Camp Recipe: Hamantaschen

The URJ Camp George Team
Recipe by
The URJ Camp George Team

The great thing about hamantaschenhamantaschenאֹזֶן הָמָןTriangle-shaped pastries commonly filled with apricot jam or poppyseed spread (or other fillings) and eaten on Purim; the shape represents Haman's hat or ears is that you can make so many different types. Here at URJ Camp George, Canada's only Reform Jewish summer camp, we even put gummy bears in some of ours! Read on for our tips and tricks for making your very own hamantaschen.

Ingredients
2 eggs
½ cup sugar
¼ cup oil
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Directions


Knead Dough

  1. Assemble ingredients and preheat the oven to 350°F. Mix the wet ingredients together - eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla.
  2. Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then stir them into the wet ingredients. Once the dough is mostly formed, it’s easier to knead it together with your hands. After this we put it in the fridge for a few minutes to cool down so it’s easier to work with.
  3. Sprinkle lots of flour onto a cutting board. Take small sections at a time, use a rolling pin to roll out the dough. Remember to add flour to the cutting board each time you roll out the dough.
  4. Use a cup or jar with a round end to cut out circles from the dough. (Tip – if you are working with little ones, we recommend that you make the dough, rolling it out and cut the circles in advance.) As you cut the circles, place them on a pan which is covered with parchment paper. Once you are done cutting out all the dough, refrigerate the tray for a few minutes so that it is easier to work with.

Mix and Match Fillings

Be creative! Use whatever filling you like. Mix and match ingredients. We like to use jam, coconut, sprinkles, chocolate chips, craisins, soy butter, and jelly beans! (Ruby says: “put gummy bears in and Aero bars. Be careful about jam overflow!”) Remember not to put too much filling inside so that you can properly seal the hamantaschen and so that the filling stays inside the cookies.

  1. Place the filling in the center of each circle of dough and form the dough into a triangle shape.
  2. Be sure to pinch the ends together. (Lev says: “pinch them so tight so the insides don’t come out.”)

Ready to Bake

  1. Bake for 10-12 minutes – campers, you should get an adult to help you with this part. The hamantaschen are done when the bottoms are golden brown.
  2. Cool for a few minutes and enjoy! And remember to share them with your family and camp BFF’s!  

Learn more about URJ Camp George in Canada or find a Reform Jewish summer camp near you.

Additional Notes
  • After kneading dough, refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour.  This not only helps the dough firm up but allows the gluten in the flour to relax after kneading so that it will be easy to roll out.
  • Try rolling the dough out on a board coated with confectioners sugar.  The cornstarch in the sugar will prevent sticking without making the dough dry and pasty.
  • You are better off using a jarred or homemade filling instead of jam which has a tendency to melt,run, and disappear.