8 Hamantaschen for Every Craving!
I adore Purim. Any holiday that encourages dressing up, eating large amounts of candy and drinking (a responsible) amount of alcohol is one I will most definitely partake in. One of the ways in which we celebrate is eating hamantashen. The three cornered pastry is a holiday treat and is traditionally filled with poppy seeds and various jams. Devouring it is symbolic of overcoming evil. (more on that HERE) I like things both savory and sweet which is why I decided to go ahead and bake up hamantashen for every craving. With fillings like Strawberry Cheesecake, Chocolate Raspberry, Taco Flavored Beef and Goat Cheese with Basil I think it’s safe to say this Purim you will be able to indulge every tastebud. For those of you who have no time or desire to whip up dough from scratch I have also included recipes using ready made dough such as puff pastry and wonton wrappers.
Strawberry Cheesecake Hamantashen:
Servings: about 20 hamantashen
Ingredients:
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoon baking powder
2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup Strawberry Jam
1 cup cheesecake filling
CheeseCake Filling:
1 8oz package of cream cheese
1/3 cup of sugar (you could use 1/2 cup if you like it very sweet)
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
Combine ingredients until smooth. Makes about 1 cup.
Directions:
Cream together sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla. Slowly add flour and baking powder. Mix together. The dough might be crumbly, use your hands to smooth it out and combine it. Roll out dough on floured surface (about 1/4 to 1/8 thick. Not too thick since then the circles are hard to shape and will open up. Not too thin since then it will rip when shaping or filling) and cut out circles using a donut cutter or the rim of a large glass cup or mason jar. Fill center of circle with desired filling (about 1 tsp each) and bake on 350′ for 12 to 15 minutes depending on how soft or crispy you want them. I like them super soft so I take them out after about 10 minutes.
Birthday Cake Hamantashen:
Servings: about 20 hamantashen
Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 t vanilla
1/2 cup oil
2/3 cup sugar
2 t baking powder
2 1/2 cups flour
1 container Frosting (from a jar like pillsbury)
2 cups sprinkles (colorful)
Directions:
Cream together sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla. Slowly add flour and baking powder. Mix together. The dough might be crumbly, use your hands to smooth it out and combine it. Add sprinkles to dough. (add the sprinkles in slowly, depending on how many sprinkles you want in the dough and don’t over mix them with the dough) Roll out dough on floured surface (about 1/4 to 1/8 thick. Not too thick since then the circles are hard to shape and will open up. Not too thin since then it will rip when shaping or filling) and cut out circles using a donut cutter or the rim of a large glass cup or mason jar. Fill center of circle with frosting (about 1 tsp) and bake on 350′ for 8 to 12 minutes depending on how soft or crispy you want them. I like them super soft so took them out around 8 to 10 minutes. Once cooked, you might notice the frosting has melted if that is the case simply add fresh frosting to the baked hamantashen. You can also top frosting with sprinkles when serving.
* How To Shape Hamantashen: Place filling in center than slowly fold over one side. Then the next and finally bring the bottom on top. Gently pinch the corners. You can also simply bring up the sides, forming a triangle by pinching the corners together.
Vegan Chocolate Filled Hamantashen:
Servings: about 20 hamantashen
Ingredients:
2 T ground flax seed combined with 6 T water
1/2 cup of oil
1 t vanilla extract
2/3 cup sugar
2 t baking powder
2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup chocolate spread
Directions:
Cream together flax seed water mixture, sugar, oil, and vanilla. Slowly add flour and baking powder. Mix together. The dough might be crumbly, use your hands to smooth it out and combine it. Roll out dough on floured surface (about 1/4 to 1/8 thick. Not too thick since then the circles are hard to shape and will open up. Not too thin since then it will rip when shaping or filling) and cut out circles using a donut cutter or the rim of a large glass cup or mason jar. Fill center of circle with chocolate spread (about 1 tsp each) and bake on 350′ for about 10 minutes.
* Notes on shaping hamantashen: Place filling in center than slowly fold over one side. Then the next and finally bring the bottom on top. Gently pinch the corners.
Chocolate Raspberry Hamantaschen:
These chocolate and raspberry filled pastries are decadent! The first time I baked them, the raspberry juices leaking out during the baking process leaving them to resemble bleeding hearts. (Which worked for me since my fam and I dressed up as pirates for Purim!) This year I dusted the raspberries in some flour before placing them in the chocolate, and they did not leak. Either way, they taste divine.
