient and not very good at these pretty things. But with a little bit of practice mine turned out almost as gorgeous as yours :) my colleagues were very appreciative of them as well. Thanks as always, dear Deb. Cheers from Cologne, Germany.
Hi – I want to make these but I don’t want to brown the butter – can I just follow the recipe as is and use the 1/4 cup butter (not browned)
Thanks!
Gluten Free Babe
These are delicious! I’ve made them twice. Now I want to make every cookie with Browned butter!
I used pistachios for the marzipan-y filling and added some orange zest to the dough the second time.
The second time I forgot the final two tablespoons of flour, the dough was ok but definitely benefits from ALL the flour. The dough was a little stickier, seemed to have a harder time keeping its shape during baking – they puffed more than I’d have liked, though still turned out beautiful. I Also found that rolling the dough thinner than 1/8″ was better for holding the shape during baking.
This dough was excellent! Another recipe I looked at called for adding the zest of one lemon to the dough – I think that or orange zest would be a great addition. I got lazy about the filling and ended up using jams we had already. Discovered that the best combo by far was a dollop of Nutella topped with a dollop of orange marmalade – recommended! We chilled our cookies in the freezer for about 20 minutes after assembly but before baking and also brushed them with an egg white – they stayed together perfectly and were nicely browned. Thanks for a great recipe!
Deb – if you had to pick a favorite of the hamantaschen dough recipes that you’ve shared, would this one be it (or is it too hard to pick just one)? I’ve always liked the one with orange zest that you had, but I noticed that you also have a different one in your cookbook. Just curious how they rank for you!
This is probably the easiest and most classic; there’s almost no risk of them flattening out. But I love the earlier ones that are more tender (for taste) and the one in the book, which is essentially a free-form firm tart shell because they seem more like pastries to me. The one in the book is at less risk of flattening or opening than the earlier ones on this site. Does this help? I bet you can tell I haven’t made total peace with what I want out of vs. what other people want out of hamantaschen yet. :)
Thank you!!! I agree, that cream cheese dough one you have tastes incredible. I ended up doing what I always do when I can’t decide: made both! Haven’t baked them yet, but both doughs taste incredible raw (and the hazelnut paste in this one is really really good). Will let you know if one turns out to be more of a favorite!
Have you posted the weights for this recipe?
Now I have. :)
I, too, struggle with the dry, bland traditional hamentashen recipe. Looking forward to trying this this week! Thank you!
I am allergic to hazelnuts. Would another nut work?
Made the dough (didn’t have all the yummy toppings so made a chocolate filling, a peanut butter filling, and a jam filling). Dough turned out perfectly! No leaking at all :)
Deb, This looks great. I love using lemon curd, but it tends to burn or get really leaky. Do you have ideas about what I can add to lemon curd (Trader Joe’s off-the- shelf) to make it less liquid-y as it bakes?
I think it’s just, unfortunately, tricky. I wonder if more of a lemon bar filling might work, but you’d have to have those sides really well sealed.
Thank you for the quick response–I guess you saw the subtext (I’m planning on baking with my kids after school today!). I think I’ll do some experimenting one cookie at a time (maybe adding a little powdered sugar or cornstarch). Bad idea?
What about putting some flaked coconut or almonds on top to help keep it in place? I see that in this recipe, which makes baked bars from a prepared lemon curd.
That sounds great! I’m excited to try it–will let you know how it goes. Thanks so much!
it was 50/50 with the lemon curd–some leaked, some didn’t. I’m sure it had to do with how tightly we sealed the hamantaschen. That said, I made your filling; it was delicious! Now, on to Passover meringues… :)
To those complaining their dough is dry and crumbly, please weigh your ingredients. I made this yesterday and the dough handled beautifully – in fact, I had to flour the surface to roll it out confidently. To illustrate the importance of weight: I both measured and weighed out the brown butter for the dough. 65g was far more than 4 tablespoons (which is a quarter cup), closer to 5.5 for me. Thank you for putting weight measures on, Deb.
I used an equivalent weight in ground almonds (that’s what I had on hand) for the frangipane and it worked perfectly. The only thing I felt was ‘missing’ was lemon zest in the dough. The only I had from Honey & Co in London (which inspired me to make my own) had a lovely, strong zesty flavour in the biscuit. I shall have to do that next time.
I love the story about these cookies and I need to try these for Easter! Thanks!
Second time making Hamentashen but first time using this recipe which I followed exactly. I think my eggs were little so probably could have used three as my dough was a touch dry but otherwise softened up really nicely as I worked through it. However once assembly started happening I noticed the dough started cracking as I would fold over the dough – but I can say there was no leakage so not sure what to make of that. I also did an egg wash to help stick the corners together. The dough was a touch sweet for me but overall loved the finished product as did my guests. The brown butter hazelnut spread is absolutely heavenly. I love festive cooking and this is another real winner. Thank you Deb!
I had a gluten-free hamantaschen recipe of yours last year that I can’t find. Can you send it to me? thanks, Deb Jacobson
Sorry, I’ve never made gluten-free hamantaschen.
Hi Deb,
Would this be a good dough to use your “easier way to make cookies” method-roll them out between two pieces of parchment and then chill? If so, can I also apply to the other Hamantaschen dough on the site?
Thanks,
Rachel
I haven’t tried it here but suspect it would work.
All your Hamantaschen recipes look amazing, but I’m going to try this one this year. Pedant note: the reason why Hamantaschen don’t always look like a tricorne hat is because they’re not supposed to be hats. Taschen is German for ears. They’re also known as Oznay Haman Haman’s ears in Yiddish).
