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.
What you’ll need To Make Apricot Hamantaschen
How To Make Apricot Hamantaschen
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.
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.
My family loved them. They are more delicate than the other recipes I use but they held together and were delicious.
Hi Jen!!! For a gluten free version – just substitute a different flour or anything else? Happy Inauguration Day and very early Purim 🙂 Haha!
Hi Amanda, oftentimes readers will have commented that they’ve made a gluten-free version of something but it doesn’t look like anyone has mentioned that here so you may be the guinea pig! I haven’t tried them with a gluten-free alternative myself but I think it will work if you use an all-purpose gluten-free flour. (A lot of people comment that they like this one by King Arthur. Please LMK how they turn out!
This was my first time making this cookie, and it was delicious. I followed your directions for making the cookie dough in a food processor, which was also a first for me, and the dough was perfect. For the fillings, I used a peach ginger jam, fig jam, and a raspberry jam. The folding of the cookie was a little difficult, so they didn’t turn out as pretty as yours, but they were still tasty. Would I be able to use this dough for other desserts, like a tart shell? I would love to use this dough for other recipes.
Hi Andrea, I do think the dough would work for a tart.
Hi Jenn, I live in Florida with high humidity (not sure if that is my issue). I just made this recipe with no luck. My dough was very sticky and hard to work with. I did add flour when kneading it with no luck. I was hoping that refrigerating it for the 30 mins would help when it came time to rolling. It was hard as a rock when I took it out of the refrigerator and let it sit for 5 minutes. When I started to roll it with a floured rolling pin the dough was still sticky. Bottom line is I ended up toss it. Any ideas what I did wrong? I did not substitute any ingredients. Thanks for your help.
So sorry you had trouble, Elaine. What brand of flour are you using?
I am using WhiteLily AP flour. I just bought some King Arthur AP flour so I’ll try that one next. I think my issue is that I over mixed it. Thanks so much for your quick response.
Got it – hope you have better luck the second time around (and I think King Arthur Flour is great)!
The best hamantaschen I’ve ever eaten. The recipe is easy to follow. I had a little trouble working with the dough because it’s really soft and delicate, but the results are worth it. We made it with a few different fillings: raspberry, nutella, strawberry, and peanut butter & chocolate chip. The dough complimented every flavor very nicely. I think next time I’d like to try it with lemon curd.
Made these for Purim and they were just perfect! Thanks for the recipe!
Just made these for Purim and they are delicious! Can you think of another way I could make these (not in the shape of a hat) so I could use this recipe all year round?
Hi Liza, glad you enjoyed them! I suspect you could also do a round version of these.
So delicious! I wanted to send these to my family and was wondering how many days they keep and best way to keep them fresh.
Hi RC, Glad you like them! I think they would stay fresh in an airtight container for 2 – 3 days.
Happy Purim from Sydney Australia! I’m so sure I followed the recipe to the tee, step by step (including the pinch!) – just replaced the jam with hundreds and thousands on one tray, and choc smarties on the other- pics look the same… until we swapped the trays at 6mins and saw that the hamantashen had totally collapsed into flat cookies. Carried on cooking for last 6 mins but while the cookies are tasty they can’t be called hamantashen anymore. Sob! Any idea why this happened? Thanks
Hi Rene, sorry to hear you had a problem with these! I’m wondering if the dough was not cold enough when you put the hamantaschen in the oven. Did you refrigerate them for 20 minutes after assembling? If so, if you try these again, I’d suggest refrigerating them for more time (even up to a few hours) before baking.
Check your oven temperature. My first batch did this and didn’t brown at all but the jam boiled. On the second batch I upped the temperature 25F and they came out beautifully!
Can I use apricot preserves? Have a jar to use up.
Sure – enjoy!
I don’t own a food processor. Would these turn out well if made by hand, or would the texture be affected?
Thanks for all your work on the site.
Hi Stella, Do you have a mixer? If you do, I think it’s possible, but the texture may be slightly different; perhaps a little less crisp. Also, I would recommend softening the butter a bit before combining it with the sugar and flour. Hope you enjoy!
I’ve made by hand before and they turned out delicious! Took a bit more work but we did it! Helps if you use a hand mixer too.
Hey Jenn, how important is the refrigerate-before-baking step? In Europe our fridges are tiny!
Hi Audrey, refrigerating the hamantaschen before you put them in the oven is pretty important because it helps to cool off the dough after you’ve worked with it. If you don’t refrigerate them at all, they will spread a lot in the oven. Hope that helps!
I made these last night and they were easy and delicious! The dough was a great texture and so easy to work with. I usually really struggle with dough falling apart and being too dry- I didn’t even need to add the water for this recipe! Thank you for this delicious recipe.
Hi
Love this recipe ! Third year making it.
Can I keep the dough in refrigerator for a couple of days or should I freeze and defrost ?
Thanks
Dibsterc
Hi Dibster, It should be fine in the fridge for a few days. Enjoy!
For years, I have been searching for the perfect hamantaschen recipe…and I finally found it! This recipe produced a tender, moist, delicious cookie that my whole family just loved and yet it was so simple to make. I wouldn’t change a thing! Thank you so much.
Great recipe! I did add orange zest to the dough recipe. Perfect! Easy-schmeazy!
Hi Jenn!
Loved this recipe. Much less heavy than the ones I grew up on. I made more dough than I needed though. Is there something else I can make with it? I think we’ve had enough hamantaschen for now.
