Purim For Children

Purim is a holiday where we celebrate by poking fun at ourselves. We throw all decorum away for the day. It is said that Purim is a time for silliness and humour.

The Purim holiday is especially the time that children can and should go all out and participate in all their favourite activities. Kids can dress up, play games, run around and make tons of noise and get away with it.

Our holidays are always known for great food and Purim is no exception. Kids can gobble up oodles of traditional treats. Purim is well known for its delicious hamantashen, the official Purim treat. These traditionally shaped triangular pastries that resemble Hamen’s pockets, ears or three cornered hat, are filled with sweet or savoury fillings.

Wicked Hamen was the man who terrorized and plotted to exterminate the Jews in ancient Persia. He is the villain of the Purim story or Megillah that is read each Purim. Although most details about the real story of Purim should be shielded from young children, they quickly learn to recognize a major detail. Shaking their graggers or noisemakers at the mention of Hamen’s name is a very important tradition.

Children should be taught to understand that in an era when we are still fighting against anti-Semitism, Purim is a time where we celebrate that we have beaten anti-Semitism in our history, in the form of Hamen. So this Purim encourage your children or grandchildren to have fun, by enjoying these scrumptious and amusing hamentashen along with every other entertaining and pleasurable aspect of Purim.

 

ADORABLE HAMENTASHEN WITH CHERRY FILLING 

 

1/2 cup canola oil

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. pure almond extract

2 large eggs

1 tbsp. water

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/8 tsp. salt

1 can cherry pie filling

 

In food processor or in a mixing bowl, combine oil, sugar, almond extract, eggs and water. Add in flour, baking powder and salt just until blended.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. On a floured board, roll out dough to 1/4” thick and with a glass or cookie cutter; cut dough into 3” circles. Spoon 1 teaspoon of cherry pie filling into center of each circle. Pinch edges tightly to form three corners. A small amount of the filling should peek out. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown. Place cookie sheets on wire racks until cool.

 

Puppet Eyes

2-4 tbsp. white chocolate

M&M’s chocolate candies

2 tbsp. semi-sweet chocolate

 

Place some parchment paper on a flat tray. Melt the white chocolate in a small glass dish for about 20-30 seconds in the microwave. Mix chocolate with a fork until smooth. Dip the flat end of a wooden spoon into the white chocolate and make a dot onto the parchment paper, this will be the white of the eye.

Add one M&M to the centre of each circle. Continue making white chocolate dots and placing M&M’s until you have enough for a pair of eyes for each hamantashen. Place tray in the fridge for 10-20 minutes to cool and harden. Melt semi-sweet chocolate, and using the end of a smaller spoon, dip into the chocolate and make a dot in the middle of each M&M.

Remelt the remainder of the white chocolate, and with a toothpick, dip into the chocolate and make a small white dot on one side of the dark chocolate to look like a reflection of light. Cool in fridge once again. Carefully remove the “eyes” from the parchment paper. Glue the eyes to the Hamentashen with another dot of melted white chocolate.

 

M&M’s HAMANTASHEN WITH CHOCOLATE FILLING 

 

Pastry

1/2 cup canola oil

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp.  pure vanilla

2 large eggs

1 tbsp. water

1 tsp. orange zest

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/8 tsp. salt

1 cup M&M’s chocolate candies

 

In food processor or in a mixing bowl, combine oil, sugar, vanilla, eggs and water. Add in orange zest. Add in flour, baking powder and salt just until blended. Add in M&M’s by hand.

 

Chocolate Filling

1 cup chocolate chips

2 tbsp. butter or margarine

1/3 cup sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

 

Melt chocolate and margarine in a covered Pyrex or microwave safe bowl for 60 seconds. Cool. Combine in sugar, egg and vanilla.

Preheat oven to 350.  Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. On a floured board, roll out dough to 1/4-in. thick, careful not to crush the M&M’s and with a glass or cookie cutter, cut dough into 3-in. circles.

Spoon 1 tsp.of chocolate filling into centre of each circle. Pinch edges tightly to form three corners. A small amount of the filling should peek out. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until golden brown. Place cookie sheets on wire racks until cool.