Spiced Bourbon Hamentashen
Whoa. It’s almost March. It’ll be spring, in just one month. And also. End of next week. It’ll be the Jewish holiday of Purim.
And. Do I have a Purim recipe for you!
It’s hamentashen, that traditional triangular shaped cookie that makes an appearance every Purim holiday. YUS.
But these hamentashen. These spiced bourbon hamentashen. Let’s just say they are slightly less traditional than your typical hamentash. They still got the signature soft sugar cookie dough and triangular shape and sweet filling. But. These spiced bourbon hamentashen don’t consist of the plain sugar cookie dough that you’ll usually encounter with hamentashen.
Nah. These hamentashen ain’t plain. They are packed with rich, cozy, warm, deep spices and a few tablespoons of bourbon whiskey and a hint of orange zest and they’re so unique and flavorful and special.
I figured. Since Purim is the booziest holiday of ‘em all. Why not add alcohol into the actual dough of the cookie that represents this holiday?! Take a shot, and then chase it with a boozy hamentash — that’s the big idea.
And. Aside from the bourbon. I wanted to add another twist to these cookies. So. I pondered. What goes well with that smoky, deep flavor that bourbon boasts? SPICES, duh.
Which is when I experimented with a spoonful of this and a pinch of that and a dash of something or the other and came up with the spices that you’ll find in the recipe below: generous ground cinnamon, a nice amount of ground nutmeg and ground ginger, and a pinch of ground Allspice. Oh, and salt, obviously. But that’s always.
And. There’s also the zest of an orange in these spiced hamentashen. Orange peel + spices + smoky bourbon — you’re getting Bourbon Old Fashioned vibes, to the maxxxxxx, with these bourbon hamentashen.
These spiced bourbon hamentashen are soft and tender and a teeny bit crumbly and slightly crispy at the corners and edges. They’re thick and rich and are made in one bowl and are dairy-free. They’re sweet and spiced and deep and smoky and citrusy. And! They’re filled! With yumminess!
The soft, hassle-free dough is first rolled out, after which it gets cut with a circle cutter or a drinking glass. The circles are then filled with any and all sweet fillings that your heart may desire — jam, a sweetened nut butter (cuz the dough itself isn’t all that sweet), poppy seed filling (the adults seem to love this one eye roll), chocolate chips, caramel, sprinkles, chocolate spread — and are then folded along three sides and pinched pinched pinched together until the sides are firmly glued.
And that’s how you make a hamentash slash filled triangle cookie, people.
Thick and rich. Soft and tender. Crumbly and crispy. Easy and dairy-free. Unique and sophisticated. A welcome twist on the traditional.
Spiced bourbon hamentashen — cheers to you!
Spiced Bourbon Hamentashen
Yield: about 18-20 hamentashen
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon oil
1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 tablespoons bourbon whiskey
1 tablespoon milk (or non-dairy milk) or orange juice
Zest of one small orange
2 cups packed flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground Allspice
1/4 teaspoon salt
-Thick jam, chocolate spread, kokosh filling, poppy seed filling, chocolate chips, sweet nut butter etcetera, for filling
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the confectioners sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla extract, bourbon, milk/orange juice, and orange zest until smooth.
3. Add in flour, baking powder, and spices and stir until just combined. Dough will be thick. If too sticky to roll out, add a bit more flour.
4. Flour work surface and roll out dough to 1/6” thickness.
5. Cut out circles with a round cutter or drinking glass. Place a teaspoon of filling into center of each circle. Fold in the three sides over the filling, pinching the sides tightly together, creating a triangle with the filling visible in the center (see video here). Repeat process with the remaining scraps of dough.
6. Space hamentashen out onto baking sheets. Bake for 11-14 minutes, until bottoms are golden brown. Let cookies firm up before transferring.
