Hamantaschen

Traditionally served on the Jewish holiday of Purim, these jam-filled triangle cookies make a great snack year-round.

Updated on February 19, 2026

“My mother’s family is Jewish—but not that Jewish. My mother substituted her lapsed Hebrew in the holiday blessing with ‘hurrah for Hanukkah,’ and whatever I knew about Passover I learned from Cecil B. DeMille. I didn’t know what Purim was until I was nine and attended art classes at the Jewish youth center near our house in Philadelphia. In late winter, the drama students put on a play wherein the evil Haman bribes the king of Persia to allow him to kill the Jews. Luckily, the king’s favorite wife, Esther, outs herself as Jewish. In a stunning reversal, the king orders Haman hanged, and Persian Jews are saved and a day is set aside for feasting. Forthwith, we children were served cookies—jam- and poppy seed-filled triangles—representing, we were told, Haman’s three-cornered hat.

The cookies I knew. They were hamantaschen. My grandmother made delectable jewel-like versions year-round; they blew the youth center’s dry, cakey ones away. Grandma Syl’s flaky cream cheese pastry was shaped into tiny triangles framing sweet dollops of her homemade raspberry and apricot-pineapple jams. As I’ve learned, Purim also calls for mishloach manot, or ‘sending portions’—giving baskets of sweets to friends and relatives. I may not be the most observant of Jews, but with my Grandma Syl’s fantastic recipe in hand, this is one ritual I can master.” —Betsy Andrews

Featured in the SAVEUR 100 in the January/February 2013 issue.

Makes
45 cookies
Time
1 hour 45 minutes

Photo: Murray Hall • Food Styling: Thu Buser

Ingredients

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
16 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
½ cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. kosher salt
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
¼ cup apricot preserves
¼ cup raspberry preserves
2 large egg whites, beaten

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Instructions

Step 1

In a medium bowl using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt on medium speed, scraping down the bowl halfway, until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the flour. Form the dough into a thin disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Step 2

Transfer the dough to a floured surface and roll to a thickness of ⅛ inch. Using a 2½-inch round cookie cutter dipped in flour, cut out dough rounds. Gather the scraps, re-roll, and cut the dough until you have 30 rounds. Place about ½ teaspoon of the preserves (use the apricot on half and the raspberry on half) in the center of each round. Brush the edges with the egg whites, then fold in the edges to form a triangular shape, leaving a small opening at the top. Tightly pinch the corners to ensure the dough is sealed. Divide the cookies between 2 parchment-lined baking sheets and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Gather the remaining dough scraps, wrap them in plastic, and refrigerate.

Step 3

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. One baking sheet at a time (leave the other sheet in the fridge), bake the chilled cookies until lightly browned, 16–18 minutes. Set the baking sheet aside to cool for 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Step 4

While the first batch bakes, continue to roll and cut the remaining dough (you should get another 15 rounds), alternating topping with ½ teaspoon of the apricot or raspberry preserves. Shape the rounds into triangles, tightly pinching the corners, and transfer to the cooled baking sheet, then refrigerate for 30 minutes. Bake and cool according to the above instructions.

In a medium bowl using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt on medium speed, scraping down the bowl halfway, until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the flour. Form the dough into a thin disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Transfer the dough to a floured surface and roll to a thickness of ⅛ inch. Using a 2½-inch round cookie cutter dipped in flour, cut out dough rounds. Gather the scraps, re-roll, and cut the dough until you have 30 rounds. Place about ½ teaspoon of the preserves (use the apricot on half and the raspberry on half) in the center of each round. Brush the edges with the egg whites, then fold in the edges to form a triangular shape, leaving a small opening at the top. Tightly pinch the corners to ensure the dough is sealed. Divide the cookies between 2 parchment-lined baking sheets and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Gather the remaining dough scraps, wrap them in plastic, and refrigerate.
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. One baking sheet at a time (leave the other sheet in the fridge), bake the chilled cookies until lightly browned, 16–18 minutes. Set the baking sheet aside to cool for 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
While the first batch bakes, continue to roll and cut the remaining dough (you should get another 15 rounds), alternating topping with ½ teaspoon of the apricot or raspberry preserves. Shape the rounds into triangles, tightly pinching the corners, and transfer to the cooled baking sheet, then refrigerate for 30 minutes. Bake and cool according to the above instructions.

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