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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We just made them and then ate them and they were excellent. Chag Purim sameach.
I’m happy I read the full recipe because I kept the faith and the dough did finally come together
The flavour is wonderful. I have saved this recipe to use again.
I made them and they turned out very well. I reduced the butter by 1/2 stick and I added about a teaspoon of grated orange rind, that I added with the butter.
They were easier to handle than I expected, and looked almost like the picture, just not as polished. Very tasty. I will take them to a study of the the book of Esther, as we read about mean old Haman. Thanks for the recipe.
Made these for the first time, exactly as written. They were a little tricky to fold (don’t skip the chilling step or they will leak), but they were delicious. Several family members commented they were the best hamantaschen they had ever tasted. Thank you Jenn for another fabulous recipe!
Excellent recipe! Followed your steps exactly, and all of the family members were impressed with the outcome. Bonne Maman Apricot-filled were voted the overall best of the two, but my Nutella lover disagrees!
good, easy recipe. first time baking hamantaschen cookies. kids asked for Nutella filling 🙂 turned out great.
Made the apricot hamantaschen recipe. Used food processor but it didn’t blend well after I added the egg. Ended up dumping into bowl to finish mixing. Dough was very soft and a little sticky. Refrigerated for 30+ mins. Dough was still soft after rolling it two or three times. Filled it as indicated. Baked it after I filled it, I forgot to refrigerate. To excited to try it. Still came out well. Used only half the dough, will try again, but refrigerating the next time. Tastes great!
This was the easiest (food processor ftw!), quickest (didn’t need to chill forever) hamantaschen dough that kept its shape. (My other attempts turned out like pancakes!) We made them with strawberry jam filling and nutella filling. I’ll be saving this recipe for next year.
After many recipes, finally one that is easy and works for me. I chopped up Dried apricots and mixed with Bonne Maman apricot preserves. They turned out delicious.
What’s the difference in the dough between this recipe and the chocolate filled one?
Hi Cheryl, this recipe is for 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!
We are doing an Esther Bible Study at church so I wanted to try these. The bible study had a recipe in it but I found yours and decided to try yours instead (just a few minor differences). First time making these. I followed your recipe to the letter but they all didn’t turn out very pretty, some ears are open and some closed….. I joked with the other leaders that it seems pretty typical of human ears!! Delicious, just curious what happened, any ideas?
Hi Elsie, Glad they tasted good but sorry they looked misshapened! When you were folding them into triangles, did you fold them so that one corner of the dough folded over the other corner and the other corner was folded under the dough. Also,did you pinch the edges together? That helps to keep them from separating while baking.