Josh and Grandma are getting ready for Purim. They make costumes. They donate money to a charity. Now it’s time to bake cookies.​

Purim is a Jewish holiday that celebrates brave Queen Esther. She figured out that Haman, who worked for the king, was going to hurt the Jews. She told the king about his plans and saved her people. ​​

Josh’s favorite part of Purim is the cookies! They are called hamantaschen. They are shaped like Haman’s three-cornered hat. ​

Josh and Grandma mix the dough for the hamantaschen. It’s a little bit crumbly. They use their hands to make it soft. ​

Grandma rolls out the dough on the counter. Josh helps too. Then they cut circles out of the dough with a drinking glass.​

​They fill the circles with jam and poppy seeds. Josh’s favorite hamantaschen is filled with chocolate. Grandma’s favorites are filled with apricot jam.​

​Once the cookies are filled, Josh and Grandma fold the edges in to make triangle shapes. The filling peeks out in the middle. This shape is what reminds people of Haman’s three-cornered hat.​

Now the cookies have to bake. It’s hard to wait while they are in the oven! Josh is ready to eat a cookie as soon as it comes out. Grandma says he has to wait again while it cools. ​

When the cookies are cool, Josh and Grandma make packages to give to friends. But before they do, the magic moment has arrived. Time to try the hamantaschen!