Celebrate Purim With Fun And Inventive Hamantaschen Variations

The hamantaschen is perhaps the most recognizable symbol of the Jewish holiday of Purim.

This triangle-shaped pastry is often served with a wide variety of fillings, from fruits like blueberry or apricot to sweet options such as chocolate or coconut. But the options truly are only limited by the chef’s creativity, and there’s some pretty exciting varieties to try in honor of this year’s Purim festivities.

Sweet Peas

This dessert takes the Hamataschen in a whole new direction, and it’s pretty exciting. This unique dessert at Branja, a new restaurant in Miami by MasterChef Israel winner Tom Aviv, will be available for Purim. It has the texture and feel of a plated dish of hummus, but the base of the dessert is a cashew pudding. The cashews are marinated in honey and anise seeds for three days, before being blended into a silky smooth texture. This dessert is topped with a pineapple and strawberry salad dressed with fig syrup, almonds and a drizzle of basil oil, for a twist on Hamantaschen. “Sweet Peas is a unique spin on the traditional Purim dessert, Hamantaschen, a cookie filled with fruit, chocolate, or mohn, a traditional poppy seed filling,” shares Branja’s Chef Tom Aviv. “We disguised the Hamantaschen flavors in a delicious cashew pudding and topped the dish with more traditional Hamantaschen fruit fillings.”

Pizza Hamantaschen

It’s not often you find a savory take on Hamantaschen, but at legendary Breads Bakery in New York City, there’s a pizza variety. It’s made with mozzarella, parmesan and walnut pesto, and is a unique and fun (and delicious) take perfect for appetizers at any holiday cocktail party. Perhaps start the night with this savory take and then save the sweet options for dessert.

HalvaTaschen

From Seed + Mill in New York City, this sesame concept store will celebrate Purim by offering a limited drop of Halva Hamantaschen, which they have created in collaboration with Sifted. The HalvaTaschen will feature a chocolate-tahini dough with cherry jam and pistachio halva filling. “Seed + Mill is excited to team up with the talented baking duo behind Sifted to create a twist on the nostalgic treat we grew up with. You’ll want to get your hands on these limited-edition HalvaTaschen featuring a chocolate-tahini dough with a delicious cherry jam and pistachio-halva filling,” said Rachel Simons, co-founder and CEO of Seed + Mill. This treat will be available both instore and online in advance of the holiday.