Haman Cookies

I was wandering around the supermarket, when I spied a once-a-year Jewish treat:














Haman cookies. (In Israel, they are called Ears of Haman. In Yiddish, Haman Taschen or Haman pockets.)

They are made only at the feast of Purim... a Jewish celebration dating back about 2500 years, commemorating how God brought salvation and victory when there was a threat of annihilation. All this is recounted in the book of Esther (found in the Bible).

I had to get some... I mean, they are only sold once a year!














I really didn't need two boxes, but I wanted to try the chocolate filling as well as the prune filling. (I seem to recall that they had ones with poppy seed filling in Israel as well.)

Good-bye diet! Hello memories!

Maybe next year, I should try making my own. I noticed a recipe on the Purim link I posted above. The recipe calls for part wholewheat flour! (So maybe they aren't all that bad for me!)

Here is the recipe, copied from the Judiasm 101 webpage, for anyone wanting to make their own...

Recipe for Hamentaschen

• 2/3 cup butter or margarine
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup orange juice (the smooth kind, not the pulpy)
• 1 cup white flour
• 1 cup wheat flour (DO NOT substitute white flour! The wheat flour is necessary to achieve the right texture!)
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• Various preserves, fruit butters and/or pie fillings.

Blend butter and sugar thoroughly. Add the egg and blend thoroughly. Add OJ and blend thoroughly. Add flour, 1/2 cup at a time, alternating white and wheat, blending thoroughly between each. Add the baking powder and cinnamon with the last half cup of flour. Refrigerate batter overnight or at least a few hours. Roll as thin as you can without getting holes in the batter (roll it between two sheets of wax paper lightly dusted with flour for best results). Cut out 3 or 4 inch circles.

Put a dollop of filling in the middle of each circle. Fold up the sides to make a triangle, folding the last corner under the starting point, so that each side has corner that folds over and a corner that folds under (see picture at right). Folding in this "pinwheel" style will reduce the likelihood that the last side will fall open while cooking, spilling out the filling. It also tends to make a better triangle shape.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 15-20 minutes, until golden brown but before the filling boils over!

Traditional fillings are poppy seed and prune, ... Apricot, apple butter, pineapple preserves, and cherry pie filling all work quite well.