Halva Pistachio Hamantaschen Purim Cookies

Halva is a Middle-Eastern sweet treat made with sesame seed paste called tahini and combined with sugar or honey. It is very popular in the Middle East, and can also be found almost everywhere in the world. While it looks like a block of fudge, and yet the base is sesame seeds, there is no dairy and no butter. In addition, it’s naturally vegan, vegetarian, healthy, and delicious. Therefore, today I want to share with you another cookie for the Jewish holiday of purim. And if you’ve never tasted halva, you must try it at least once. You will fall in love with it. It’s sweet and sesame flavored. Very distinctive and addictive too.

Why make these cookies?

The cookie dough is like a shortbread cookie filling with this wonderful halva and pistachio filling. The dough is very simple and easy to make. In fact, you don’t need any special equipment. A bowl and spatula would work too. The dough needs some chilling time in between while you prepare the filling. But, you can keep the dough in the fridge for up to 2 days ahead or kept frozen for up to a month. The filling has a long shelf life too. It stays in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Ingredients and substitutes

Butter – I always use unsalted butter because I like to control the amount of salt. And yet, if salted butter is all you have, go ahead and use it. Just omit salt in the recipe. Also, as I explain about butter in my Tip Thursday – how butter affects baking – use room temperature butter for better results.Sugar – I highly recommend you use fine grain sugar to shorten the creaming time. Always cream the butter and sugar well, and fine grain sugar works best.Eggs – I use large eggs about 65 to 70 grams each. This recipe calls for one whole egg and one egg yolk. The egg yolks make sure you have a crisp texture to the cookie.Halva – Is made from sesame seeds just like tahini but sweet. It comes in a block and in many different combinations. For example, nuts like almonds and pistachio, as well as flavors from sugar, honey or caramel. It can also be eaten on its own or used as an ingredient in Middle Eastern desserts.Pistachio – Very popular nut in the Middle East and often used in desserts like Baklava. These tend to be expensive too. You can also use almonds, cashews or other nuts.

Hamantaschen with Halva

Dough

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and powdered sugar on medium speed until light and creamy.Pro tip – do not cream too long, just until the sugar is melted, as we do not want to add too much air into our dough.Add the egg and egg yolk one at a time. Followed by the vanilla extract.Next, add the flour, salt, and cornstarch. Combine well into a soft dough.Pro tip – you can combine the dry ingredients first, then add them to the dough.Divide the dough into two discs. Wrap well in plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours or until firm enough to roll.Pro tip – it is important to chill until the dough is firm enough to roll. Otherwise, it will be difficult to shape the cookies.

Pecan pie filling

Place the pistachio nuts in a food processor and pulse to a coarse powder. Set asideCrumble the halva in a bowl until it resembles almost bread crumb consistency.Then, in a large bowl combine the halva and pistachio together. Set aside until ready to fill.

Roll and fill cookies

With a rolling pin roll the chilled cookie dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1/8 thickness.Pro tip – You want the cookies thin enough so you can overlap the edges without cracking but thick enough so they won’t become too hard.Using a 3-inch or 3 1/2 inch cookie cutter, cut as many discs as you can and place them on a baking sheet. Pro tip – Line the baking tray with parchment paper or silicone mat for easy clean-up.

Add about a tablespoon of filling in the center.Pro tip -Do not add too much filling because the hot filling will force the cookies to open during baking. Dampen the disc edges very lightly with water or egg whitePro tip – you need just a dap of the water or egg whites otherwise it will be difficult to secure these foldsOverlap the three corners as shown in the video. Fold the first two sides over at one end. Then overlap the third side under the first and under the second.Pro tip -At all times each side should be one under and one over the other. Sounds complicated but if you see the video it’s pretty simple.

Chill and bake

Once all cookies are filled – chill them in the fridge while you preheat the oven.Preheat the oven at 375 °F / 190 °C / Gas Mark 5Brush the cookies with egg wash. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the edges are lightly golden.Cool on the baking tray for 5 minutes transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before you store them in a cookie jar. These will stay for up to a week.

Tips for success

More hamantaschen recipes

Hamantaschen with DateHamantaschen with poppy Seed FillingPrune Filled Hamantaschen .Apple Pie HamantaschenEggless Hamantaschen with strawberry fillingPecan Pie HamantaschenSee all purim cookies