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Hamantaschen

Hamantaschen (Jewish Cookies with a Poppy-Seed Filling)

Hamantaschen. A delectable poppy-seed and milk halwa with a whiff of citrus. Enveloped in a crisp cookie. Just what the festive season demands !!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine Jewish

Ingredients
  

For the Cookies

  • 2 cups plain flour sifted
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 tbsp sugar
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp orange zest
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • extra plain flour to roll

For the Poppy Seeds Filling

  • 1/2 cup poppy seeds
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 2 cups milk
  • 2 tbsp raisins
  • 3 tbsp honey

Instructions
 

For the poppy seed filling

  • Grind the poppy seeds to a fine powder. Keep aside.
  • Heat the milk over a low flame till it reduces to almost half.
  • Stir in the butter and poppy seed powder, mix well.
  • Add the honey and raisins, continue to cook over a low flame, stirring frequently, till the milk thickens to almost a coating consistency.
  • Allow to come to room temperature. Keep aside.

For the Cookies

  • Sift the flour, baking powder and salt to aerate the mixture. Keep aside.
  • Take the sugar and butter in a second bowl, use a hand-blender on medium speed to cream together until fluffy.
  • Add one egg, orange zest and vanilla extract, mix till well incorporated.
  • Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet batter, mix until just combined.
  • The dough should be crumbly in texture, do not overwork the dough. If the dough feels a bit too dry, add 2-3 tsp of cold milk, 1 tsp at a time, knead very lightly.
  • Wrap the cookie dough tightly in a cling film, refrigerate, at least 2 hours. (Overnight works best)
  • Pre-heat the oven to 180C.
  • Take the cookie dough out of the refrigerator, allow to come to room temperature.
  • Roll the dough over a well-floured surface to about 1/4th inch thickness. Using a 4-inch circle cookie-cutter, cut as many circles you can .
  • Gather the scraps, roll the dough and again cut as many circles as you can. Repeat this till the dough is almost exhausted.
  • Transfer the cookie dough circles to a greased baking sheet.
  • Whisk the remaining egg with 1 tsp of water and keep aside.
    Hamantachen Cookies
  • Brush the circle with egg-wash, place 1 tsp of the poppy seed filling gently in the centre of the circle as shown in the picture.
  • Fold the circle in from three sides to make a triangle as shown in the picture, gently crimp the corners to ensure they stay closed, leaving approximately about 1" surface of the filling exposed.
    Hamantachen Cookies
  • Brush the folded cookies with egg wash, bake for 15-18minutes.
  • Allow to cool, the cookies are now ready to serve.
    Hamantachen Cookies