King Cake Hamantaschen
Every year I give my hamantaschen a little twist — and this year we’re heading straight to New Orleans!
If you’ve been here a while you know this is one of my favorite Purim traditions. I’ve done everything from dessert mashups to cookie-inspired fillings, and somehow I always seem to come up with a new must-try idea. This year’s version leans into something that feels especially right on the calendar: King Cake hamantaschen.
Mardi Gras and Purim don’t just share a love of color and celebration — they actually come out very close together. Mardi Gras brings the purple, green and gold, the noise, the excess and the joy… and then, just a few weeks later, Purim arrives with its own costumes, chaos and cookie baking.
It felt inevitable that these two would meet up in my kitchen.
This Year’s Twist
Instead of the usual jam filling, these hamantaschen are packed with a cinnamon-brown sugar mixture inspired by classic King Cake. Once baked, they get dipped in a simple vanilla glaze and finished with the signature trio of sanding sugars.
Because these are small cookies (not a full cake), I kept the decoration intentionally clean — each cookie gets a single color moment, but the platter together reads unmistakably Mardi Gras.
The result is delicious, festive, and one of my favorite riffs yet — here are a few of my past hamantaschen twists:
- Dubai Chocolate Hamantaschen
- Alfajores Hamantaschen
- Crème Brûlée Hamantaschen
- S’mores Hamantaschen
- “Almond Joy” Hamantaschen
How These King Cake Hamantaschen Come Together
The process here follows my classic hamantaschen method. A simple cream cheese dough comes together quickly and gets rolled to a sturdy 1/4-inch thickness (don’t skip this).
The filling is a brown sugar–cinnamon mixture inspired by King Cake — thick enough to stay put while baking but still soft and fragrant once cooled.
After shaping and freezing (another non-negotiable step), the cookies bake up with clean edges and defined corners. Once cooled, they’re dipped in a simple vanilla glaze and finished with purple, green and yellow sanding sugar for that unmistakable Mardi Gras vibe.
For a more polished finish, I dipped the remaining edges in glaze and coat them in granulated sugar — it’s subtler than the sanding sugar and lets the Mardi Gras colors shine.
(Full ingredient list and detailed instructions are in the recipe card below.)
Tips For Perfect-Every-Time Hamantaschen!
I’m a STICKLER when it comes to hamantaschen — and while there are no end of tips out there I stand by these 100%:
1. Roll the dough to 1/4″ thickness
This will seem too thick but a thinner dough will not hold its shape as well.
2. Use only 1/2 teaspoon of filling per cookie
Again, this will seem wrong, like, how can this possibly be enough? Here’s the thing: as the cookies bake, the filling expands and pushes out the sides of that dough you’ve so carefully pinched and shaped. The more filling, the more misshapen the finished cookie will be. If you don’t care about the look and want more filling, you can go up to one teaspoon — but your hamantaschen will likely not be as pretty.
3. Glue those babies SHUT
An egg wash is essential to seal the sides. I always want to skip this step and always regret it when I do.
4. Freeze the hamantaschen before baking
After the egg wash “glue”, stick your tray in the freezer for at least 30 minutes (and up to overnight). This will ensure that your cookies stay intact once placed in the oven.
Let me know if you try them!
King Cake Hamantaschen
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
For the cinnamon filling:
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- pinch kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the egg wash:
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon water
For the glaze and topping:
- 1 cup confectioner's sugar
- 2 - 3 teaspoons milk
- purple, green and yellow sanding sugars
- granulated sugar
Instructions
Make the dough:
- Beat the butter, cream cheese and sugar till fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla and salt and beat again. Add the flour and salt and beat till just combined. Divide the dough in half and roll each half between 2 sheets of parchment paper, to 1/4" thickness. Stack the doughs on a baking sheet and refrigerate for one hour (or up to 3 days).
Make the filling:
- Whisk both sugars, the cinnamon, flour and salt in a small bowl. Add the butter and vanilla and stir until a thick, sandy paste is formed.
Make the egg wash:
- Whisk the egg and water in a small bowl till well combined.
Form the hamantaschen:
- Working with one dough at a time, place on a baking sheet and remove the top piece of parchment paper. Cut out circles with a drinking glass or cookie cutter (I used a 2 1/2" cutter here). Remove the trimmings and keep re-rolling and cutting till all of the dough is used up. Repeat with the other dough and a second baking sheet.
- Place 1/2 teaspoon of the filling into the center of each circle. Fold the dough into a triangle shape and pinch the corners firmly together to almost completely close the cookie. Brush the tops of the cookies with a little of the beaten egg . Freeze for several hours, ideally overnight.
- Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Bake the cookies, one sheet at at time, for about 10 minutes or till the corners are golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the glaze:
- Whisk the confectioner's sugar and milk till a thick yet pourable glaze is achieved, adding more sugar and/or milk as needed.
Decorate the hamantaschen:
- Place the sanding sugars and granulated sugar into small bowls. Line a baking sheet with wax paper.
- Working with one cookie at a time, dip one side into the glaze, allowing any excess to drip back into the bowl and scraping any excess off the bottom along the edge of the bowl. Wait about 30 seconds then, holding the cookie over one of the bowls of sanding sugar, spoon the sugar all over the glazed side. Place on your lined baking sheet.
- Repeat with the remaining glaze and sanding sugars. Once the glaze has set completely, dip the other edges in the glaze and sprinkle with granulated sugar.
- Let set completely before serving.
Notes
- Any leftover filling can be frozen, and used in any number of ways - on buttered toast, swirled into cake or muffin batter, or used as a topping on banana bread prior to baking.
- I'm always asked about my rolling pins - this is the set I have. If you have a standard rolling pin I've linked above to spacer bands to help you roll out your dough to an even thickness every time!
Nutrition
FAQ
Can I make the dough ahead?
Yes — the dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen longer.
Why did my hamantaschen open?
Usually this is due to too much filling, dough rolled too thin, or skipping the egg wash and/or freeze steps.
Do I have to use all three sanding sugar colors?
No — but the purple, green and gold together are what give these their classic King Cake look.
What can I do with leftover filling?
Freeze it for later or use it as a cinnamon streusel on toast, muffins, or quick breads.
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Hi! I'm Sheri!
Welcome to my little corner of the web where you’ll find easy, delicious recipes, the best kitchen hacks and simple tips for turning your home into a clean haven that is free of toxins. So glad you’re here!
