Easy Hamantaschen (6 Different Flavors!)

Different kinds of hamantaschen scattered on a white surface with some crumbs.

Easy Hamantaschen (6 Different Flavors!)

This is the ultimate guide to easy hamantaschen! Not only can you whip up the dough in just a few minutes, but you can also turn it into more than 6 different flavors. I’ve also included my secret to the most soft and buttery, flavorful dough. Flavors include: lemon raspberry, orange marmalade, vanilla blueberry, apple cinnamon, confetti nutella, and chocolate peanut butter.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American, Jewish

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 8

Total Time 28

Servings cookies

Calories 233kcal

Author Alana Lieberman

Cost $10

Equipment

Ingredients

For the Base Dough

1 cup unsalted butter softened
1 cup sugar
1 large egg room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
2 ¾ cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt

For the Chocolate Dough

1 cup unsalted butter softened
1 cup sugar
1 large egg room temperature
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ teaspoon salt

For Lemon Raspberry Hamantaschen

zest from 1 lemon
raspberry jam or preserves

For Orange Marmalade Hamantaschen

zest from 1 orange
orange marmalade or apricot preserves

For Vanilla Blueberry Hamantaschen

seeds from 1 vanilla bean or ¼ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
blueberry jam or preserves

For Apple Cinnamon Hamantaschen

1 teaspoon cinnamon
apple preserves

For Confetti Nutella Hamantaschen

½ cup rainbow jimmies sprinkles
nutella

For Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Hamantaschen

16 mini chocolate peanut butter cups or small candy bars cut in half

Instructions

For Lemon Raspberry Hamantaschen

Include zest from 1 lemon in the base dough. Use raspberry jam or preserves for filling.

For Orange Marmalade Hamantaschen

Include zest from 1 orange in the base dough. Use orange marmalade or apricot preserves for filling.

For Vanilla Blueberry Hamantaschen

Include seeds from 1 vanilla bean (or ¼ teaspoon of vanilla bean paste) in the base dough. Use blueberry jam or preserves for filling.

For Apple Cinnamon Hamantaschen

Include 1 teaspoon cinnamon in the base dough. Use apple preserves for filling.

For Confetti Nutella Hamantaschen

Include ½ cup of rainbow jimmies sprinkles in the base dough. Use nutella for filling.

For Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Hamantaschen

Make the chocolate hamantaschen dough. Use mini chocolate peanut butter cups for filling. (Candy bars cut small work too.)

To Make the Base Dough (Lemon, Orange, or Vanilla)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the unsalted butter and sugar. Beat on medium speed until combined, pale, and fluffy.
Add in the egg, vanilla extract, almond extract, and any zests or vanilla bean seeds, depending on the flavor you’re making. Mix to combine.
Gently stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt on top of the batter already in the bowl. Then mix it into the rest of the batter until it all combines into a thick cookie dough.

To Make the Base Dough (Cinnamon or Confetti)

Follow the above instructions without any zest or vanilla beans. Add in either cinnamon or sprinkles, depending on the flavor you’re making, when you mix in the flour.

To Make the Chocolate Dough

Follow the above instructions without any almond extract, baking powder, zest, or vanilla beans. Add an extra ½ teaspoon vanilla extract when instructed. Also, add in only 2 cups of flour with 1 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder and mix with the salt before combining with the rest of the batter.
Chocolate hamantaschen may take a minute or two longer in the oven.

To Assemble

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until it is about an eighth of an inch thick (or a quarter centimeter).
Cut the dough into circles anywhere from 3 to 4 inches in diameter (7 ½ to 10 centimeters).
Remove any excess dough. Set it aside.
Scoop about 1 teaspoon of jam, preserves, or nutella (or place a piece of candy) in the center of the cut out circles.
Fold each side into a triangle around the filling. Place the folded hamantaschen on a parchment lined cookie sheet, leaving them some room to expand in the oven.
Continue the process until you’ve used up all your dough.
Bake hamantaschen in the oven for 6 to 8 minutes or until slightly golden brown. The filling will thicken as they cool.

Notes

To ensure that the cookies hold their shape and the filling won’t leak out, choose jams or preserves, instead of jellies. Jams are generally thicker with less water content.
For the chocolate peanut butter cup hamantaschen, you can substitute the mini chocolate peanut butter cups for nearly any chocolate candy of your choice! If you use a small chocolate candy bar, cut it down to about the same size as the mini peanut butter cups.
For the confetti nutella hamantaschen, make sure to use the jimmies style sprinkles and not nonpareils, which will dye your batter gray or brown.
If you need non dairy or pareve hamantaschen, replace the unsalted butter with a vegan or oil-based butter substitute.
Folding hamantaschen: The easiest way to fold the dough is to roll it out thin. Then, cut it into circles and place a small dollop of filling in the center. Fold one side of the circle over the filling, then fold the opposite side on top of that. This will create a peak at the top of the cookie. Then to finish it off, fold up the bottom side over the other two sides, creating a triangle. To ensure that the folds won’t unravel, lightly tap them down to stick the dough together.
If your dough seems dry and crumbly, try kneading it with your hands for a little bit. This will warm and soften the butter, allowing the flour to mix in a bit more. Once the dough is a bit softer and less dry, it should be ready for rolling and folding.

Nutrition