Purim is almost upon us and this year, well, I’m tired. My soul feels crumbly and brittle like badly made hamantaschen dough, and I honestly think that the little heartbreak of having half my cookies explode in the oven is just not one I can handle (though I do get a ton of joy from this hamantaschen fail account).
Sure, there are excellent hacks that can help your Purim staple keep its structural integrity — don’t overfill them, don’t play with the dough too much, make sure you keep the dough thick, put them in the freezer for some time before baking… But no hacks are 100% foolproof. And so, if you too are feeling a little daunted by the task of making hamantaschen this year, or just want to make some really original, delicious varieties, I’ve assembled five ideas that take out the nervous anticipation of finding out whether they’ve exploded in the middle of baking, and seem utterly delicious — for kids and adults alike.
Israeli chocolate balls hamantaschen
These were the ‘taschens that inspired this list. I absolutely couldn’t stop drooling while watching this video from Shiran Matetyahu that is inspired by the classic Israeli cookie all children make with their families — chocolate balls. She uses a fairly basic recipe for Israeli chocolate balls (you can find the full recipe in Hebrew on both her Instagram and website) that mixes 300 grams (or about a bag) of dark chocolate chips, 350 ml of heavy cream (you can use a vegan alternative) and a sleeve of tea biscuits. You melt the chocolate and the cream together for 90 seconds in the microwave or on your stovetop, mix them with finely ground-up biscuits, and encase the mixture in two pieces of parchment paper, which you then roll flat (Matetyahu says to make them about half a centimeter thick, and I would definitely pay attention to how she does it in the video if you can!). Then you put in the freezer for just a few minutes to stabilized and coat one side with sprinkles (I feel like this is optional, but so beautiful).
You put the flattened dough in the freezer for just 10 minutes, and then you cut it into circles, fill with your favorite spread, and gently fold. This is one you’ll need to store in your fridge — Matetyahu says they’re good up to five days.
I will say, I don’t think this recipe is completely foolproof, but I do think chocolate balls are delicious, and maybe you just want to make some and shape them into triangles? It’s really all about your energy level.
Rice crispy hamantaschen
This recipe from Erin Grunstein is absolutely my jam! Just use your rice crispy recipe of choice (or buy them premade, I absolutely won’t tell), roll them, fill them with your favorite spread and well, you have a perfectly delicious (and easily gluten-free!) hamantasch. Great for mishloach manot and your kids’ lunchboxes. Thank you for this, Erin!
Pop tart hamantaschen (or poptaschen)
Continuing on this trend of classic childhood snacks, I’m absolutely loving these gorgeous and nostalgic treats from Leanne Yaakubov. She has the whole wonderful recipe up on her site, but I think this is definitely one that you can hack with some puff pastry dough and jam.
Megulgalot hamantaschen
Megulgalot means “rolled” and these rugelach-like cookies have been all the rage in Israel over the past half-decade. Matetyahu, the brilliant mastermind behind the chocolate balls hamantaschen, had the idea to gently shape them into triangles and then slice them, and honestly it makes for such a beautiful cookie. Here’s a poppyseed filled recipe for a rolled cookie from our friends at the Nosher that you can use for the dough and filling, or replace it with a favorite chocolate spread. The important part is that you put the triangle-shaped cookie roll in the freezer for about 15 minutes before slicing.
Triangle cookies hamantaschen
Sivan of Sivan’s Kitchen is a second-generation Jewish baker, and her cakes and doughs are wonderful, but she also knows the struggle of making those perfect hamantaschen. That’s why she created this hamantaschen hack that you can use with your favorite dough recipe, which creates beautiful triangular cookies without all that strife.
