I have loved our new tradition of sharing holiday recipes from readers in our annual guide that inserted into our newspapers last week.
It’s so interesting to see what dishes everyone makes for their own friends and families this time of year.
One dish that really intrigued me came from Rachel Hindle of Yoder. It was for hamantaschen, something I wasn’t familiar with, but it sounded delicious. (Despite the fact that we messed up and put the wrong ingredients list in the holiday guide. Sorry, Rachel. Don’t worry, everyone, you’re getting it here.)
I decided to look up what hamantaschen is, and while there are several stories about its origin (read the article on the Anu Museum’s website for a deep dive), the most common is that the name comes from an evil character in the Book of Esther named Haman.
In the story, Haman sets out to try to get the king to destroy the Jews, but Esther, the queen, swoops in and saves the day.
Now, many Jews enjoy hamantaschen, or “Haman’s ears,” on Purim, a celebration of Esther’s bravery.
But these are also going to be a delicious addition to your Christmas treat table, so be sure to save this one for later.
Raspberry Lime Hamantaschen
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 sticks butter room temperature
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon grated lime zest
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 teaspoons water if needed
- 3/4 cup red raspberry jam
Instructions
- Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg, vanilla extract and lime zest; beat to combine.
- Add flour and salt; beat until combined and crumbly. Knead the dough into a smooth ball (if the dough is too dry, add water, one teaspoon at a time. Be careful that the dough does not become sticky).
- Form the dough into a flat disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for about 30 minutes until the dough is firm enough to roll; chilling for too long will make the dough hard to roll out.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Lightly flour a smooth surface; roll dough out to 1/4-inch thick. Dust with flour and flip. Roll out more, if needed.
- Using a cookie cutter or other round object about three inches in diameter, stamp out cookies. Lay cookies on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
- Place about one teaspoon of jam in the center of each cookie. Fold each circle inward on three sides to enclose the jam, forming a triangle with a small opening in the center. Pinch the corners and smooth out the seams to ensure the jam doesn’t leak out.
- Bake for about 18 minutes or until the bottoms of the cookies are light golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.
“The original version of this recipe came from a magazine and turned out to be so good that I make these cookies at least once a year for Christmas,” Rachel wrote when she sent this in.
I see why. They are a pretty cookie, even though several of mine overflowed a bit. (In my normal enthusiasm, I may have added rounded teaspoons of jam.)
I don’t think these really look like ears—or at least it’s a pretty loose interpretation—but I do love the idea of honoring Esther’s faith with a delicious cookie, whether it’s during the March celebration of Purim or during the Christmas season. Either way, these are best eaten alongside a good cup of coffee or cocoa and a great group of friends.
This piece first appeared in print Dec. 4, 2025.
Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.
