Apricot Hamantaschen
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These hamantaschen, or hat-shaped Purim cookies, are like glistening little fruit pies in cookie form.
With a buttery shortbread crust folded over a dollop of jam, these apricot hamantaschen, or hat-shaped Purim cookies, are like glistening little fruit pies in cookie form. Feel free to play with the filling—any thick jam, or even Nutella, will work well. If you’re a chocolate lover or catering to those who are, these chocolate hamantaschen have a brownie-like filling that will deliciously hit the chocolate spot.
“I made these for the third year in a row. They’re delicious… so much more delicate than the heavy hamantaschen you get in most bakeries.”
What You’ll Need To Make Apricot Hamantaschen
- Confectioners’ Sugar: Sweetens the dough and creates a tender texture.
- All-Purpose Flour: Provides the structure for the hamataschen. Measure by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling it off to ensure accuracy.
- Butter: Adds richness and a flaky texture to the dough.
- Egg Yolks: Contribute to the dough’s richness and help bind the ingredients together.
- Apricot Jam: Fills the cookies with a sweet, fruity flavor. If you’ve got a favorite flavor, any thick jam will work here.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Begin by placing the sugar, flour, and salt in the bowl of a food processor.
Pulse to combine.
Add the cold butter cubes.
Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
Add the egg yolk and pulse until evenly crumbly and pale yellow in color.
Add a bit of cold water and pulse until the dough clumps together.
Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured work surface.
Knead it gently into a smooth ball, then divide in half and form into two 6-inch discs.
Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes, then roll it about 1/8-inch thick. Use a cookie cutter or glass to cut out 3-inch circles.
Place the cookies on the lined baking sheets and lightly brush with the egg wash. This is the key to getting the corners to stick together.
Dot each cookie one with a teaspoon of apricot jam. Do not overfill, or the jam will leak out while baking.
Fold in the sides, slightly overlapping the filling, to form a triangle so that each side has a corner that folds over and a corner that folds under — this creates a pattern that looks pretty (but don’t fuss too much over it). Pinch the corners together so that they form a point — this will keep them from separating while baking.
You can see more closely here.
Refrigerate the cookies on the pans for about 20 minutes, then bake for 12-15 minutes, until lightly golden. Enjoy!
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Apricot Hamantaschen
These hamantaschen, or hat-shaped Purim cookies, are like glistening little fruit pies in cookie form.
Ingredients
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off with a knife, plus more for rolling the dough
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks (½ pound) unsalted butter, cut into cubes, very cold
- 3 large egg yolks, divided
- 1-2 tablespoons ice cold water
- ¾ cup apricot jam, best quality such as Bonne Maman
Instructions
- Combine the confectioners' sugar, flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Process for 10-15 seconds to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 2 of the egg yolks and pulse a few times, until the mixture is crumbly and pale yellow. Add 1 tablespoon of the water and pulse just until the dough starts to clump together. If the mixture seems dry, add the remaining tablespoon of water and pulse again. Dump the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead a few times into a smooth ball. Divide in half and pat into two 6-inch discs; wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375°F and set racks in upper and lower thirds of oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, make an egg wash by mixing the remaining egg yolk with 1 teaspoon water. Set aside.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place on a lightly floured work surface. Working with one disc of dough at a time, roll to ⅛-inch thick, turning and dusting with more flour as necessary so it doesn't stick. Using a cookie cutter or glass, cut out 3-inch circles and place about ½-inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Re-roll and re-cut any excess dough. Brush the dough very lightly with the egg wash. Place a level teaspoon of apricot jam on the center of each cookie (do not overfill). Fold in the sides, slightly overlapping the filling, to form a triangle so that each side of the cookie has a corner that folds over and a corner that folds under -- this creates a pattern that looks pretty (but don't fuss too much over it). Pinch the corners together neatly so that they form a point. Slide the pans into the refrigerator for 20 minutes to chill.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, turning the pans halfway through baking, until the cookies are lightly golden on top and just starting to brown in the corners. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The Dough can be Frozen for up to 3 Months: Shape the dough into 2 discs, wrap each securely in plastic wrap, and place them in a sealable bag. When ready to bake, remove the disks from the freezer, thaw the dough for 1 to 2 days in the fridge, and then proceed with recipe. To Freeze After Baking: Let the hamantaschen cool completely and store in an airtight container separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Before serving, remove the cookies from the container and let them come to room temperature.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (30 servings)
- Serving size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 128
- Fat: 7g
- Saturated fat: 4g
- Carbohydrates: 16g
- Sugar: 7g
- Fiber: 0g
- Protein: 1g
- Sodium: 63mg
- Cholesterol: 35mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Why is the recipe for the cookie dough for the apricot hamantaschen completely different from the recipe for the chocolate filled hamantaschen? More eggs, more butter, completely different sugar, etc. What type of texture do they each produce? If I wanted to make one dough and both fillings, which dough would you suggest? Thanks.
