Wikipedia tells me that Hamantaschen is the plural form of the little three cornered hat-like cookies, traditional for Purim. There is lot of speculation about the meaning behind the name. I’ll just say that they’re supposed to represent the defeated enemy of the Jewish people. Haman (from the book of Esther) wore a three cornered hat. My baking friend, Mendy, made a quadruple batch for his family, and then did the same again to have plenty on hand for holiday guests.
The cookie dough reminded me of the Ischler (minus the almonds). It’s very a very short pastry but light and delicate at the same time. The recipe includes a make your own poppy seed filling, but if Mendy’s going with other fillings, I though I would too.
I used apricot preserves from our summer road trip through France and some citrus marmalade (recipe to be posted later in the week) that I made over the weekend. If you live in Arizona this time of year, you’re bound to know at least three people who have trees covered in beautiful citrus that they’d like to find homes for — much like the “leave zucchini on your neighbors porch” day that comes later in the year.
Since my cookies were filled with jam, I didn’t bother with the jam glaze for the outside of the cookie, but I think it would have been a nice touch for the pie crust like cookie. Next time, I think I’d do a nut filling and an apricot glaze.
Sorry, poppy seed, the most traditional filling just isn’t making the cut. There’s the whole stuck in your teeth issue. If you decide to go this route, look for a place to buy them in bulk, not the tiny jar in the spice aisle, you’ll need almost of cup of the little buggers. Just don’t forget to check a mirror.
An accountant by trade and a food blogger since 2009, Lois Britton fell in love with Polish cuisine during the years she lived in Poznań, Poland. As the creator of PolishHousewife.com, she loves connecting readers with traditional Polish recipes. Lois has a graduate certificate in Food Writing and Photography from the University of South Florida. She is the author of The Polish Housewife Cookbook, available on Amazon and on her website.
Mendy
ב”ה
Hamentashen looking good!…
So glad you enjoyed them.
polishhousewife
Thanks, Mendy. I think your kids might have the right idea. Chocolate may be the way to go! 🙂
faithy
LOL! You are hilarious..i like when you said “don’t forget to check your teeth!” LOL! Your hamataschen looked wonderful.
polishhousewife
Thanks, Faithy! I had a few that came apart in baking, so we ate those first. Just to sample. 😉
Vicki
“Road trip through France”~how delightful! That must have been incredible. A nut filling sounds really good for these. You managed the shapes really well.
polishhousewife
Thanks, Vicki. The best part of our road trip was all the stuff we brought home in the car. Something we couldn’t do on previous trips when we’d flown. It was quite a haul, a couple cases of champagne, a couple cases of wine from Chinon, several kilos of salt from Brittany, calvados (could have done without that), pink biscuits for dipping in champagne, mustards, jams. I don’t think you can get a bad meal in France, and if you stay out of Paris, it’s not very expensive. That was all a bonus. The real reason the drive was to take our dog.
Lori
My older daughter has many disabilities. When she was a child we spent a lot of time at a nearby Jewish Community Center, because it had a demonstration project for how to adapt recreation programs for children with disabilities. I loved it when Purim arrived. And my memory was just as you did it — apricot. I don’t remember poppy seed at all.
polishhousewife
Ah, Lori, I’m glad to have this authenticated!
Monica
I’m so glad to know that I’m not the only one that SKIPPED the poppy seed filling. Your little jam filled hats look great.
polishhousewife
Thanks, Monica! So much baking calls for a few shortcuts.
Angie@Angie's Recipes
I haven’t baked any hamantaschen in a few years. These look perfect!
polishhousewife
Angie, thanks for taking time to comment. I’m always glad to hear from someone with more experience. This was my first effort.
Patricia @ ButterYum
I would love to have sampled your apricot lekvar that you made with your French apricots. Wow. I need to go on a road trip with you. If you get a chance, I hope you’ll stop by and see my post.
Patricia @ ButterYum
http://www.butteryum.org/roses-alpha-bakers/2015/2/11/tbb-hamantaschen-purim
polishhousewife
Oh, Patricia, I’m the lazy one. I just used the jam, straight from the jar.
Michele
Hi Lois–they look beautiful! I would like to try some other fillings. I had never baked them before but did like the recipe.
polishhousewife
Thanks, Michele! We’re learning a lot in this process, aren’t we?