Apple Pie Hamantaschen

Bring the classic apple pie to your favorite Purim cookies with these apple pie hamantaschen. A traditional cookie with a modern twist. Delicious shortbread cookie dough wrapped around a sweet apple pie filling.

Table of Content

• Why make these cookies?
• Ingredients and substitutes
• Apple Pie Hamantaschen Cookies
• 8 Tips Perfect hamantaschen
• More hamantaschen cookies
• Frequently asked questions
• You may also like
• Printable Recipe
• Join the conversation

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Purim will be here in a few days and the kids are almost ready with their Purim costumes. Well, I think they are. And yet, knowing my kids, they will keep changing their minds every time they hear their friends' costume choices. This year Aadi has planned to dress like a marshmallow man and Rhea wants to be a princess as usual.

These are triangular shaped cookies made to celebrate the Jewish festival of Purim. The cookie is named after Haman from the Purim story in the Bible and is shaped like the three corners of his hat. The festival is basically a Jewish carnival with everybody dressed in costumes and having costume parties and parades. It's a fun time for kids and adults.

Why make these cookies?

• The cookie dough is like a shortbread cookie filling with this wonderful apple pie filling.
• The dough is very simple and easy to make. In fact, you don't need any special equipment. A bowl and spatula would work too.
• The dough needs some chilling time in between while you prepare the filling. But, you can keep the dough in the fridge for up to 2 days ahead or kept frozen for up to a month.
• The filling has a long shelf life too. It stays in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Ingredients and substitutes

• Butter - I always use unsalted butter because I like to control the amount of salt. And yet, if salted butter is all you have, go ahead and use it. Just omit salt in the recipe. Also, as I explain about butter in my Tip Thursday - how butter affects baking - use room temperature butter for better results.
• Powdered sugar - I like using powdered sugar for this shortbread cookie recipe. It also contains cornstarch and you barely have to cream it.
• Brown sugar - Adds a nice molasses flavor to the filling. You can also make your own brown sugar - by mixing 1 tablespoon molasses into every one cup of white sugar.
• Eggs - I use large eggs about 65 to 70 grams each. This recipe calls for an egg yolk which helps make the cookie dough crisp.
• Extract - Orange is a traditional flavor with these cookies. And yet, vanilla and cinnamon work better with apples. You can also keep the orange if you prefer.
• Apples - I like using granny smith or golden delicious. Because when cooked, they still hold their shape.
• Lemon juice - helps cut down the sweetness, and yet does not make it lemony. So don't omit it.
• Cornstarch - Thickens the juices so they won't' ooze out of the cookie when baked. If you can't use cornstarch, try arrowroot or tapioca powder.

Apple Pie Hamantaschen Cookies

Dough

• In a bowl, sift and combine together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and powdered sugar until light and creamy.
  Pro tip - do not cream too long, just until the sugar is melted, as we do not want to add too much air into our dough.
• Add the egg and egg yolk one at a time. Followed by the vanilla extract.
• Next, add the flour mixture. Combine well into a soft dough.
  Pro tip - you can combine the dry ingredients all at once.
• Divide the dough into two discs. Wrap well in plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours or until firm enough to roll.
  Pro tip - it is important to chill until the dough is firm enough to roll. Otherwise, it will be difficult to shape the cookies.

Apple pie filling

• Wash, core, peel and chop the apple into small pieces.
  Pro tip- since the filling is a small space on a 3-inch disc we want the pieces of apples to be small - I make mine less than ¼ inch pieces
• Add all filling ingredients in a heavy bottom saucepan. Heat on medium-low until the sugar melts and apples release their juices.
• The cornstarch will start to thicken the juices. Continue to cook on medium until almost all the juices are evaporated.
  Pro tip - it is important that all the juices have evaporated, otherwise you will have soggy cookies. The apples will continue to release some juices so take that into account.
• Take it off the heat. Let cool completely before filling in the cookies.
  Pro tip - it is important that the filling is cold, not hot when filling or it will warm the dough making it hard to shape. You can even put in the freeze for a quick chill.

Roll and fill cookies

• Roll the chilled cookie dough on a lightly floured surface to about ⅛ thickness.
  Pro tip - You want the cookies thin enough so you can overlap the edges without cracking but thick enough so they won't become too hard.
• Using a 3-inch or 3 ½ inch cookie cutter, cut as many discs as you can and place them on a baking tray.
  Prot ip - Line the baking tray with parchment paper or silicone mat for easy clean-up.
• Add about a tablespoon of filling in the center.
  Pro tip -Do not add too much filling because the hot filling will force the cookies to open during baking.

• Dampen the disc edges very lightly with water or egg white
  Pro tip - you need just a dap of the water or egg whites otherwise it will be difficult to secure these folds
• Method one - Overlap the three corners as shown in the video. Fold the first two sides over at one end. Then overlap the third side under the first and under the second.
  Pro tip -At all times each side should be one under and one over the other. Sounds complicated but if you see the video it's pretty simple.
• Method two - FInd the middle. Pinch two sides together, Bring the third side up and pinch to meet the other two sides.
  Pro tip - Press the folds gently, but firmly so they do not open during baking.

Chill and bake

• Once all cookies are filled - chill them in the fridge while you preheat the oven.
  Pro tip - chilling the cookies will helps the cookies hold their shape better.
• Preheat the oven at 375 °F / 190 °C / Gas Mark 5
• Brush the cookies with egg wash. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the edges are lightly golden

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8 Tips Perfect hamantaschen

1. Chill the dough as required. This will prevent the cookies from spreading too much.
2. Roll the disc fairly thin so the cookies do not look bulky.
3. However, too thick cookies tend to open up when baking.
4. Use the right method for the right technique. The pinch method works with firm cookie dough. And yet,  if you are unsure use the overlap method.
   Alternatively, test a few cookies with the pinch method first before you do the whole batch.
5. Keep the filling thick so it won't bleed out of the cookies.
6. Do not overfill the center to prevent overflow. The cookie dough is shortbread based so it's delicious on its own.
7. Make the disc no smaller than 3 inches because once folded they tend to be smaller in size. Unless, of course, you want mini hamantaschen cookies which are very pretty too.
8. Bake until they are starting to get slightly brown on the sides. Don't brown too much to prevent them from going hard.

More hamantaschen cookies

• Hamantaschen with Date
• Poppy Seed Filled Hamantaschen
• Prune Filled Hamantaschen .
• Pistachio halva hamantaschen
• Eggless Hamantaschen with strawberry filling
• Pecan Pie Hamantaschen
• See all purim cookies

Frequently asked questions

You may also like

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Printable Recipe