Hi Rebecca, Glad you liked these! For leftover dough, these look interesting and good. Please keep in mind that I haven’t tried them myself. 🙂
Is there a reason why your recipe doesn’t call for baking powder, like some others do? I’ve been looking to make these and it seems the recipes are split between those with baking powder and granulated sugar and those with confectioner sugar and no baking powder. What is the difference in the outcome? I have never made hamentaschen before, but my kids love them and I really want to try. Thanks!
Faith
Hi Faith, This recipe is made with a pastry dough, which is more like pie crust than cookie dough — that’s why there is no baking powder. The result is a tender, flaky, pastry-like cookie. Hope that clarifies!
Hi Jenn,
I made this recipe three times, with various fillings, and my family and friends loved them! The dough comes together so well and is easy to work with. The kids loved your brownie filling the best!
I’ve made hamantashan for years and your recipe is my favorite!
Jenn, I wonder why this recipe calls for 1/2 pound of butter whereas the dough for the chocolate one calls for 1/4. Could I use the dough for chocolate ones and fill in with apricot jam? Thank you!
Sure, Olga, that will work! 🙂
I made these, making some apricot and some raspberry. Delicious! The dough had a wonderful texture and buttery flavor. And they stayed closed which is always a challenge.
Hi Jen,
Could this dough be made without eggs, like galette dough?
Thank you,
Mirit
Hi Mirit, I think the dough will be dry without the egg yolks – sorry!
Wonderful recipe! These are really delicious. And the dough is super easy to work with. There was no anxiety or cursing as I was rolling it out –it worked like a dream! I made half with raspberry jam and half with apricot jam. My family loves them. This recipe is a keeper…it’ll be coming out every Purim. Thanks for another winner!
Can I make this in a kitchenAid mixer too? I don’t have a food processor…
Hi Katherine, I think it’s possible, but the texture may be slightly different; perhaps a little less crisp. Also, I would recommend softening the butter a bit before combining it with the sugar and flour. Hope you enjoy!
Jenn, thank you for making me look like a great baker. I’m so grateful I found your website. Happy Purim!
Happy Purim to you! (And glad you’re enjoying the recipes :).
Hello,
Are these hamentaschen more moist and cakelike or crunchy? I have never made cookies with the food processor or used confectioners sugar (only granulated and/or brown sugar) when baking cookies, so I’m curious about what to expect in the finished product.
Thank you!
Hi Lisha, they’ve got a texture similar to shortbread– they’re not overly crunchy, but more crunchy than cake-like. Hope you enjoy!
These are adorable and I love the name. Have you tried razpberry?
I haven’t tried these with raspberry, but I’m sure they’d be delicious!
Why is my apricot jam running out from the dough. I only put a teasepoon in each circle.
Hi Leah, Sorry to hear you’re having a problem with the filling! It could be that you aren’t pinching the edges tightly enough (so the jam is “escaping”) or that you haven’t refrigerated the dough for long enough.
The same thing happened to me but I know what I did wrong I forgot to put then in the fridge. Did a second batch and they turned out great. I did them for my daughter’s shower and they were a hit. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Hi Leah,
Here is the recipe I use for fruit.
1 cup (6 ozs ) of dried apricots roughly chopped (or whole then use my food processor to puree up after it’s cooked).
1/2 cup of orange juice
1/3 cup of granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
In a microwaveable bowl, combine all the ingredients and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Simmer for 1 minute on high.
Let stand for 10 minutes
Using a food processor combine the fruit mixture purée for 20 seconds.
Set aside until ready to use. Leftover can be frozen.
I usually double the recipe and only use 1/3 cup of sugar. I don’t like it too sweet and apricots, orange juice already have sugar in it.
Thank you for this recipe Jenn. The crust is very tasty. A good friend who is a fantastic baker tasted these cookies and now she wants the recipe. That says a lot and it’s the best kind of compliment. This recipe is a keeper.
The next time I make this cookie, I might try rolling them out just a bit thicker to resemble a more traditional type of Hamantaschen cookie.
Thanks again for sharing.
Happy baking!
Debbie
These tasted almost as good as my great aunt’s recipe that I never got a copy of before she passed away. She always made apricot ones just for me…
I love your recipies Jenn! Thank you for all of the time and effort you have put in to your website in order to share your talent & expertise! These cookies look delicious! I was wondering how long these would stay fresh after baking and your recommended storage? I would like to make them for a New Years Day brunch but would need to make them several days in advance as I am hosting a New Years Eve party and need to be able to make something I can make in advance. Thanks!
Hi Linda, I think they would stay fresh in an airtight container on your counter for 2 – 3 days. I think you could also get away with fully making and freezing these. (And glad you like the recipes :))!
Hi Jenn,
Made these last Thursday and stored them under my cake dome. They are still wonderful. Since I made 3 dozen, I baked 1 dozen and froze 2 dozen. Will bake for my party in 3 weeks.
I have had very good results freezing your pastries ( apricot and chocolate hamantaschen).
Thanks again
Good to know, Monina – I am working on a really good chocolate rugelach. Stay tuned…
Going to try with fig preserves i got at big lots store
Delicious! The shortbread was yummy enough that I baked some by itself. Only thing I changed was to make the dough in two batches beginning with the egg yolk adding stage; it was too much for my food processor.