Ingredients:
1 sheet of puff pastry
1 cup of raspberries
Chocolate spread
1 cup of chocolate chips
Directions:
Cut out circles of puff pastry using a cookie cutter or the rim of a glass cup. Wet the dough with some water, then place 1 tsp. of chocolate sauce in the center of each circle. Place 1 or 2 raspberries on top of chocolate then pinch the side of the dough together forming a triangle. If you have trouble getting it to stick, wet it with more water. This will help it stick together. Bake in oven on 375′ for 15 to 20 minutes until golden and slightly crispy. Melt the chocolate chips and drizzle over hamentaschen. These taste great once cooled off and given the chance to slightly harden, otherwise it’s a gooey mess!
Taco Hamantaschen:
The dough gets nice and crispy in the oven which makes these taste like real tacos.
Ingredients:
1/2 pound ground beef
1 package of taco seasoning
I package of frozen ravioli dough pre-cut into circles, defrosted OR 1 package of wonton wrappers
Directions:
Brown beef, then add taco seasoning. Cook for an additional 10-15. While the meat cooks, cut out circles of dough if using wonton wrappers and place onto slightly greased baking sheet. (If you are using ravioli dough that is pre cut into circles, place them on a slightly greased baking sheet.) Wet the dough with some water then place 1 tsp. of taco meat filling in center of each ravioli circle. Pinch the sides together, forming a triangle. If it won’t stick together, wet it again, this helps it stick together. Bake in oven on 350′ for 10 to 15 minutes until golden and slightly crispy. Serve them with all of your favorite taco toppings such as guacamole, salsa and shredded cabbage.
Mediterranean Hamantaschen:
Caramelized onions, tomato, basil and goat cheese make these the perfect appetizer to serve this holiday.
Ingredients:
1 sheet of puff pastry
2 tomatoes diced
1/2 onion diced
1/2 cup of crumbled goat cheese
1/4 cup of fresh basil diced
Directions:
Cut out circles of puff pastry using a cookie cutter or the rim of a glass cup. Saute the onions until tender. Add the tomatoes and cook for several minutes. Wet the circles of dough with an egg wash, which is 1 egg + 1 tablespoon of water. Then, place 1 tsp of tomato onion filling in center of each circle. Top with some goat cheese and basil. Pinch the sides together, forming a triangle. You might need to wet it with some of the egg wash to get it to stick. I had to sort of fold the edges over slightly, to keep it from opening up. Bake in oven on 375′ for 15 to 20 minutes until golden and slightly crispy.
Chocolate Banana Coconut Hamantaschen:
These are a fav of mine. I don’t even like bananas but with the melted chocolate and crispy coconut flakes it’s delicious.
Ingredients:
1 sheet of puff pastry
1 banana, sliced into thin rounds
Chocolate spread
1 cup coconut flakes
1 cup of chocolate chips
Directions:
Cut out circles of puff pastry using a cookie cutter or the rim of a glass cup. Wet the dough with some water, then place 1 tsp. of chocolate spread in the center of each circle. Place 1 banana round on top of chocolate then top with coconut flakes. Pinch the side of the dough together forming a triangle. If you have trouble getting it to stick, wet it with more water. This will help it stick together. Bake in oven on 375′ for 15 to 20 minutes until golden and slightly crispy. Melt the chocolate chips and drizzle over hamantashen.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Hamantashen:
Ingredients:
2 cups of flour
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup of white sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
2 sticks of room temp margarine
1 egg
1/2 cup of cocoa powder
Directions:
Cream sugar and margarine together. Add eggs, vanilla extract, baking powder, flour and cocoa powder. Mix together. Place dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour. Roll out dough and cut out circles using cookie cutter or rim of a glass jar or cup. Fill with 1 tsp. peanut butter. (I added some chocolate spread to some of them and it tasted great!) then pinch the corners together, forming a triangle. Bake on 350′ for 8-10 minutes. I kept them in for about 15 minutes, and overcooked them and they got really crunchy, but I like them softer so careful not to over bake them!
* Tips/Tricks: I originally had a difficult time shaping them since the dough was sticky. I kept it in the fridge for several hours and used extra flour when rolling it out. This made it easier to work with!
2 thoughts on “8 Hamantaschen for Every Craving!”
Where’s the recipe for the Strawberry Cheesecake filling? It seems to be missing – I see the dough ingredients, and then it just says “desired filling.” Thanks!
Hi! Here is a link to the Strawberry Cheesecake Hamantaschen: https://www.kosherinthekitch.com/strawberry-cheesecake-hamantashen/ I will update the recipe above so it’s included. Enjoy!