Oh yay, my German major comes in handy- Taschen is actually German for bag or pocket. Ohren is ears. I defer to your Yiddish translation though!
Even more pedantic addition on the meaning of “Hamantaschen”–
They aren’t supposed to be tricorn hats and they don’t even (in German) mean Haman’s ears! They mean “Haman’s pouches/pockets.” I’m not sure if there’s a salacious subtext in there. But it does mean the fold-over method is aesthetically appropriate, even if the pinched corners do look more elegant.
perfect! i also substituted almonds because that’s what i had on hand at home, and used leftover red currant jelly and strawberry jelly. dough handled best just out of the freezer, and found cracking once it warmed up. very easy to fold, looked lovely, family and non-jewish office-mates loved ’em!
Can these be made with almond flour?
These tasted great. Made them with Bob’s Red Mill AP gluten-free flour and subbed ground almonds for hazelnuts. Cookies stayed together in the oven… no leaks.
OMG these are marvelous! The dough rolled out fine, just minor cracking and easily patched. I used almonds; and cooked down dried apricots with a bit of sugar and water for the jam filling. No filling explosions! Thanks for a great recipe.
These are amazing. I used walnuts and apricot preserves. Was going to send some to family across the country for Purim but it’s looking like they won’t make it past the end of the day! I could also just happily eat the walnut paste (with cognac!) out of the bowl with a spoon. My last few got a little dry as I was filling and closing them but that was user error, not the recipe. This is a win for sure.
I have left over apricot spread ( which was the only good thing to come
Out of my disaster out hamentaschen attempt… not your dough recipe!)
How should I store? Can it be frozen?
I have left over hazelnut spread ( holy yum!). How should I store this? Can it be frozen?
I don’t have a food processor at the moment, so I bought pre-ground hazelnuts (Bob’s Red Mill makes everything). I also don’t have a scale. Sigh, things lost in a move.
What is the volume of ground hazelnuts that grinding 3/4 cup of hazelnuts yields?
Nevermind! I googled it and King Arthur Flour says that 1 cup of hazelnut flour is 89 grams.
Really tasty recipe as written. Might have to try chocolate instead of apricot next, definitely sounds good with hazelnut. Took 13 mins in the oven for me.
Hi! Is it possible ti substitute hazelnuts for other types of nuts? Such as pecans, for example? Thank you!!!
DELICIOUS but far from triangular. I made the hamantashen, I measured al the ingredients and followed the recipe step by step; the dough was stiff as you mentioned and it was also very dry, there were a lot dry bits of dough. It seemed to me that it needed more butter. I refrigerated the dough for 24 hours, rolled it and added the filling but the dough was very brittle, it broke when I folded the cookies. Most of the cookies lost their shape in the oven.
Your recipes are fool proof and I’ve never had a problem like this before. Any suggestion will be greatly appreciated. The hazelnut feeling made up for the loss of shape
If there are dry bits of dough, it was not mixed well enough. Whether you use a food processor or mixer, the flour isn’t just mixed until it disappears, as we do with cake or pie dough recipes, but until the dough is smooth and shiny. When we begin with cold butter, it needs longer mixing times to warm up and disperse evenly. I hope this helps for next time.
Thanks for this great recipe! I tried a different recipe for my first batch and it was a heavy, dense cookie that was a disappointment. This recipe saved the day. A light crisp cookie that held together and tasted great. To save time I just did a filling of raspberry preserves. Simply delicious.
Thanks for this great recipe! I tried a different recipe for my first batch and it was a heavy, dense cookie that was a disappointment. This recipe saved the day. A light crisp cookie that held together and tasted great. I recommend measuring the flour, sugar and brown butter by weight. 1/4 cup cold butter does not yield 1/4 cup melted brown butter. I have so much better results weighing ingredients. To save time I just did a filling of raspberry preserves. Simply delicious.
Sorry for the duplicate comment but I felt compelled to mention that I weighed the ingredients. :)
Sadly this recipe did not work. The dough was dry and crumbly and difficult to roll. The final taste of the dough was so-so. I suspect your more recent recipe which uses more butter is the keeper.
These are great! I should have added more salt—my fault because I know I like more salt than the author 🙂. The cookie texture and combination of flavors were wonderful. Thank you!
Quick note – instead of apricot jam, I blended in 4-5 Trader Joe’s truffles into the filling. My kids said they would happily eat it with a spoon. Couldn’t disagree :)
Love smitten kitchen, but this dough is dry as a desert and unworkable.
Hi! I make this dough every year and absolutely love it!! It’s delicious. But this year I want to make my dough ahead of time! How long can I leave it in the fridge? Or would it be best to freeze? I want to fill and bake in about 3-4 days! The best unique hamantaschen recipe!!! 5 stars
This is the third year I’ve baked from this recipe so I was feeling confident in switching things around a bit… I used walnuts instead of hazelnuts and sour cherry preserves instead of apricot. But it really needed more salt in the frangipane! Somehow both fillings ended up being texturally nice but kind of bland. Next time I’ll taste a tiny bit before I bake. But the hazelnut and apricot is always a huge winner.
Excellent! I’ve had such bad luck with other recipes. They always open up. This was delicious. Crisp, yet buttery cookie. I skipped the filling and used fig preserves instead (my favorite filling and I strongly recommend it!). I weighed my ingredients because I didn’t want to get measuring cups dirty :) and I’m glad I did because the dough was the perfect texture! Not dry or crumbly at all!
I made these exactly as written, including the vanilla bean seeds and the vanilla in the filling, and loved them. For anyone looking for a very low effort way to use up the leftover filling, I divided it up and rolled it into crescent rolls from a can. Delish!