Hamantaschen (sometimes spelled, Hamentaschen) are the triangular-shaped cookies that magically seem to appear in U.S. supermarkets towards the end of March each year. Usually, they are also packaged in curious domed-shaped plastic bubbles. Filled with apricot, prune or sometimes sweetened poppy seeds, they have been loved as a seasonal treat by all sorts of people. But to Jews – especially Ashkenazi Jews, they hold a special symbolic/religious significance as an edible symbol of Purim.
Purim is the Jewish holiday that reminds the observant that God can work in very mysterious ways. Basically, it’s the story of how Esther, a Jew living in Persia and part of the Persian king’s harem, saved her people from a genocide at the hands of Haman, a deceitful royal advisor.
Haman’s treachery and secretiveness is symbolized by traditional Purim foods that contain “pockets” of various fillings, such as kreplach, stuffed cabbage, paklava and – most famously – hamantaschen (or Haman’s pockets). They are traditionally part of a Shalach Manos basket (or basket of miniature food treats) that are traditionally given to friends and family during Purim – hence the curious store packaging.
The cookies are really rather easy to make, although getting the dough to the right consistency and thickness can be a bit tricky.
Ingredients:
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup orange juice
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Filling – use either your favorite brand of apricot, prune or cherry preserve or a sweetened poppyseed filing commonly found in the baking section of the supermarket
Method:
- Cream together sugar, oil, eggs and orange juice.
- Slowly blend in the flour, baking powder, and salt, about a cup at a time, taking care to blend the mixture thoroughly.
- Refrigerate at least 2 hours or, preferably, overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cut the cold dough into quarters and place one quarter at a time between two sheets of floured wax paper or plastic wrap.
- Roll the dough to about 1/8 inch in thickness – as the dough warms up, it gets sticky, so work as quickly as you can and keep the remaining dough quarters covered in the refrigerator, until you’re ready to roll them out.
- Take off the top sheet of plastic/wax paper and cut circles (about the size of a doughnut circle or 8-ounce glass rim) in the dough.
- Place about 1 teaspoon of preserve in the middle of each dough circle.
To make the Triangles:
Dividing the perimeter of the dough circle roughly into thirds, pinch each flap over towards the center of the circle, taking care that each flap overlaps and “pinches” the other two…makes a kind of pinwheel form.
Then,
- Bake on a baking sheet for about 20 minutes, until golden brown – about 20 minutes.
- Cool before eating, as the preserve can burn your mouth, if too hot!
- Makes roughly 36 – 48 cookies, depending upon the size of circle you cut out.
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