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Home » Purim

Hamantaschen Recipe with Orange and Olive Oil

by Beth Lee · Published: Feb 28, 2020 · Modified: Mar 8, 2022

1.1K shares
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This hamantaschen recipe with orange and olive oil shines at Purim. Whether you fill these Purim cookies with poppy seeds or prune butter or your favorite jam, these 3-sided filled pastries are delicious all year round!

Another great cookie to try are my date and walnut thumbprints.

For ease of browsing, here are all my Purim recipes in one place.

Three kinds of hamantaschen on flowery white plates with their associated fillings nearby.

This post contains Amazon affiliate links – if you click on one and purchase something, I receive a very tiny percentage of the sale. Your price is never affected.

This olive oil hamantaschen recipe is a long time in the making. As a child, I remember eating the baked scraps of orange-scented cookie dough voraciously with all three of my brothers. We didn’t even care about the fillings.

But my grandmother’s “recipe” is scrawled on the back of a piece of paper with imprecise measurements. So I have been experimenting on and off trying to replicate that memory flavor.

A hamantaschen recipe scrawled on a piece of note paper in blue ink.

During one round of testing, I had orange olive oil in the pantry and decided to try it. My grandma always made these cookies with vegetable oil so why not olive oil?

But orange scented olive oil is not a prerequisite. Regular olive oil enhanced by orange zest works quite nicely.

Why you'll love this recipe!

  • The dough is so easy to prepare. No hand or stand mixer required! Just a whisk, a spoon and two medium bowls.
  • Orange flavor - it's such a lovely addition to the dough, giving it another layer of flavor that seems to meld just perfectly with just about every filling.
  • You can make this dough ahead of time, wrap and refrigerate for up to 5 days. So your dough is ready to go when you have time to bake off your hamantaschen.
  • If you keep kosher, the dough is parve so you can serve these hamantaschen even after a meat meal!

Ingredients and substitutions

My favorite ingredients in this recipe are the orange flavor and the olive oil!

Ingredient shot for hamantaschen with all ingredients labelled in black text.
  • Flour: All-purpose flour is what I always use. I have not tested this recipe with any other flour combinations.
  • Cornstarch: This gives the dough a little extra crispness.
  • Olive oil: I use a mild-flavored oil for baking. Most commonly, I have a large jar of Costco Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil in the house and will use that. Think of your everyday oil, not a super peppery finishing oil. Or use canola or vegetable oil. That's what my grandma did!
  • Orange juice and zest: Once you've zest your orange, go ahead and juice it too. And you're all set.
  • Eggs: One large egg for the dough and one for the egg wash.
Poppy seed hamantaschen on a flowery white plate with a bowl of poppy seed filling in the background.

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How to make this recipe

I like to break this recipe down into the dough-making, the filling prep, and the baking and forming of the cookies. Obviously, you can do all the prepping and baking on the same day, but you don't have to, which makes this hamantaschen recipe really flexible.

Prep Dough

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients - flour, cornstarch, baking powder and soda, salt. In another medium bowl, combine the sugar and orange zest with your fingers, then add the egg, oil, and vanilla and mix well.

Wet and dry ingredient for cookie dough in red bowls ready to be whisked.

2. Add the wet mixture into the flour mixture to form a dough. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to combine before kneading the dough with your hands. It will come together easily. It may be a bit wet - that's ok.

Pouring wet ingredients into dry in a red bowl.
Mixing hamantaschen dough with a wooden spoon.
Mixing hamantaschen dough with hands.
hand holding finished hamantaschen dough

3. Form the dough into two balls, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least a half hour or even overnight.

Two disks of wrapped dough.

Prep Fillings

4. While the dough is chilling and resting, prepare your cookie sheet with parchment or a silicone liner. Prepare your fillings and egg wash.

Form, Fill, and Bake

5. Take out one half of the dough at a time from the refrigerator and roll it out between parchment paper or on a well-floured work surface to about ⅛ inch thick.

Hamantaschen dough rolled out between parchment.
Cutting out hamantaschen from rolled out dough on a floured kitchen counter.

6. Use a 3" or 2.5" round cookie cutter to cut out circles and place them on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Using a pastry brush, brush each circle with egg wash and then place a scant teaspoon of filling in the center. Cinch up the dough to form a triangle and be sure to close each corner firmly.

