March 2026

A Note from Marcy

Welcome to BetterBaking!

After many years of publishing regular newsletters and features, BetterBaking has entered a more evergreen rhythm — a place you can return to anytime for trusted recipes, baking guidance, and kitchen companionship. I’m still here and the BB Test Kitchen is warm and busy but the monthly newsletter is now available only as newsy things eventuate. Think of it as: after nearly three decades, the kitchen is bustling and active but I’m not at the door, clanging a bell, calling you into the supper. You are welcome to wander by and taste the treats whenever you want or need to!

The site continues to house over 2,500 original recipes created by me over nearly three decades, along with techniques, notes, and baking know-how drawn from a lifetime in the kitchen. I continue to care for and refresh the archive, adding updates, new photos, and occasional features as they naturally arise.

BetterBaking is now less about scheduled issues and more about ongoing access: a working kitchen, a reference library, and a place to cook from with confidence.

You’ll find:

• The full Recipe Archive, searchable by title, category, or ingredient
• A rotating Free Recipe and seasonal suggestions
• Access to my cookbooks, past and present
• Ways to subscribe, sign in, or reach me directly with baking questions

I’m still baking, still writing, and still very much here — just in a quieter, more intentional way that allows space for long-form work, including new books.

Whether you’ve been visiting BetterBaking for years or are discovering it for the first time, I’m glad you’re here.

From my kitchen to yours, wherever you may be,
Marcy Goldman
Master Baker · Author · Publisher

Links coming soon!

• Recipe Archive (A–Z)
• Browse Recipes by Type
• Free Recipe of the Month
• Seasonal Recipe Suggestions
• Cookbooks
• Subscribe / Sign In
• Contact Marcy

Free Recipe ! My Famous Bakery Style Hamantashen Dough with Apricot Filling (but use any filling you want!)

The real secret to thesee hamantashen is the Bakery Style Dough. I always use all-butter for these but some people want a pareve or non-dairy dough so in that case, swap in shortening. (I also have an oil-based traditional hamantashen recipe in my Jewish baking book). This is my most favorite hamantashen dough with my favorite filling. Make sure the apricots you use are Californian. I get mine from Bella Vista Orchards or nuts.com. You can also use this recipe for any filling you prefer (all in the BB archives) such as Prune, Poppy, Cherry, Mango and more!

Apricot Filling
3/4 cup water orange juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
4 cups dried apricot halves
1/3 cup sugar

Bakery Style Hamantashen Dough
1/2 cup unsalted butter or shortening
1/2 cup unsalted butter or unsalted margarine
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
4 cups (approximately) all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

Finishing Touches
Egg wash
Sugar (regular or coarse) for dusting (optional)

For the filling, place water (or orange juice), lemon juice, apricots in a 3 quart saucepot on low to medium heat. Toss and stir often - 8 to 12 minutes. Add water if mixtures appears to be drying or thickening too quickly.

Remove saucepan from stove and let mixture cool for about 5 minutes. Place mixture in a food processor and process to make a paste. Add additional water or orange juice if mixture requires thinning. Taste mixture and add additional sugar (a tablespoon at a time) if required. (Refrigerate up to two weeks or freeze up to six months). If chilled filling is too stiff to spread, loosen with some warm water or juice.

For the Dough, in a large mixer bowl, cream the shortening, butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and blend until smooth. (If mixture is hard to blend or seems curdled, add a bit of the flour to bind it). Fold in flour, salt, and baking powder and mix to make a firm but soft dough. Transfer dough to a lightly floured work surface and pat into a smooth mass. Cover and let rest ten minutes. Divide dough into two or three flattened disks. Work with one portion at a time. Wrapped in plastic, dough can be refrigerated for 2-3 days. If refrigerating, allow dough to warm up before rolling out. For frozen pastries, bake without defrosting.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Roll out dough on lightly floured board to a thickness of 1/8th inch. Use a 3 inch cookie cutter and cut into rounds. Brush rounds with egg wash. Fill with a generous teaspoon full of desired filling. Draw three sides together into center. Grasp perimeters of circle with your first, second and third fingers and pull inward. You should now have a three-cornered or triangular pastry. Essentially, fold two sides towards the center to form a triangle top. Fold up the remaining dough towards the center to meet the other edges of the touch. Brush pastries with egg wash. If desired, sprinkle with regular or coarse sugar and bake until golden brown, about 18-25 minutes.

Recipe doubles well.

About 2-3 dozen pastries