It’s that time of year again! Crazy and exciting hamantaschen recipes coming your way! I love my original recipe, it makes a soft, sweet and tender cookie with classic jam filling. While the classics are always great, my fun flavors are not to be overlooked. Try my recipe for peanut butter and jelly, pina colada, funfetti, pumpkin chai, or cookies n’ cream! I’m not so sure you will be able to pick a favorite!
This year I wanted to come up with a simple flavor, nothing too crazy and I thought that cinnamon sugar aka snickerdoodle hamantaschen would be perfect! I had never heard of this take on the classic so what do I do first? I google it and…it’s not original! Town and Cooking shared a recipe just last year. Instead of getting completely bummed out, I used the recipe posted as an inspiration.
The dough I used is a soft sugar cookie recipe. I made this dough 4 or 5 different times until I got it just right. I wanted the texture to be crisp on the outside and a bit softer in the center to mimic a snickerdoodle. But it wasn’t that simple because I also needed them to keep this perfect triangle shape without puffing too much. Phew, glad it worked out! I adapted the filling recipe from Town and Cooking, and I think I made it even better! Some of their filling seemed to be leaking out, but I had no issues like that. After forming the hamantaschen, I dipped them in cinnamon sugar before baking to a light golden brown. Don’t overbake these or they won’t be soft and tender!!
Enjoy my simple, dairy-free, printable recipe below.
Having trouble forming your hamantaschen just right? Check out my picture tutorial here and my YouTube video below the recipe.
- ½ cup vegetable shortening, such as crisco
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 2½ cups flour
- 2 Tbs. corn starch
- ½ tsp. salt
- 4 Tbs. soy milk
- ½ cup margarine, softened
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup flour
- 1 egg white
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
- pinch of salt
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 Tbs. cinnamon
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the shortening, sugar, and vanilla and beat until smooth.
- Add the egg and egg yolk (reserve the egg white for the filling) and mix until combined.
- Add in the flour, corn starch, and salt, and mix until combined.
- With the mixer running on low, stream in the soy milk and mix until the dough comes together.
- Set aside while you prepare the filling.
- Place the margarine in a small heatproof bowl and in the microwave.
- Add in the brown sugar, flour, egg white, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt and stir to combine.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and roll the dough out thin.
- Using a round drinking glass, or round cookie cutter (2½ to 3 inches in diameter), cut out the cookies.
- Using a spoon or pastry bag fitted with a plain tip, fill the cookies with the cinnamon schmear filling. Don't add too much; 1 tsp. is enough.
- Pinch 3 corners together to form the signature shape.
- Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Dip each hamantasch in the cinnamon sugar and make sure each one is completely coated.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes until light brown.
- Cool on a wire rack before enjoying.