Dough circles on parchment paper on a baking sheet.
Dough circles egg-washed and a couple filled.
Dough circles cinched up and ready to bake.

7. Refrigerate the tray for about half an hour to ensure they stay closed while baking. While the cookies are chilling, preheat the oven to 350°F.

Hamantaschen baking in the oven.

8. Bake for 18 minutes. Check at 15 minutes. Cookies should be getting brown around the edges.Remove and place on a cooling rack.

Hamantaschen on a cooling rack on top of parchment paper.

9. Enjoy with a cup of coffee or tea or deliver to your friends in a festive Mishloach Manot basket.

Check out my hamantaschen web story for a step by step visual guide to make this recipe!

Expert Tips and Recipe FAQs

  1. Store-bought fillings are a great option, but if you want to make your own fillings, check out my recipe for lekvar or poppy seed filling.
  2. Be sure to chill your dough before working with it. If it becomes too warm while rolling and cutting out your circles, just pop it in the fridge for a few minutes.
  3. Don't overfill your circles and remember to egg wash the interior. Egg washing the exterior is optional.
  4. Refrigerate your formed cookies before baking, as a last step, to ensure perfectly baked hamantaschen!
  5. This is a great recipe to get your kids or friends involved. It is not hard but the assembly goes much more quickly with helpers!
Beth's Pro-tip

Get all your fillings and a prep area set up. In fancy chef terms, 
they call this mise en place. I just call it getting organized! 
How do you spell hamantaschen?

Hamantaschen is a yiddish word, which means there are many transliterations of the actual spelling. Generally, a single cookie is a hamantash and several of these cookies are hamantaschen. But you may also see them spelled without the "c" as hamantashen. Or you might see them spelled as hamEntaschen. And in Hebrew, they might be referred to Ozny Haman, or Haman's ears!

What are hamantaschen?

Hamantaschen are filled three-sided cookies traditionally eaten for the Jewish holiday, Purim. On Purim, we remember the story of wicked Haman and the hero Queen Esther who saved the day for the Jewish people.

Many stories have been woven to explain the name of these cookies. One among them is that “tasch” means pocket so these are Haman’s pockets. Another is that the triangular shape represents Haman’s hat.

Are there different doughs for baking hamantashen?

Not only is there no consensus about what the name means, but there is no agreement on the best kind of dough. The two most common types of dough are oil-based and butter-based. But you will find yeast-based recipes as well.

The dough for this recipe is inspired by my grandmother’s oil-based dough. She used vegetable oil. I use olive oil.

Can you make savory hamantaschen, instead of sweet?

Yes! I would start with a yeast-based savory dough or perhaps store-bought puff pastry or pie dough. I first tasted savory pizza hamantaschen at Breads Bakery in New York City. Be sure to check out my friend and cookbook author Emily Paster's savory hamantaschen recipes. Emily has a vegetarian filling, lamb filling and beef filling.

I bet za’atar, tomato and feta would be a good combination too!

What is a mishloach manot basket?

Mishloach Manot are the traditional baskets of goodies that people leave for friends and family during Purim. Be sure to visit my Purim Pinterest board with lots of creative ideas for hamantaschen and other Purim goodies to fill your Mishloach Manot.

Best hamantaschen fillings

That pocket that forms when you fold these cookies is just crying out for a fun filling! (despite my childhood memories of just eating the cookie dough).

The best hamantaschen filling is the one you love! Almost anything will work from traditional fillings like poppy seed or prune (lekvar) or unexpected fillings like Nutella, chocolate ganache, or any jam of your choice.

Of course, one of the favorites in our house is our most favorite jam: Gregory’s jam.

Gregory's jam in a blue bowl with rose wine in the background.

Reviews from Happy Hamantaschen Bakers

Reader Raves!

“Made again this year as Beth’s recipe is a family favorite.”

“Beth, I made a double batch of this recipe last weekend and Bruce and I delivered cookies to friends and family. The reviews are in – make these again!”

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Hamantaschen bakers

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P.S. If you try this recipe, please leave a star rating and/or a review in the comment section below. I so appreciate your feedback! AND find more inspiration on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram. Signup for my email list, too!

Three kinds of hamantaschen on flowery white plates with their associated fillings nearby.

