Purim

“פורים”

Begins sunset Monday, March 6, 2023 and Ends the evening of Tuesday, March 7, 2023

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Origin:

Book of Esther. The Jewish people’s deliverance from the genocide of Haman during the time of Esther and Mordecai.

Observance:

A joyous holiday, which includes dressing up in costumes and re-
enacting, with much enthusiasm, the story of Esther.

Gospel:

The Jewish people were condemned to death by an unchangeable law, but God provided a way of escape through the grace of the king…

Extras:

How to greet someone

To greet someone on the holiday, you can say, “Chag Purim Sameach!” or simply wish them a “Chag Sameah” (“Happy Holiday”)

Kids Activities

Recipe(s)

Jewish Hamantaschen Cookies

Prep: 30 mins
Cook: 15 mins
Total: 45 mins
Servings: 12 servings
Yield: 24 cookies
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
474 Calories
22g Fat
66g Carbs
6g Protein
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

This recipe for Jewish hamantaschen cookies shaped like a tri-cornered hat is representative of Haman’s hat. Haman is the antagonist in the story of Queen Esther who saved her people, the Jews, from being killed by the edict of the evil Haman. The story is detailed in the bible, in the book of Esther. The word “Purim” refers to Haman having cast the pur (the lot) against the Jews to no avail. The cookies are traditionally eaten for the annual holiday of Purim, which usually falls in February or March. The holiday celebrates Jewish survival.

 

These flaky pastries start with a pareve margarine dough (although butter can be used for a dairy meal) and are traditionally filled with apricot, prune, or poppy seed fillings. However, these days, chocolate and other fruit fillings are popular, too. It’s easy to find these fillings in the baking aisles—they’re typically a canned product—although some grocery stores will sell it packaged in plastic containers, too.

 

You can assemble these cookies using either a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup sugar

  • 1 1/3 cups margarine, room temperature

  • 2 large eggs, room temperature

  • 6 tablespoons water

  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 4 cups all-purpose flour

  • Poppyseed filling, prune (lekvar), apricot preserves, Nutella, (your choice)

 

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for Jewish Hamantaschen cookies gathered
     

  2. Cream together sugar and margarine with a hand mixer.

    Sugar and margarine creamed together in a bowl with a hand mixer
     

  3. Add eggs and cream until smooth.

    Eggs added to the margarine mixture and creamed until smooth
     

  4. Stir in water and vanilla.

    Water and vanilla stirred into the margarine mixture
     

  5. Add flour, mixing until dough forms a ball.

    Flour added margarine mixture to form hamantaschen dough
     

  6. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for a few hours.

    Hamantaschen dough flattened and wrapped in plastic
     

  7. Heat oven to 375 F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

    Baking sheets lined with parchment paper
     

  8. Pinch off walnut-sized pieces of dough and roll into a ball.

    Pieces of dough rolled into balls
     

  9. Press ball between 2 pieces of waxed paper and transfer to the prepared baking sheets, spacing about an inch apart.

    Ball of dough pressed between two pieces of wax paper
     

  10. Place about 1 teaspoon of filling in the center of each circle of dough.

    One teaspoon of filling placed in the center of each dough circle
     

  11. Pinch to form a 3-cornered hat.

    Dough pinched on the sides to form a 3-cornered hat
     

  12. Bake about 15 minutes or until just starting to brown.

    Hamantashcen cookies baked on a baking sheet
     

  13. Using a thin spatula, carefully remove the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

    Cookies transferred to a wire rack to cool completely
     

  14. Store cookies in a tightly covered container.

    Jewish Hamantaschen cookies in a glass container
     

Recipe Variations

  • Chocolate Hamantaschen Recipe: This is a dairy dish in the kosher tradition because the cocoa powder pastry dough is made with butter. It can be filled with prune, poppy seed, or apricot, but they taste so much better with raspberry, Nutella, white chocolate chunks, or chocolate peanut butter.
  • Rose Water Pistachio Hamantaschen Recipe: This is another dairy cookie because the dough contains butter flavored with rose water. The surprise? A filling made with pistachio marzipan.

Why are hamantaschen eaten for Purim?

Despite the name, it’s unclear if Haman ever wore a three-cornered hat, the reputed inspiration for these cookies that date to Germany in the late 1500s.

The name comes from the German mohn (poppy seed) and taschen (pockets) and the pastries were known as mohntaschen which means “poppy seed pockets” or “Haman’s pockets” (hamantaschen).

The “pockets” allude to Haman’s pockets supposedly being filled with bribe money, represented by “coins” of poppy seeds.

 

 

How to Store and Freeze Hamantaschen

These cookies will keep in a covered container for three to five days. For longer storage, wrap them in waxed paper and transfer to a covered container or zip-close freezer bag up to three months.

Tu Bishvat         Purim         Passover         Lag BaOmer         Shavuot         Tisha B’Av         Rosh Hashanah         Yom Kippur

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We do not endorse the fact that it is biblical to practice any Jewish Holiday. This site is just to educate you, as well as teach you ways to Witness with our Jewish Friends

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