Cookies exist in pretty much every culture. People know what’s good and have done so for centuries. ;P But cookies do not look the same everywhere or are baked with the same ingredients, of course. There are sometimes quite big differences from country to country, even when they are next to each other. These Hamantaschen are based in Jewish cuisine and are very different from what we consider here (in Germany) as cookies or biscuits – but they definitely belong in the cookie category. ;)

We love cookies. Whether small, large, chocolatey, or fruity – we love them all. Cookies are the perfect little snack when you’re craving something sweet between meals or after (or before). We always have a few cookies in a cookie jar waiting to be eaten. We bake much more cookies than cakes here. I guess that’s the reason we have something called »Cookie Friday« here on the blog. ;P
Hamantasch(en) are a sweet pastry from Jewish cuisine that is traditionally baked and eaten around Purim. You can therefore usually only find the small pastries in bakeries in the days before/up to Purim. The date of Purim changes every year and is linked to the Jewish month of Adar, but usually falls in March. If you want to know more, you can simply consult Wikipedia or Google…

The small triangular dumplings are available with a variety of fillings. The most popular and widespread are probably fillings with poppy seeds or plum jam. I opted for a nutty filling here, but simple jam works just as well and makes everything a lot easier. ;P
If you want to do less work here, simply use plum jam or any other jam instead of the nutty filling. This saves you having to roast and boil down the nut filling and is definitely less hassle.
As already mentioned, we got many more cookie recipes here on the blog. Everything from traditional cookies to more experimental stuff. We got them all! How about some Chinese Almond Cookies for Chinese New Year or maybe some Cereal Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies? Both very different types of cookies, both really delicious!
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
(34-36 Hamantaschen)
For the dough:
1 cup (230g) butter, at room temperature
1 cup (200g) sugar
2 large eggs
3 cups (390g) all-purpose flour
1 cup (130) wholemeal wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
For the nut filling:
2.5 oz. (70g) pecans, chopped
2.5 oz. (70g) hazelnuts, chopped
3 oz. (85g) walnuts, chopped
6 oz. (170g) honey
2 tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup (60ml) water, plus more if needed
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 medium egg for brushing
(34-36 Hamantaschen)
Für den Teig:
230g weiche Butter
200g Zucker
2 Eier (L)
390g Mehl (Type 405)
130g Weizenvollkornmehl
1 1/2 TL Backpulver
1/2 TL Salz
Für die Nussfüllung:
70g Pekannüsse, gehackt
70g Haselnüsse, gehackt
85g Walnüsse, gehackt
17g Honig
2 EL Butter
1/2 TL Salz
60ml Wasser, ggf. etwas mehr
1 TL Vanille Extrakt
1 Ei (M) zum Bestreichen

DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. Add the butter and sugar to a large bowl and mix for 2-3 minutes until very light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix well after each addition. Mix both flours with baking powder, and salt. Add to the large bowl and mix/knead until you got a nice and smooth dough. Wrap the dough into plastic wrap (it is best to divide it into two batches), flatten it a bit, and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours (up to two days).
2. While the dough is chilling, prepare the filling. Chop the nuts and add them to a small saucepan. Roast the nuts over medium-high heat until slightly browned and fragrant – this can take a few minutes, stir constantly. When the nuts are looking nicely roasted, add the honey, butter, salt, water, and vanilla extract. Mix everything and let cook down while stirring often. You want the liquid in the mix to be almost gone. When the mixture looks thick and glossy, remove from the heat and let cool down completely. If the nut filling feels too thick after cooling down, add a bit of water and mix in – you want a filling that spreads easily. The filling can be done in advance and stored in the fridge.
3. Take a dough package out of the fridge and let it warm up for a moment – you can also knead the dough shortly to warm it up. Then roll the dough out on a floured surface to a thickness of about 0.2 inches (0,5 cm). Use a cookie cutter (⌀ 8 cm) and cut out as many circles as possible. Collect leftover dough and roll it out again to get more dough circles. Add about 1 teaspoon of the nut filling onto each dough circle, then fold the edges on three sides over the filling to create a triangle with an opening in the center where you can see the filling. Make sure to pinch the tips together, so the dough is not unfolding when baking in the oven. Place the little packages on a baking sheet or board and place them in the fridge for about 20 minutes. While the first batch is cooling you can already prepare more.
3. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a baking sheet with baking parchment. Place some packages on the baking sheet with a bit of space in between (they will most likely spread a bit). Brush the sides and top with some egg wash – try not to get anything on top of the filling. Bake the cookies for 18-20 minutes until slightly browned. Take out of the oven and let cool down for some time on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool down completely. Repeat with the remaining packages. Store the cooled cookies in a cookie box at room temperature.
1. Butter und Zucker in einer großen Schüssel für 2-3 Minuten hell und luftig aufschlagen. Die Eier einzeln dazugeben und jeweils gut unterrühren. Beide Mehle, Backpulver und Salz vermischen und dann zur großen Schüssel dazugeben – zu einem glatten Teig verrühren und dann kneten. Den Teig in Klarsichtfolie einschlagen (vorher eventuell aufteilen) und dann für mindestens 2 Stunden bis max. 2 Tage in den Kühlschrank legen.
2. Während der Teig durchkühlt, die Füllung zubereiten. Dazu die Nüsse hacken und in einer kleinen Pfanne bei mittlerer Hitzezufuhr so lange anrösten, bis sie leicht Farbe bekommen haben und anfangen zu duften. Das kann je nach Pfanne einige Minuten dauern – dabei auf jeden Fall ständig umrühren, damit nichts anbrennt. Wenn die Nüsse schön duften, Honig, Butter, Salz, Wasser und Vanille Extrakt dazugeben. Alles gut verrühren und unter ständigem Rühren etwas einkochen lassen. Die Flüssigkeit sollte weitestgehend verkocht sein. Wenn die Mischung dickflüssig aussieht und glänzt, vom Herd ziehen und komplett abkühlen lassen. Sollte die Nussfüllung nach dem Abkühlen zu fest geworden und nicht mehr streichfähig sein, einfach noch ein wenig Wasser dazugeben und unterrühren, bis die Konsistenz passt. Die Füllung kann im Voraus zubereitet und im Kühlschrank aufbewahrt werden.
3. Die Hälfte des Teiges aus dem Kühlschrank nehmen und etwas aufwärmen lassen. Man kann den Teig aber auch einfach kurz durchkneten – in etwa der gleiche Effekt. Den Teig auf einer leicht bemehlten Fläche ausrollen (etwa 0,5cm dick) und dann mit einem runden Ausstecher (⌀ 8 cm) so viele Kreise wie möglich ausstechen. Teigreste sammeln, erneut ausrollen und weitere Teigkreise ausstechen. Auf jeden Teigkreis etwa 1 Teelöffel der Nussfüllung geben, dann die Ränder an drei Seiten über die Füllung falten. Es sollte dabei ein Dreieck mit einer Öffnung in der Mitte entsteht – die Füllung sollte hier sichtbar sein. Die Enden/Spitzen gut zusammendrücken, damit sich der Teig beim Backen nicht auffaltet. Die kleinen Päckchen auf ein Backblech oder Brettchen setzen und für etwa 20 Minuten in den Kühlschrank stellen. Während die erste Charge abkühlt, kann man bereits weitere Hamantaschen vorbereiten.
3. Den Ofen auf 180°C (350°F) Ober-/Unterhitze vorheizen. Ein Backblech mit Backpapier auslegen. Die Hamantaschen mit etwas Abstand zueinander auf das Blech setzen – sie laufen nur minimal auseinander. Den Teig an den Seiten mit etwas verquirltem Ei bestreichen. Achtet darauf, dass dabei nichts auf die Füllung kommt. Die Hamantaschen für etwa 18-20 Minuten backen – sie sollten etwas Farbe bekommen haben. Aus dem Ofen holen und auf dem Blech etwas abkühlen lassen, dann auf ein Kuchengitter setzen und komplett auskühlen lassen. Den Vorgang mit den restlichen Teigpaketen wiederholen. Die abgekühlten Kekse in einer Keksdose bei Zimmertemperatur aufbewahren.