Hamantaschen Recipe with Olive Oil and Orange

Beth Lee
This hamantaschen recipe with orange and olive oil shines at Purim. Whether you fill these Purim cookies with poppy seeds or prune butter or your favorite jam, these 3-sided filled pastries are delicious all year round!
4.63 from 27 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 1 hr
Cook Time 18 mins
Total Time 1 hr 18 mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine Jewish Holiday Baking
Servings 20 servings
Calories 117 kcal

Ingredients
  

Dough

  • 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
  • ½ tablespoon cornstarch
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ cup sugar
  • zest of ½ an orange or whole orange (½ if using orange olive oil, whole if using regular olive oil)
  • ¼ cup orange juice (use the juice from the zested orange)
  • 1 egg
  • ⅓ cup orange or regular extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Egg Wash

  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon water

Fillings:

  • Use jams or Nutella or my homemade prune butter or poppy seed filling.

Instructions
 

Preparing the dough:

  • In a medium size bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
  • In another medium sized bowl, add the sugar and orange zest and use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar until thoroughly combined. To the sugar mixture, add one egg, olive oil, orange juice, and vanilla and whisk until thoroughly combined.
    Hamantaschen wet ingredients in a red bowl with a whisk.
  • Add the wet mixture into the flour mixture to form a dough. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to combine before kneading the dough with your hands. It will come together easily. It may be a bit wet - that's ok.
    Pouring wet ingredients into dry in a red bowl.
  • Form the dough into two balls, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least a half hour or even overnight.
    Two disks of wrapped dough.

Fillings and Egg Wash

  • While the dough is chilling and resting, prepare your cookie sheet with parchment or a silicone liner. Prepare your fillings and wash.
    Mise en place for hamantaschen baking.

Forming and Baking

  • Take out one half of the dough at a time from the refrigerator and roll it out between parchment paper or on a well-floured work surface to about ⅛ inch thick - really as thin as you can roll it without it falling apart. It doesn't have to be perfectly shaped as you roll it, just fairly even in thickness.
    cutting out hamantaschen dough with cookie cutter
  • Use a 3" or 2.5" round cookie cutter to cut out as many circles as you can and place them on a parchment-lined cookie sheets. Using a pastry brush, brush each circle with egg wash and then place a scant teaspoon of filling in the center. Cinch up the dough to form a triangle (see the video) and be sure to close each corner firmly.
    Dough circles egg-washed and a couple filled.
  • After your have filled and formed each one, refrigerate the tray for about half an hour. This ensures they stay closed while baking. While the cookies are chilling, preheat the oven to 350°F.
    Dough circles cinched up and ready to bake.
  • Remove the tray, egg wash each cookie and sprinkle a bit of sugar on each (egg wash and sugar are optional). Bake at 350 degrees for 18 minutes but check them at 15 minutes. Place on a cooling rack once out of the oven. Enjoy with a cup of coffee or tea or deliver to your friends in a festive Mishloach Manot basket.
    hamantaschen baking in oven

Video

Notes

  1. Store-bought fillings are a great option! But if you want to make your own fillings, check out my recipe for lekvar or poppy seed filling.
  2. Be sure to chill your dough before working with it. If it becomes too warm while rolling and cutting out your circles, just pop it in the fridge for a few minutes.
  3. Don't overfill your circles and remember to egg wash the interior. Egg washing the exterior is optional.
  4. Refrigerate your formed cookies before baking as a last step to ensure perfectly baked hamantaschen!
  5. This is a great recipe to get your kids or friends involved. It is not hard but the assembly goes much more quickly with helpers.

Nutrition

Calories: 117kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 2gFat: 4gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 79mgPotassium: 49mgSugar: 5gVitamin A: 30IUVitamin C: 1.6mgCalcium: 14mgIron: 0.8mg
Keyword cookies, hamantaschen, purim
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Beth Lee in red apron looking at vegetables on cutting board

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Check out my hamantaschen web story for a step by step visual guide to make this recipe!

