Any filling you like will work with this hamantaschen recipe, but marzipan, which you can buy in a block, or a simple homemade lemon curd are particularly nice. 

These hamantaschen with a nutty poppy seed filling are yeasted, which gives them a softer texture. Make sure to reserve an hour to let the dough rise. 

Small savory pies called sambusak are served in many Middle Eastern Jewish homes. When Ayelet Izraeli's family lived in Iraq, they made these pastries for Purim, but they are also wonderful for Shavuot.

When Ilana Isaac’s mother Marcel lived in Baghdad, these date-filled cookies were a part of her family’s annual Purim party. The technique takes a little bit of time to master, but it’s well worth it. 

This yeasted dessert from Hungary can be filled with walnuts or poppy seeds. The recipe comes from Yonit Naftali and her great-grandmother who perished during the Holocaust.  

A multilayered Hungarian pastry with poppy seeds, walnuts, and apples, fluden is a wonderful project recipe to make for Purim or on a winter weekend. This recipe is finished with a bit of apricot jam. 

Menenas are an essential part of Sephardi baking tradition. Traditionally, they are shaped with tweezers, but a wooden mold can also be used. 

These hamantaschen are filled with dulce de leche, a sweet that might remind you of caramel. They are topped with a bit of unsweetened shredded coconut. 

Made with potatoes and flour, these Hungarian noodles are cut by hand. In Julia Silverberg Nemeth’s family they are tossed with poppy seeds, topped with powdered sugar, and served with apricot or plum jam.

Dates make for a wonderfully sweet filling for hamantaschen in this recipe from Miriam Foster who owns the Orient Country Store on the North Fork of Long Island. 

“This version of almond and sesame seed brittle is an ancient recipe that dates back generations from the home cooks of medieval Spain,” explains Stella Hanan Cohen. The candies will hold for up to a month, so you can keep them on hand. 

Red wine, seltzer, and yeast enrich the dough for these cookies with a sweet, chewy walnut filling. As they bake, the kindl are basted with honey and oil, creating a crispy outer layer.