Raspberry Cheesecake Hamantaschen Recipe

I love taking hamantaschen for Purim — typically filled with prune, poppy seeds, or apricot and enclosed by a pretty plain dough — and pushing the envelope with inspiration from other desserts. In this case, I wanted to transform the classic holiday cookie into a raspberry cheesecake flavored hamantaschen.

I wanted to make sure that the three main flavors of classic raspberry cheesecake — graham crackers, cream cheese and raspberries — shine in the dough, filling and topping of these hamantaschen. So I incorporated graham cracker crumbs and freeze-dried raspberries, both for flavor and some really pretty color, into the hamantaschen dough. The filling is swirled cream cheese and raspberry, the perfect sweet-tart combo. I love the crunch and sparkle of raw sugar, so I sprinkled that on the outside of the hamantaschen before baking, and then topped off the cooled cookies with a drizzle of reserved cream cheese filling and a dusting of more graham cracker crumbs and crushed freeze-dried raspberries. The result is a hamantaschen treat for Purim that is as beautiful to look at as it is delightful to eat.

As for creating the perfect no-leak, keeps-its-shape hamantaschen, here are some of my tried-and-true tips:

1. Roll the hamantaschen dough ¼” thick — a thinner dough won’t keep its shape, so don’t roll out too thin.
2. Pipe no more than ½ tsp of filling into each cookie. It won’t seem like nearly enough, but as the filling expands when the cookies bake, starting with less will ensure that the sides don’t get pushed out and leak out onto your baking sheet.
3. Egg wash is key — it’s the “glue” that keeps the hamantaschen together, so don’t skip this step.
4. Freeze the hamantaschen cookies before baking — at least 15 minutes but as long as overnight. This step will ensure your hamantaschen cookies will keep their shape each and every time.

Note: The hamantaschen need to chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour, and up to three days.