Queen Esther, according to Jewish tradition, kept a vegetarian diet of seeds at King Achashverosh’s palace, in order to avoid eating non-kosher meat. While seeds were usually interpreted as legumes, chickpea or fava, poppy seeds also come to mind. And who knows? It just as well might have been poppy seeds that Esther consumed during those days at the palace, leading up to the story of Purim. After all, poppies were cultivated and used in many civilizations for thousands of years, whether for medicine or for producing opium, including in ancient Persia.
I love everything poppy, and I’ve published many poppy seeds recipes in the past, from poppy seed pasta, to poppy seed cake and poppy seed babka. Yet, there’s nothing like a paper-thin, crumbly, buttery, Israeli style hamantaschen crust (it’s pâte sablée style dough, while the American crust is cookie dough) enclosing the rich, distinctive, deep flavored poppy seed homemade filling. And it really does need to be the homemade kind. The canned poppy seed filling is bitter and gooey, and it hardens after baking. It has nothing to do with the real thing, freshly ground poppy seeds simmered with milk and sugar to form a thick, black, sweet and creamy paste.
To the hamantaschen recipe below I added a little 100% cocoa unsweetened chocolate that deepens the rich poppy seed flavor without overpowering it.
Since you’ll need a few ounces of poppy seeds for the hamantaschen recipe, it’s better to look for it at kosher markets, Middle Eastern stores and Russian or Eastern European markets. You will also need to grind it yourself, so do that using a coffee or spice grinder or a Vitamix blender. Grind the poppy seed until their volume increases and they color becomes darker. If you have extra ground poppy seeds, mix them with a spoonful of sugar and freeze until the next use.
Poppy Seed Hamantaschen, two ways
Course: Cakes and cookies, PurimCuisine: Israeli, Ashkenazi, JewishDifficulty: Medium30
hamantaschen45
minutes15
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minutesIsraeli hamantaschen are delicate and crumbly and filled with homemade poppy seed filling. The main difference between the Israeli and American hamantaschen is the dough. While Americans make hamantaschen with cookie dough, Israeli make theirs with a type of sable dough, that’s crumbly and rich.
You have two classic options for the filling in this recipe: one is for the classic homemade poppy seed filling, the other is with the addition of chocolate. Both are wonderful.
Poppy seeds are available in bulk online, and at most Eastern European and Middle Eastern supermarkets. Alternately, you can buy a few jars of poppy seeds from the spice rack at any chain supermarket.
To achieve the rich texture of the cooked poppy seed, the seeds need to be ground. The way to do it is with either an electric coffee grinder or with a blender, preferably a powerful one, such as Vitamix. As you grind the poppy seed they will become darker in color and will resemble almond flour in texture. Grind the poppy seed close to when you’re ready to cook with it, as it becomes rancid pretty quickly, especially when grounded. Any leftovers you can keep in a sealed container in the freezer until you’re ready to use.
INGREDIENTS
2¾ cups (400 grams, 14 oz.) all purpose flour
1 cup (115 grams, 4 oz.) powdered sugar, plus more for dusting
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon Kosher salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
- For the classic poppy seed filling
1 cup whole or low-fat milk
1/2 cup sugar
4 oz. finely ground poppy seeds (see note above)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons ground almonds (or ground cookies)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Zest of 1 lemon
- For the poppy seed – chocolate filling
1 cup whole or low-fat milk
1/2 cup sugar
4 oz. finely ground poppy seeds (see note above)
4 tablespoons ground almonds (or ground cookies)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 oz. 100% cocoa unsweetened chocolate (or 1½ oz. bittersweet chocolate, at least 70%)
DIRECTIONS
- If you’re making the classic poppy seed filling: Put milk, sugar, ground poppy seed and vanilla in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cook for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until the milk is absorbed and the mixture has thickened. Stir in the ground almond, butter and lemon zest until well incorporated, then remove from heat. Cool completely.
- If you’re making the poppy seed – chocolate filling: Put milk, sugar and poppy seed in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cook for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until the milk is absorbed and the mixture has thickened. Stir in the ground almond, butter and chocolate until well incorporated, then remove from heat. Cool completely.
- To make the dough, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and butter in a food processor. Pulse to create crumbs. Add egg and egg yolk and pulse just until the dough begins to clump together. Add 1 tablespoon of water if dough does not clump together. Turn the dough out onto a large bowl, knead shortly, gather into a ball, divide into two and flatten to 2 disks. If the dough seems too soft to roll and handle, put it in the fridge in a bowl for 15 minutes or until it feels firm enough.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Have a 2¾-inch cookie cutter at hand and 2 more large pieces of parchment paper.
- Put first half-portion of dough between two large parchment papers and roll with a rolling pin to a rectangle (about ⅛” thin). Remove the top parchment paper. Use the cookie cutter to cut out circles of dough. Reroll the dough as needed.
- Use a teaspoon to mound a small amount of the filling in the center of each circle. Lift and pinch the edges of each circle in 3 places spaced evenly apart, to create a triangle; the filling will be partially exposed in the center. Arrange on the baking sheet, spacing them an inch apart.
- Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. In the meantime, put baking sheets in the fridge for 15 minutes.
- Bake one baking sheet at a time for 13-15 minutes or until the pastries are just turning very light-golden on the edges.
- Transfer the pastries to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in lightly covered container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Delicious!! Such a great recipe and that filling is DIVINE. I’d never made a poppy filling like that and learned a lot.
I got over-eager adding a little more than a teaspoon at the beginning and they overflowed. Oh well. Next time!
Thanks so much, Elizabeth! that’s so nice to hear. Happy Purim!
Mmmm, interesting combination, worth to try it. We like both fillings and usually I am making poppy seeds, choc and walnuts filled humantaschen, but separate. I can’t wait to make this one too as it sounds delish. Happy Purim !
Thank you! Happy Purim!
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Thank you! The poppy seed filling was amazing! Everyone was asking me for the recipe.
That’s so nice to hear! Thank you! Chag Sameach.