When I was a child, my mother made hamantaschen for Purim using a rich, chilled butter dough studded with orange zest—very much a gourmet version (probably from Gourmet magazine). Her fillings were traditional: prune and, if we were lucky, apricot jam. We also received a box of hamantaschen every year from family friends. Those cookies had to survive a trip through the mail from Minnesota to Texas, so they were sturdier than my mother’s delicate treats. Alongside the classic flavors, that mailed box always included chocolate and coconut varieties—an eight-year-old’s dream.
I’m sure I’d now appreciate my mother’s tender dough and might even enjoy prune filling. Still, even thirty years later, I can’t imagine choosing a prune-filled cookie over a chocolate one.
One of the perks of adulthood is baking what you actually want to eat. Last year that meant espresso shortbread hamantaschen filled with Nutella, based on an online recipe. They were delicious, but this year I wanted a crisper cookie with stronger espresso notes—and a way to use some of the three-pound bag of hazelnut meal I’d impulsively bought. A Washington Post recipe for almond hamantaschen provided a good starting point for adapting the dough to espresso and hazelnut.
The result matched my hopes: a slightly crisp cookie with clear hazelnut and espresso flavor, finished with a dollop of Nutella.
This recipe isn’t the absolute easiest—while the dough comes together quickly, it becomes very soft and sticky if it isn’t cold enough. Thorough chilling, generous flour when rolling, and a bench scraper are key to success.
Espresso-Hazelnut Hamantaschen with Nutella
This espresso-hazelnut hamantaschen dough is adapted from a newspaper recipe for almond hamantaschen. The hazelnut meal and finely ground espresso beans give the cookies a crisp, nutty edge that pairs perfectly with Nutella. Be generous with flour while rolling and keep a bench scraper handy.
Ingredients
-
140
g
all-purpose flour
(plus extra for rolling) -
56
g
sugar -
56
g
hazelnut meal or finely ground hazelnuts -
small pinch of
salt -
1
tbsp
finely ground espresso beans -
113
g (8 tbsp)
cold unsalted butter
, cut into small pieces -
1
large egg -
1
tbsp
heavy cream -
3/4
cup
Nutella or similar chocolate-hazelnut spread
Instructions
-
Combine the flour, sugar, hazelnut meal, finely ground espresso beans, salt, and butter in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
-
Lightly beat the egg. Add the egg and the heavy cream to the food processor and pulse just until the dough begins to come together into a ball.
-
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly until smooth.
-
Flatten the dough into a disk about 1 inch thick, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least two hours. If short on time, chill in the fridge for 30 minutes and then place the disk in the freezer for 10–15 minutes before rolling.
-
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
-
Divide the chilled dough in half. Keep one half refrigerated while you work with the other. Generously flour your work surface and rolling pin, and keep a bench scraper nearby.
-
Roll the dough as thin as you can—aim for about 1/16 inch. Periodically use the bench scraper to lift the dough and add flour beneath if it begins to stick.
-
Use a 3-inch round cookie cutter to cut circles. Transfer them carefully to the prepared baking sheets about 1 inch apart, using the bench scraper to help if needed.
-
Place about 1 teaspoon of Nutella in the center of each circle. Fold and pinch three evenly spaced edges together to form a triangle, pinching the corners firmly to seal.
-
Bake one sheet at a time for about 15 minutes, or until the corners just begin to brown lightly.
-
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a couple of minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Recipe Notes
The dough is easy to make but tends to be sticky. Chilling thoroughly is essential—two hours in the fridge is ideal. If you only have a short window, refrigerate for 30 minutes and then freeze for 10–15 minutes to firm it up before rolling.
Use more flour than you think necessary when rolling and have a bench scraper at hand to lift and move dough circles. Even when well chilled, this dough benefits from a liberal dusting of flour on the work surface.
If you don’t have a food processor, you can use room-temperature butter: cream the butter with the sugar, add the egg and cream, then stir in the dry ingredients. The dough may need a bit more chilling time with this method.
You likely won’t use all of the Nutella called for in the recipe; save the rest for toast or another batch of cookies.