Yes, the two hamantaschen doughs are pretty different – the apricot hamantaschen recipe is more of a pastry dough whereas the chocolate is your more typical hamantaschen recipe. The fillings are interchangeable, so you can choose the dough recipe you want and still have a variety. Hope that clarifies!
Although I cannot speak about Jenn’s specific recipe for Hamantaschen, as I made my own family recipe ~ I will however highly compliment her on her choice of apricot preserves from Bonne Maman. These preserves are excellent and are made by a family-run company based in Biars-sur-Cère, southwest France. This selection complimented my Hamantaschen like none other, and I will from now on, only use Bonne Mamon for my annual Hamantaschen for Purim.
I decided to use this brand, because Jenn has the best taste, and it only contained five pure ingredients of apricots, sugar, brown cane sugar, concentrated lemon juice and fruit pectin. I tire quickly of the cheap brands made with high fructose corn syrup, artificial coloring and flavoring which can ruin any fine pastry or baked good and of which I refuse to use.
Thank you Jenn!
Regards,
Susan Grondin
First time making these. Used raspberry preserves as filling. Directions were clear and they turned out great. Thanks!
I put the cooked and thoroughly cooled hamantaschen in an airtight container overnight and now they are soggy. How do I prevent this from happening and how can I save these once delicious cookies?
Hi Elle, sorry to hear they got soggy! You could crisp them up by popping them back in the oven for about 5 minutes. After that, I’d try storing them loosely covered instead of in an airtight container.
I made these for the third year in a row. They’re delicious… so much more delicate than the heavy hamantaschen you get in most bakeries. I do half raspberry and half apricot. I have a small refrigerator, so I only roll out and form one disk of the dough at a time. I put the formed cookies on a small baking pan in the fridge, then transfer them to a regular cookie sheet when it’s time to bake them. When the first pan is baking, I roll out the second disk of dough.
Hi Jenn, Help! I want to make Hamantaschen this week for the first time and am puzzled as to why your two recipes, one with apricot and the other with chocolate, have such a variance in ingredient amounts for the cookie dough. Even the apricot one has confectioners’ sugar vs. granulated in the chocolate, the flour amounts are different as is the butter, # of eggs, and the addition of baking powder in the chocolate ones. I want to make one cookie dough and then alter the fillings for variety to accommodate taste buds. How should I proceed? Thank you so much for your response! And btw, of all the cooking websites I read, yours, hands down, has the best and most descriptive recipes!
Hi Susan, Glad you like the recipes! Yes, the two hamantaschen doughs are pretty different — this recipe is more of a pastry dough whereas the chocolate is your more typical hamantaschen recipe. The fillings are interchangeable, so you can choose the dough recipe you want and still have a variety. Hope that helps!
Best hamantaschen ever! Used the raspberry bonne maman jam and Cup4Cup gluten free flour and came out perfectly. They’re like shortbread, so buttery and yummy but not too crumbly.
I have made these before and returned to them this year. This is a buttery cookie base, so those that want a cakey Hamentaschen should try another recipe. I LOVE this version, and will continue to use it as my go-to Hamentaschen. My only caution is to NOT overfill them and to keep the dough COLD. They spread and spill filling easily if you don’t. Then one just has to eat all of those “mistakes” because they are too good to throw out.
Omg, the dough was so difficult to work with. But the flavor is soooo good !!!
Hi
How many days can I keep the dough in the refrigerator before using ? Made the dough today – will it be ok on Thursday or better to freeze ?
If I do freeze, do you recommend I put in refrigerator the night before ?
Thank you !
Dibster
Hi Dibster, you can refrigerate it for 3 to 4 days so you should be fine if you’re baking them on Thursday. Hope you enjoy!
Thanks! I have used the hamantashen dough before – the best!
I put the dough in the freezer yesterday – what do you recommend is the best way to get the dough ready for making the hamantashen; should I put the dough in the refrigerator the night before? Or?
Thanks
You can put it in the fridge or just thaw it on the counter until it’s pliable. Enjoy!
Hi, I want to make this for Purim this week. Can I make the dough and refrigerate for 1-2 days and then make the “cookies?“
Thank you.
Sure, that should be fine. Enjoy!
The dough is made; really easy to make and work with.
Wow. This dough is impossible to work with. I ended up looking for other recipes, saw they all had almost twice as much flour for the amount of butter, added about a cup to 2/3 of the dough and was finally able to roll it. My recommendation: use a different recipe.