More Purim

  • Close up of 3 poppy seed hamantaschen on a flowery plate with a bowl of filling in the background.
    Poppy Seed Filling for Hamantaschen
  • Lekvar in an orange bowl with oranges and an wooden spoon.
    How to Make Lekvar (Prune Butter)
  • 3 cookies on green plate with powdered sugar
    Date Thumbprint Cookies with Walnuts (Koloocheh): for Tu B’shevat or Purim

Reader Interactions

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  1. Sandi

    March 03, 2023 at 12:04 pm

    5 stars
    What a great recipe. I love all of the tips and tricks you share! My hubby loves poppy seed so I am going to try the filling for these hamantaschen.

    Reply
    • Beth Lee

      March 03, 2023 at 12:09 pm

      Thanks Sandi. You'll love the filling!

      Reply
  2. Ellie

    March 19, 2022 at 10:47 pm

    5 stars
    This recipe was wonderful! I used a blood orange, subbed in white whole wheat flour, and made a red wine plum butter filling with more blood orange zest. The egg wash and resting the dough in the fridge were critical, thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Beth Lee

      March 20, 2022 at 8:38 am

      Yay! I am so glad you loved and I adore your ideas with the red wine. Also great to know you can sub the flour. I love doing that but you never know if it will work one for one! Thanks for sharing and Chag Purim Sameach!

      Reply
  3. Sharon Vinick

    March 24, 2019 at 5:17 pm

    5 stars
    I gave this recipe a try, and didn't have any problems with the dough. I used some nectarine jam for the filing, which was yummy.

    Reply
    • Beth Lee

      March 24, 2019 at 6:27 pm

      Nectarine jam? Well that's a little taste of summer in the early spring!

      Reply
  4. Marrha

    March 22, 2019 at 1:23 pm

    5 stars
    So lovely! That piece of paper (and the
    Recipe) are a wonderful heirloom. ❤️

    Reply
    • Beth Lee

      March 22, 2019 at 2:03 pm

      Thanks Martha. We don't have many of my grandma's recipes because she baked by feel and she never learned to write in English so it is precious indeed.

      Reply
  5. Susan

    March 22, 2019 at 10:23 am

    5 stars
    These Hamantaschen are truly Yummy! Made again this year as Beth's recipe is a family favorite. Played around with different fills which was a lot of fun. Bravo, Beth!

    Reply
    • Beth Lee

      March 22, 2019 at 10:44 am

      You are the filling queen Susan! So much fun to play around.

      Reply
  6. Gretchen Sand Preville

    March 22, 2019 at 10:17 am

    5 stars
    Beth, I made a double batch of this recipe last weekend and Bruce and I delivered cookies to friends and family. The reviews are in - make these again! I used an every day olive oil and fresh orange juice and zest. I used jam - a fig jam made by one of my good friends in half of the cookies and a blackberry rasberry jam I got in Friday Harbor last year in the rest of the cookies. I will definitly make these again. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Beth Lee

      March 22, 2019 at 10:23 am

      Thank you for sharing Gretchen. Your jam options sound fantastic. I am so glad you enjoyed and that you shared. I have my test batch in the fridge staring at me to make a few more and use up the lekvar and apricot filling I made plus some Gregory jam.

      Reply
  7. dormantchef

    March 22, 2019 at 9:11 am

    5 stars
    I can attest that these Hamantaschen are fantastic!

    Reply
  8. gretchen sand

    March 13, 2019 at 3:31 pm

    Hi Beth,

    I'm making some for Purim on Friday afternoon...do you have a prune filling recipe you could share? I have lots of yummy jams and chocolates....I see prune recipes and they require a pound of prunes.....(that's a llot!!!) I also like poppy seed but cannot find any poppy seed paste in the stores....would you like to bake with me? ;> The more the merrier!

    Gretchen

    Reply
    • Beth Lee

      March 13, 2019 at 3:45 pm

      I have been very busy with my blog and a couple of clients so I don't know if I can break away to bake, though I'd love to. I did make my own prune filling last weekend. Here's what I did: I used 1/4 lb of prunes and it made plenty. I covered them with hot water and let them soak for a bit then I boiled them, low boil, for a bit to really soften them up. Drained them and put them in a mini cuisinart but you could use a regular one or blender. Added some lemon zest (orange would also be good), couple teaspoons of orange juice, and tablespoon of sugar. Blitz it, taste it, adjust, blitz again. I did the same with apricots but used honey instead of sugar. Next time, I might add in some aromatics while they boil - maybe cinnamon or cloves. But not necessary.

