Rich Chocolate Cheesecake Hamantaschen

Hamantaschen (sometimes spelled Hamentaschen) are a traditional Ashkenazi Jewish cookie served at Purim.  Wikipedia does a decent job of summarizing the Purim story if you’d like the background of the holiday. The (extremely) short version is that Haman is a bad, bad man.  During Purim, children dress in costumes, twirl groggers (noisemakers) and boo when Haman’s name is mentioned during the telling of the story in synagogue. 

Hamantashen, a Yiddish word that translates into “Haman’s pockets”, are triangular filled cookies.  Growing up, hamantaschen were always quite bland and boring.  Usually filled with chocolate chips or fruit, I was always less than thrilled when this holiday treat was brought out.  When trying to make these for my family I decided I would make them better, more flavourful, and fun to eat.  I adapted my mother’s original cookie recipe and went on the hunt for better filling ideas.  I decided on a chocolate cream cheese filling: a little tart and very rich.  Jewish or not, I think everyone will enjoy these delicious, fun shaped cookies!

TOTAL TIME

• Preparation Time – 20 minutes plus at least 2 hours and 20 mins to rest in the fridge
• Cooking Time – 14 minutes a batch
• Total Time – 2 hrs 54 minutes

INGREDIENTS

All the ingredients for these cookies are easy to source from any local grocer.

• 3/4 cup Unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2/3 cup White sugar
• 1 Egg, room temperature
• 2 1/4 cups All Purpose Flour
• 1 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract, divided
• 1 tsp Almond extract
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 2/3 cup Brown sugar
• 3 ounces Cream cheese (about 1/3 of a package), room temp
• 1/2 cup Mini chocolate chips

CAN I USE IMITATION VANILLA FOR HAMANTASHEN?

My strong recommendation is to buy a good vanilla extract and never, ever, buy imitation vanilla! I suggest Neilsen Massey or another high quality extract which will add beautiful flavour to your Hamantaschen. Many brands sell authentic vanilla at varying price points so it’s easy to find one that suits your needs.

DO I HAVE TO CHILL THE DOUGH?

Absolutely. Before working with your dough you must chill it for at least two hours to allow it to properly come together, similar to a pie crust or shortbread.

WHAT CHOCOLATE CHIPS SHOULD I USE?

You want to make sure you use good quality chocolate chips. I buy Bakers, President’s Choice, or Ghirardelli brand. I always use semi sweet chips because I like dark chocolate. If you‘d prefer, you can use milk chocolate, just make sure they are good quality otherwise you’ll end up with a waxy flavourless chip in an otherwise delicious dessert. I used mini chocolate chips so there would be better distribution, but you could always use regular.

INGREDIENT SUBSTITUTIONS

I HAVE AN ALMOND ALLERGY! DO I NEED TO USE ALMOND?

The purpose of the almond extract in this recipe is to offset its sweetness and add another dimension of flavour. In these cookies you could easily substitute a teaspoon of lemon juice in place of the almond extract.

CAN I USE WHITE SUGAR FOR THE CHEESECAKE FILLING?

You can certainly substitute white sugar for brown in the cream cheese filling and your hamantashen will still be delicious. However, white sugar will taste sweeter and will not give your cookies the toffee like richness that brown sugar imparts on this recipe.

EQUIPMENT FOR CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE HAMANTASCHEN

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Below is a list of the main equipment/kitchen tools needed to make these Rich Chocolate Cheesecake Hamantaschen.

• Kitchen Aid Mixer – You can certainly make these hamantaschen by hand if you don’t own a mixer, but the batter is very thick and will be hard to stir once you add the oats. I highly recommend purchasing a good mixer if you are able to do so. I adore my Kitchen Aid Professional mixer. It can handle even the heaviest of batters with ease. In addition, it has a large 6.6 L bowl which can accommodate multiple batches of this dough at once.

• Parchment Paper – I highly recommend lining your cookie sheets with parchment paper to ensure they don’t stick. Paper Chef is my favourite brand, and comes in a large format roll that is easy to cut to any size.

• Spatula – I always use my Le Creuset spatula when mixing cookie dough in my mixer. I am able to easily scrape down the sides, and ensure that there is no flour left behind unmixed. It easily stands up to the heaviest dough without issue, and as an added bonus the silicone head is removable and can be tossed in the dishwasher!

• Cookie Cutter (or glass)

• Bowl

• Baking Pans (x2)

COOKING DIRECTIONS

These Chocolate Cheesecake Hamantaschen are a delicious twist on a traditional Ashkenazi Purim treat. Food is front and centre in most Jewish celebrations, and Purim is no different: it’s a time for fun and food. I promise if you follow the steps below, you’ll find that making these adorable cookies is both simple and fun.

The key to making these cookies successfully is allowing the dough time to rest in the fridge. You’ll need to do this twice. First, after mixing your dough you’ll need to let it rest for at least two hours in the fridge: this will give the dough time to come together and develop a beautiful texture for rolling. After you fill and form your hamantaschen, you’ll want to give it another 20 minutes in the fridge: this will set the shape, and firm up the filling a bit. Do not skip this second rest period or your chocolate cream cheese filling will ooze out of your adorable little cookies. Take your time, and you’ll be rewarded with delicious Chocolate Cheesecake Hamantaschen.

MAKE AHEAD STORAGE

You can prepare the dough the day before if you’d like, just let it warm up a bit before rolling it out.

These cookies will stay delicious at room temperature for several days, and can be frozen in an airtight container for several months.

FINISHED DISH

Enjoy your Chocolate Cheesecake Hamantaschen!

OTHER HAMANTASCHEN DISHES

Triple Berry Hamantaschen Recipe

Chocolatey Nutella Hamantaschen

OTHER DESSERT DISHES

Healthy Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Easy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Dark Chocolate Mousse

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?

I’d love to know how it turned out! Please let me know by leaving a comment and rating below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #cooking.with.carbs.