Purim is the holiday celebrating the deliverance of the Israelites from death at the hands of the Persian empire, thanks to the courage of Queen Esther. Hamantaschen are a traditional treat for Purim, and are said to resemble the three-pointed hat of Haman, who was the main plotter behind the scheme to kill the Jewish people. You can teach your children about this holiday by helping them make hamantaschen, a traditional purim treat.
Traditional hamantaschen are a pastry filled with poppy-seed filling, but in the past few years many other fillings have also become popular. Ours use jam for convenience and so that you can fill them with whatever your kids will like.
Easy Hamantaschen
Download a printer-friendly PDF
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 eggs
- 4 cups flour
- jam, chocolate chips or other fillings
Beat butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla together. Add flour and mix thoroughly. Roll dough into 3″ logs, wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight. Slice into 1/4″ slices.
Place a few teaspoons of filling in the center of each slice. Fold each circle into a triangular shape, pinching the edges closed. (They will expand a lot in the oven, so make sure they are well sealed at the corners.)
Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake at 350°F until lightly browned, about 15-18 minutes.
Apricot jam, chocolate chips and raspberry jam this year.
Want more? Check out our Pinterest Page for more recipes!