Welcome to The Storied Recipe!
My podcast guest Lauren Kandel shared her mother’s recipe for authentic Hamantaschen (Purim Cookies) PLUS her secret recipe for easy gourmet apricot and prune filling..
I invite you to listen to her episode Purim Traditions: Honoring a Mother’s Legacy of Love as you make their traditional family recipe.
Lauren’s earliest & most cherished memories of Purim include making these Purim cookies with her mother and sister.
Lauren lost her mother when she was just 14. Now a mother of 3 herself, each year Lauren and her sister get together to make hundreds of these traditional Hamantaschen cookies. They fill bags to the brim for distribution to friends and neighbors – and plenty to stock their own freezers as well.
You’ll love this classic dairy-free Hamantaschen dough recipe. The apricot and prune fillings are simple, quick, and easy, but elevated with a few fresh ingredients.
Table of Contents (Jump To Section)
What To Expect (Flavor & Texture)
- Triangular cookies are perfect for savoring the special crust, which is rich and short like a shortbread cookie, but softer, cakier, and easier to handle - like a pastry.
- Traditional orange juice in Lauren's dough recipe gives a natural sweetness and slight citrus flavor
- Lauren's traditional Apricot filling begins with Apricot Solo Pie Filling (common in Ashkenazi baked goods) then elevated with honey and freshly squeezed lemon juice. (Don't be afraid to add a little lemon zest as well!)
- Her classic Prune filling also begins with Prune Solo Pie Filling and elevated with walnuts, dried fruits & lemon juice.
How to Fold a Hamantaschen Cookie
- On heavily floured surface, roll dough to ⅛ inch thick. Cut rounds using a 4-inch circle cutter.
- Add 1 scant teaspoon of filling in the middle of each round.
- Fold in two sides to create one point of your triangle shape.
- Then fold opposite side to create two other points simultaneously.
- You can fold your points down for flatter corners. Folded corners take a little longer to bake through. I prefer the points, personally. If you're having trouble with the corners opening, check out the tips in the next section
- Brush top edges of Hamentashen with egg wash.
Why do my Hamantaschen open when they bake?
- Do not overfill the Hamantaschen. Use a scant teaspoon for 3 inch circles
- Chill the dough before rolling and cutting.
- After you pinch the corners, fold them down flat.
- Use fresh dough (not frozen and defrosted). The baked cookies freeze beautifully, so if you want to work ahead, bake and then freeze.
About Lauren & Her Memories of this Hamantaschen Recipe
I first met Lauren through this podcast but I am honored to now call her my friend. Although Lauren has survived the early loss of her mother and the loss of her own daughter, to a degenerative disease through which she tenderly and selflessly cared for her for 17 years. She is a tireless worker and friend, running her own cake decorating & photography business, and always, always there for the community. Including me. Showcased in the way that she makes these Purim cookies with her sister, she makes bags for friends.
Purim Traditions: Honoring a Mother's Legacy of Love
Press play to listen now while you make this recipe!
Follow The Storied Recipe in Your Favorite Player
Purim Cookies! Prune & Apricot Hamantaschen
Cuisine: Jewish, AshkenaziDifficulty: Medium29
servings3
hours15
minutes65
kcal3
hours15
minutesA classic dairy-free Hamantaschen dough & elevated Prune and Apricot fillings elevated with fresh ingredients.
Keep the screen of your device on
Ingredients
- Dough
6 cups 6 flour
1 cup 1 sugar
2 2 Teaspoons baking powder
1 cup 1 orange juice
2 2 eggs
2 cups 2 Crisco/Vegetable shortening
- Apricot Filling
½ cup ½ good quality apricot jam
Freshly squeezed lemon juice to taste
- Prune Filling
½ cup ½ finely chopped walnuts
¾ cup ¾ raisins
1 Tablespoon 1 honey
1 1 Teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Egg Wash
1 1 egg beaten
1 Tablespoon 1 water
Directions
- Make the Dough
- Combine flour, sugar, and baking powder in the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment.
- Add shortening and mix until crumbly, about the size of peas, then add eggs.
- Then while the mixer is running on low, pour in orange juice.
- Dough should form a ball, turn dough out onto floured surface and shape into a ball
- Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least two hours, or overnight.
- (You can make it three days in advance, or freeze for up to three months. If frozen, thaw in the refrigerator overnight before using.)
- Make the Fillings
- For the prune filling, empty the entire can of Solo prune filling into a medium bowl, add the raisins, walnuts, honey and lemon juice.
- For the Apricot filling, in a medium bowl, mix entire can of Solo apricot filling, apricot jam, and lemon juice.
- Create the Hamantaschen
- On heavily floured surface, or lightly floured parchment paper, roll dough to ⅛ inch thick. Cut rounds using a 4-inch circle cutter.
- Add 1 scant teaspoon of filling in the middle of each round.
- Fold in two sides to create one point of your triangle shape.
- Then fold opposite side to create two other points simultaneously.
- Brush top edges of hamentashen with egg wash.
- Place on parchment-covered baking sheets and bake at 350° for 12-15 minutes or until tops begin to turn a light golden brown.
- Remove from oven and cool on a rack.
- The filling of these cookies stay hot much longer than the pastry so be sure the middle is cool before giving to the kids who are undoubtedly waiting to sample them.
- Enjoy! And don’t forget to spread the love.
Notes
- Make sure to listen to Lauren on The Storied Recipe Podcast, Hamantaschen for Purim while you make her Hamantaschen recipe!
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @thestoriedrecipe.podcast on Instagram and hashtag it #thestoriedrecipe
Like this recipe?
Follow us @thestoriedrecipe on Pinterest
Would love to hear from you!