Hamantaschen: Finally, You Can Enjoy Them Without Feeling Guilty

Smadar Hod- Ovadia, Leket Israel’s in-house nutritionist, gives us some tips and recipes for the upcoming Holiday of Purim.

Hamantashen are an essential part of the Purim holiday. In fact, in Israel, they appear in supermarkets and bakeries right after the Chanukah donuts sell out, which leaves us with more than two months to fight our temptations.

Mass-manufactured Hamantashen are made with a great deal of margarine, sugar, preservatives, and an unlimited assortment of fillings.  The ones found in bakeries are generally better in quality, though most places still use a considerable amount of butter or margarine in making the dough, and certainly don’t skimp on sugar. A single Hamantash contains 150 calories and the average person doesn’t stop after the first one…. So, you do the math!

So, how can we still enjoy a Hamantash without feeling so guilty?

Make them yourself!  Baking at home gives us the power to decide how much fat and sugar we use. You can also add nutritional value by supplementing fiber and high-quality ingredients for the fillings.

Please see the recipe below:

Dough:

1 cup Whole Wheat Flour

1 teaspoon Baking Powder

½ teaspoon Baking Soda

1 cup (100gr) “Instant” Oats

2 tablespoons Brown Sugar

2 tablespoons Date Honey

1 Egg

3 tablespoons Full Sesame Tahini

¼ cup Water (as needed)

Mix all the ingredients to create the dough and knead it well. Keep in the refrigerator until you have completed preparation of the filling.

Filling:

Dry Fruit Filling:

1 cup mixed Figs, Dates and Raisins (or any other combination of fruits leftover from Tu-B’Shvat)-cut and boil in water for 5 minutes.

Grated Orange Rind from One Orange

1 teaspoon Cinnamon

1 tablespoon Brown Sugar

½ cup Chopped Walnuts

Poppy Seed Filling:

½ cup Ground Poppy Seeds

3 tablespoons Honey

3 tablespoons Date Honey

Dark Chocolate Filling:

1 pack Dark Chocolate (70% cocoa)

(Place a cube of chocolate in the middle of the dough circle)

Preparation:

1. On a floured surface, roll out the dough until it is about 0.5 cm thick.
2. Shape the dough into circles using a cookie-cutter or an upside-down cup.
3. Place the filling in the middle of the circle, and pinch three corners into a triangle; be sure to press the corners hard.
4. Place the Hamantashen on a pan lined with parchment paper, leaving enough space between each one to allow them to expand.
5. Bake them in a preheated (165*C) oven for 20 minutes.
6. After baking, you may sprinkle the Hamantashen with cinnamon instead of the more commonly used powdered sugar.  

Then serve and enjoy!