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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
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Hamantaschen with Nutty Filling
- Prep Time: 00:50
- Cook Time: 00:20
- Total Time: 04:00
- Yield: 32
- Category: Cookies
- Cuisine: International
Description
These Hamantaschen are normally baked for Purim, but they are a great and delicious treat to bake all year round I think ;)
Ingredients
For the dough:
1 cup (230g) butter, at room temperature
1 cup (200g) sugar
2 large eggs
3 cups (390g) all-purpose flour
1 cup (130) wholemeal wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
For the nut filling:
2.5 oz. (70g) pecans, chopped
2.5 oz. (70g) hazelnuts, chopped
3 oz. (85g) walnuts, chopped
6 oz. (170g) honey
2 tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup (60ml) water, plus more if needed
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 medium egg for brushing
Instructions
1. Add the butter and sugar to a large bowl and mix for 2-3 minutes until very light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix well after each addition. Mix both flours with baking powder, and salt. Add to the large bowl and mix/knead until you got a nice and smooth dough. Wrap the dough into plastic wrap (it is best to divide it into two batches), flatten it a bit, and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours (up to two days).
2. While the dough is chilling, prepare the filling. Chop the nuts and add them to a small saucepan. Roast the nuts over medium-high heat until slightly browned and fragrant – this can take a few minutes, stir constantly. When the nuts are looking nicely roasted, add the honey, butter, salt, water, and vanilla extract. Mix everything and let cook down while stirring often. You want the liquid in the mix to be almost gone. When the mixture looks thick and glossy, remove from the heat and let cool down completely. If the nut filling feels too thick after cooling down, add a bit of water and mix in – you want a filling that spreads easily. The filling can be done in advance and stored in the fridge.
3. Take a dough package out of the fridge and let it warm up for a moment – you can also knead the dough shortly to warm it up. Then roll the dough out on a floured surface to a thickness of about 0.2 inches (0,5 cm). Use a cookie cutter (⌀ 8 cm) and cut out as many circles as possible. Collect leftover dough and roll it out again to get more dough circles. Add about 1 teaspoon of the nut filling onto each dough circle, then fold the edges on three sides over the filling to create a triangle with an opening in the center where you can see the filling. Make sure to pinch the tips together, so the dough is not unfolding when baking in the oven. Place the little packages on a baking sheet or board and place them in the fridge for about 20 minutes. While the first batch is cooling you can already prepare more.
3. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a baking sheet with baking parchment. Place some packages on the baking sheet with a bit of space in between (they will most likely spread a bit). Brush the sides and top with some egg wash – try not to get anything on top of the filling. Bake the cookies for 18-20 minutes until slightly browned. Take out of the oven and let cool down for some time on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool down completely. Repeat with the remaining packages. Store the cooled cookies in a cookie box at room temperature.
Notes
Get your bake on!
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