Purim Primer: Pop Tart Hamantashen Recipe From 'Kosher in the Kitch'

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Photos: Nina Safar

Ever wonder about those triangle-shaped, jam-filled delicious cookies often sold at Jewish bakeries? Though some shops sell hamantashen year-round, they’re the dessert of honor at festivities for the Jewish holiday of Purim, which begins Wednesday night.

Purim is a minor holiday, but a fun one: Revelers dress up like characters in the centuries-old Purim story, which recalls how Persian Queen Esther (who was secretly Jewish) saved her people from being wiped out by Haman, the king’s evil prime minister. They also bake hamantashenDepending on who you ask, the cookies’ triangular shape recalls the contours of Haman’s hat, pocket, or ears.

Traditional fillings range from prune to apricot jam to poppy seeds, but creative-minded bakers have shaken up the formula in recent years. Among them is Nina Safar, the fast-talking force behind recipe blog Kosher in the Kitch.

"As much as I like making the traditional stuff, I never liked eating it," Safar told us. "My mother is obsessed with prune and poppy, but now that I’m in charge of the kitchen, I want to have fun."

For Safar, that means Pop Tart-inspired treats stuffed with raspberry jam and laced with frosting and sprinkles—”my son came up with those,” she said—and chocolate-filled cookies garnished with crushed pretzels and a flourish of sea salt. Safar also dabbles in the savory, whipping up Asian-tinged egg roll hamantashen stuffed with soy sauce–swathed veggies.

"You kind of get bored with the traditional stuff," Safar explained. Putting on a new spin on a classic, however, "keeps it relevant and exciting."

Read on for Safar’s whimsical “Pop Tart” hamantashen recipe.

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"Pop Tart" Hamantashen
By Nina Safar
Makes about 12

2 tablespoons ground flax seed combined with 6 tablespoons water (you can also use two eggs instead, but it will not be vegan)
1/2 cup oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoon baking powder
2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup raspberry jam (or your fav flavor!)
Frosting (recipe below)
Sprinkles for decorating

Frosting:
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon almond milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream together flax seed water mixture, sugar, oil, and vanilla. Slowly add flour and baking powder. Mix together. The dough might be crumbly; use your hands to smooth it out and combine it.

Roll out dough on floured surface. Cut out triangles using a cookie cutter. If you do not have a triangle shaped cookie cutter, simply cut out circles using a round cookie cutter, donut cutter, or glass cup. Once you have your circles, cut out a triangle shape.

Fill center of triangle with 1/2 teaspoon of jam, then cover with another triangle and gently press the edges down. Using a fork, crimp the edges down all around.

Bake at 350° F for about 8 minutes. Once cookies have cooled off, combine frosting ingredients. Frost the center of each triangle and immediately place sprinkles on top before the frosting hardens.

More hamatashen recipes to try:

Savory Egg Roll Hamantashen From ‘Kosher in the Kitch’

Chocolate Pretzel Hamantashen From ‘Kosher in the Kitch’

What’s your favorite kosher dish? Tell us in the comments below!