Jewish · Authentic-ish Jewish
Hamantaschen
182 kcal a serving, against 351 for the traditional version. That is 169 kcal off, or 48%, with 5.7g of protein. Serves 8. 1 hour plus chilling.
What the traditional version is
Pastry made with plain flour, a fair bit of butter, egg and sugar, rolled thin and cut into circles. Each is filled with a dense, gritty poppy seed paste made from ground seeds, sugar, honey and sometimes raisins or a dash of lemon. They're folded into triangles and baked till the edges go golden and crumbly.
What changed, and what each change costs
Butter swapped for light cream cheese and a splash of semi-skimmed milk
Butter is what makes the pastry tender and crumbly, but it also carries most of the calories. Cream cheese keeps it together with far less fat, though it can't quite copy that golden flake.
What it costs you. The pastry comes out tougher, and you need to work it less or it goes rubbery. If you want a melt-in-the-mouth edge, this won't give it to you. Your jaw will actually do a bit of work for once.
Sugar in the dough and filling cut by half
Half the sugar means the sweetness drops to something you can eat in daylight without guilt. If you want the full Purim buzz, you'll have to sneak in some extra on the side.
What it costs you. Nobody will mistake these for bakery biscuits. They're tasty, but not proper pudding material for the sugar-obsessed.
Poppy seed filling swapped for a thick fruit puree, mostly plum and apple
The original poppy filling is delicious - rich, gritty and a pain to get out of your teeth. I've replaced it with a sharp fruit puree, which gives you more fibre and less sugar. There's a bit of protein too from the apple.
What it costs you. This is the first time you'll miss the old filling. The poppy seed grit and honeyed flavour are gone. If Purim isn't Purim without grey flecks in your smile, you'll need the real thing. Otherwise, enjoy something sharper and lighter.
Added an extra egg white for a little more protein and to help bind the pastry
You need something to give the dough a bit of structure and bounce, now the butter is mostly gone.
What it costs you. Pastry texture is firmer, and they tend to puff up more round the edges.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 351 | 182 |
| Protein | 6.2g | 5.7g |
| Fat | 17.9g | 2.8g |
| Saturated fat | 8.6g | 1.3g |
| Carbohydrate | 42.9g | 33.4g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 1.8g | 3.1g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Jewish prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. gluten, eggs, milk.
The method is in the book
The original is hands down better if you want that crumbly, buttery bite and sticky poppy filling that gets under your teeth for the whole Megillah reading. That's the price for cutting the fat and sugar: these come out leaner, tougher, but still recognisable enough that no Purim table will laugh you out the room. If you want a decent biscuit without planning an immediate nap, these do the trick, just not as memorably.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Jewish, along with 52 more. It is not out yet. The swap kit is free in the meantime.