Today, I spent most of the day making Hamantaschen for Purim, thinking I was finishing just in time for sunset…only to realize I was a few days early!
❤︎
Mid~week holidays really mess with my head…I know that I still have a lot of things to do before this week is over—including a painful doctor’s appointment I’m dreading tomorrow!—but having a day off on a Wednesday made me keep thinking that today was Saturday! And no matter how many times I reminded myself that the week wasn’t over yet, I kept being surprised & disappointed every time I would remember.
ADHD really is a laugh a minute.
Still, today was the first day of Spring—and what a lovely day for a public holiday, Japan, thank you!—so I could scarcely think of a better way to spend such an idyllic day than hiding indoors, making fun, filled (& fun-filled) cookies.
Hamantaschen are traditionally eaten on the Jewish holiday of Purim, which begins on Saturday evening this year, and I always look forward to making them. While they may appear a bit complicated, I’m always surprised at how quickly the oil-based dough comes together, and how easy it is to roll out and cut into circles…the hardest part is just remembering to make sure that I have the filling ready to go before I get started.
After cutting the dough into ~7cm / 3~inch circles and placing them on a baking sheet, they’re topped with a small amount of sweet filling, and then folded into a triangular shape. To be honest, I took the slightly more difficult route with the folding—choosing to tuck one corner under each other rather than simply squishing them closed—as I prefer the look of the finished product more this way…and I never have any trouble with the filling sneaking out!
Because I’m also a textbook overachiever (and indecisive weirdo) I chose to make three flavors today: a traditional poppyseed filling, a simple apricot jam, and the ever-popular Nutella noms…I also couldn’t resist adding sprinkles to the latter.
Sadly, I don’t have a recipe to share today—only a story about one day in my tiny kitchen—as I embarrassingly forget & relearn how to make these cookies each year. However, if you’ve never tried poppyseed filling, I heartily recommend Tori Avey’s recipe, which makes plenty for almost three dozen hamantaschen, and leaves enough left over for a poppyseed crumb cake too!
How about if I promise to share my simple & quick crumb cake recipe in the future? Okay? Okay!
Have you ever made hamantaschen or a similarly filled cookie? And what is your favorite holiday cookie to make or simply eat? I would genuinely love to hear about it in the comments below.
And have a lovely weekend…whenever it finally gets to you!
my tokyo kitchen 
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