DIY: Better-than-best hamantaschen
A favorite Purim cookie recipe from a Jewish storybook!
One of my favorite things is for families to make Jewish memories together. For the past four years, one of my dearest friends, and her daughter, have been making Hamantaschen for Purim. Something I love about their tradition is the recipe was found on the very last page of her daughter’s most-cherished Jewish storybook, The Better-Than-Best Purim, by Naomi Howland.
For families raising Jewish children, The Better-Than-Best Purim, and other Jewish children’s books, can be mailed to your children each month for free by PJ Library!
It’s really lovely that over the years, this sweet girl has gone from '“mommy’s helper” to pastry chef!
You’re invited to flip to the last page of the storybook with us to make your own Better-Than-Best Hamantaschen! You’ll need the following ingredients to make about 36 cookies:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 TBS milk
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
fresh grated orange
jam filling
Once your ingredients are gathered up, here’s what you’ll do:
In a bowl, take your butter and sugars and mix together with an electric mixer until creamy. Next add and mix all of the rest of the ingredients (except the jam filling) in the same bowl. Once combined, take the dough out of the bowl to form a disk. Cover it in plastic wrap and let it get cold in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.
2. Now it’s time to get rolling! Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Lightly dust your counter with flour. Unwrap the disk (dust it with four too) and roll it flat on your countertop until it is thin, about 1/8 of an inch. Sprinkle with more flour to keep from sticking.
3. Next, use a wide-rimmed glass to cut circles out of the dough. Leftover dough scraps can be formed again into a disk, dusted with flour and rolled out with the rolling pin. Keep cutting round circles until you have used up all your dough.
4. Take your favorite filling and place it in the center of each circle. Pinch three sides of the circle together to form a triangle, and place it on a parchment paper covered cookie sheet.
Photo credit: Anavi Photography
5. Bake your hamantaschen for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Let the cookies cool before eating.
Thank you author Naomi Howland for this wonderful recipe! It’s a keeper forever!
There you have it! Better-Than-Best Hamantaschen right from a favorite Jewish storybook! If you would like to make Jewish recipes like this and start building your own Jewish children’s library, you can enroll your children in PJ Library, and in about 8 weeks, PJ Library will begin sending your child monthly Jewish themed books - at no cost to you! PJ Library is a non-profit organization that helps families all over the world raise Jewish children (ages 6 months to 8 years old)! You can click here to learn more and subscribe!
There’s so much fun for families to do during Purim, like making “no bake” hamantaschen (especially for small children), Purim noisemakers, mini royal crowns, play dress-up with DIY clothespin dolls, and pack a Purim themed lunchbox (so so cute)! Oh, and we have a delicious gluten-free double orange Hamantaschen recipe too! Let us know how you celebrate Purim in the comments below!
Here’s wishing that your Purim is Better-Than-Best!
Chag sameach! Happy Purim!
PJ Library sends families raising Jewish children picture books each month, beginning at 6 months old to 8 years old. Books are sent at no cost to families by this wonderful non-profit organization. Click here to learn more and enroll (and share this link with a Jewish friend)!
