Purim

Hamantaschen

by:
April 23, 2010
3
2 Ratings
  • Serves About 20
Author Notes

Hamantaschen are an annual staple in my family. As you probably know, they can often be cakey, mushy, or instantaneously stale. Not so with these: they've been perfected. They're crunchy, flavorful, and a perfect counterpoint for their (surprise!) nutella filling. —Rivka

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Ingredients
  • 2/3 cup Butter
  • 1/2 cup Sugar
  • 1 Egg
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon Lemon zest
  • 1 teaspoon Baking powder
  • Pinch Salt
  • 2-3 cups Flour
  • 1 Small container nutella
Directions
  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, and mix on medium speed for about 1 minute to incorporate.
  2. In a separate smaller bowl, combine lemon zest, baking powder, salt, and 2 cups flour. Mix, then add to wet ingredients and mix on low speed just until dough comes together. Add up to - more cup flour if dough is too sticky; I usually add 1/2 cup extra, the use some of the other half cup to roll out dough.
  3. Gather dough into a ball, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate 45 minutes. Remove from plastic and transfer to floured surface, the roll to 1/8 inch thick.
  4. Using a 2-inch cookie cutter, cut as many cookies as you can. Feel free to reroll scraps.
  5. Set up your station: a little bowl of water on hand, jar of nutella fit with a spoon, and a tray coated with parchment. Drop a teaspoon of nutella onto the center of each cookie, dip your finger in water and coat the outer rim on each cookie, and fold sides into a triangle.
  6. Preheat oven to 375. Pile cookies onto cookie sheet 1 inch apart. Bake 10-15 minutes, until just starting to turn golden. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

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I'm a healthcare consultant by day, food blogger by night, and I make a mean veggie chili. I'm eat a mostly-vegetarian diet, but have a soft spot for meat, especially braised short ribs. And this profile wouldn't be complete without an admission that I absolutely am addicted to cookies and chocolate. Finally, I love the idea of food52 and can't wait to share and read my and others' favorite recipes!

8 Reviews

stinkycheese March 19, 2022
These did not hold their shape. They spread out flat. I followed the recipe exactly. I even tried chilling them again before baking-didn’t help.
Nosherium March 2, 2015
This recipe is amazing! It is fairly similar to what my mother makes from an old Israeli cookbook. The dough is perfect. I made three fillings - my mother's poppyseed, Alice Medrich's brownie filling, and a super simple tahini-fig. Sublime!
erinbdm March 1, 2015
Thanks for sharing this. I've had many bad experiences with Hamantaschen recipes in the past (corners opening, puffing up, leaking filling, etc). These came out of the oven crisp, flavorful, and tidy.
Rivka March 2, 2015
So glad they worked for you! I've been making these for years, and this year, I swapped out half the butter for an equal weight of cream cheese. Highly recommend.
dahliat March 17, 2011
I tried making these last weekend, and they just didn't stay closed - most of them opened up so they were more like flat cookies with filling. Would dough staying too long in the fridge cause that problem? My dough was in for a bit longer than an hour...
Rivka March 22, 2011
So strange that they came open. I usually find that as long as I use the water and really pinch each edge closed, they have no problem. That said, another alternative is to fold the hamantaschen edges closed such that they overlap, like envelope flaps, instead of pinching them together. This way, there's no where to fall.
Rivka April 24, 2010
So embarrassed about the they're/their mistake! Entered this recipe from my iPhone on the way to vaca -- I'm actually a grammar fiend. Also why I couldn't upload a picture of these cookies -- but they're very pretty!
drbabs April 23, 2010
Saving for Purim! Nutella Hamentaschen! Yum!