Delicious Hamantaschen

Hamantaschen are the three-cornered cookies traditional to the Jewish holiday of Purim, said to represent the hat (or ears, depending on which grandmother is telling the story) of Haman, the villain of the Purim story. A buttery, lightly sweet dough wraps around a generous spoonful of filling, and the three corners pinch together to form the iconic triangular shape.

This filling skips the modern pre-made cans and goes traditional: pitted prunes, raisins, toasted walnuts, and lemon zest pulsed in the food processor with a splash of lemon juice and a hit of sugar. The result is dense, jammy, slightly tart from the citrus, and absolutely better than anything from a jar.

The dough must chill at least two hours before rolling. Cold dough holds its shape during the pinching step, while warm dough opens up in the oven and you end up with circles, not triangles. Brush the edges with beaten egg before pinching; it acts as glue and keeps the corners sealed during baking.

Roll to one-eighth inch thickness, no thicker. Thicker dough overwhelms the filling and bakes up bready instead of tender-cookie. A 2.5-inch round cutter is the standard size; bigger rounds become unwieldy, smaller ones can’t hold a heaping teaspoon of filling.

Pro Tips

• Toast the walnuts before adding to the filling, raw walnuts taste flat against the prunes
• Pinch the corners firmly with damp fingers, weak seams burst open mid-bake
• Re-chill rolled-out scraps before re-cutting, warm dough turns tough on the second roll
• Bake on parchment-lined sheets to prevent sticking and burning at the corners

Variations

• Sub poppy seed (mohn) filling or apricot jam for the classic alternatives
• Use Nutella or chocolate chips for a modern dessert version
• Fill with strawberry preserves and finely chopped almonds for a fruity-nutty twist