      Reply
  9. Stephanie

    February 13, 2019 at 2:32 pm

    I’ve been making hamantaschen since my children attended Jewish day school. I love the cookie dough orange juice and zest flavor. I’ve never used olive oil but I prefer making them parve with vegetable oil and I’m sure good southern Italian or Spanish olive oil enhances the flavor.
    My family prefers mini dark choc chips mixed with cinnamon sugar to fruit filling but I’m a fruit filling lover. Given I’m the ancient Bubbe of 8 I only make what the children prefer. I actually have made my own apricot and prune filling in the past to make sure no corn syrup was mixed in with the lekvar or apricot. We lost that family member. I’m anxious to try your recipe.
    Stephanie Gurland

    Reply
    • Beth Lee

      February 13, 2019 at 3:48 pm

      So good to get your message Stephanie. I think chocolate chips with cinnamon sugar sounds quite good - a little like a cross between rugelach and hamantaschen! A bubbe to 8! How lucky those 8 grandchildren are :-). Let me know how you like the recipe and what fillings you decide to use. Can't believe it's almost Purim already!

      Reply
  10. Hannah

    March 27, 2016 at 9:44 pm

    What a treasure to have your grandmother's hand-written recipe! It looks like you've recreated it beautifully. I like your use of olive oil. Favorite fillings in our house are all sorts of jams and chocolate. Years ago I tried a recipe featuring a chocolate dough and peanut butter filling that was pretty tasty. These are certainly versatile little treats. I hope you enjoyed a fun Purim!

    Reply
    • Beth Lee

      March 28, 2016 at 7:43 am

      I thought about trying chocolate in the dough - next year :-). The olive oil makes the dough very soft but with the right amount of flour and a little refrigeration, comes out pretty nicely! I just love all the jam fillings. Thanks, as always for stopping by.

      Reply
  11. Jael

    March 25, 2016 at 10:20 am

    Such pretty hamantaschen:)

    Reply
    • Beth Lee

      March 28, 2016 at 7:40 am

      Great to hear from you Jael. How is everything in Israel and with your blog? Will head over later today for a visit (I wish to Israel but for now, just your blog)!

      Reply
  12. Little Cooking Tips

    March 24, 2016 at 2:05 am

    5 stars
    We've never hear of the hamantaschen before, but they sure look delicious! Plus they're super versatile, as you can add a gazillion of fillings. We bet these must be amazing with the traditional Greek spoon sweets (fruit preserves), turning those to Jewish-Greek treats:):)
    We LOVED the old recipe on the paper, it looks like many of our recipes from our parents which they wrote down back in the 60s and early 70s. Lots of treasures there.
    As for using olive oil in desserts, it does make the dough a bit softer, so you're right, you do need to refrigerate it before handling it, great advice.
    Thank you for another delicious idea Beth!
    Sending you lots and lots of greetings from Athens!
    xoxoxo

    Reply
    • Beth Lee

      March 28, 2016 at 7:37 am

      XOXO to you both as well. I hope you had a lovely Easter. We enjoyed the sunshine and some nice family time yesterday - which is rare these days with everybody's busy schedule. Olive oil is a joy to bake with but it does require a bit of adjustment. Took me a few tries to get the dough right. My favorite part of the cookie is the fillings, especially the jams. Re the recipe - if only I had had digital technology when I watched my grandmother make them but alas, so long ago all I could do was write down what I saw. I probably could have taken film photos but back then, we didn't always have a camera with us. Just glad I've come close to recreating it!

      Reply
  13. Deborah Ryan

    March 22, 2016 at 7:44 am

    Hamantaschen is a pastry I've wanted to make, but haven't ever given it a try. There are so many different fillings too! The video makes it all so easy! A great post Beth!

    Reply
    • Beth Lee

      March 22, 2016 at 8:22 am

      I know you would come up with some wonderful filling choices Deb! thanks for stopping by. Glad you liked the video. Thought it was the best way to show the technique.

      Reply

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Hi! I’m Beth Lee. In 2010, I realized I prefer pita chips to memory chips and started this blog. My family is a mix of Jewish/Hawaiian/Korean heritage and my food reflects our diversity. My virtual kitchen is always open. Let’s cook together! 

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