By: Robin Kurss

Just about everyone eats hamantaschen for Purim. The triangular shaped cookies with different fillings are delicious. To add to your Purim celebrations, there is also a phyllo “cigar” shaped cookie called Haman’s fingers. In this sweet treat, phyllo dough is filled with chopped nuts and cinnamon, rolled into cigar shapes, brushed with butter, and baked until golden and crispy. Hope this year, you will give them a try!

Makes 2 dozen

INGREDIENTS:
• 12 phyllo dough sheets, thawed overnight in the fridge
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup water
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 2 cups almonds
• 2 cups walnuts
• grated zest of 1 orange
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp rose water (optional)
• 6–8 Tbsp melted butter

DIRECTIONS:

1. Take phyllo out the fridge 2 hours before you start cooking.
2. Put sugar, water and lemon juice in a saucepan and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Cook for 5 minutes and remove from the heat. Transfer syrup to a measuring cup and let it cool down in the fridge for about 20 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
4. Put almonds and walnuts in a food processor and grind until fine (but don’t let it become a paste.) Take 2 Tbsp of the ground nuts and keep in a small bowl for later.
5. Add 1 cup of the sugar syrup to the food processor (keep the rest for later) and mix again. Add orange zest, eggs and rose water, and mix briefly, then transfer to a medium bowl.
6. Cut each phyllo dough sheet into two rectangles of about 7 by 8 inches. Cover phyllo with a towel.
7. Put the first phyllo sheet on a working surface, narrow side towards you, and brush it lightly with the melted butter, almost all the way up. Spread 1Tbsp of the nut filling along the edge closest to you, leaving ½ inch clear on the sides. Fold the sides on the filling then start rolling the pastry from the filling side to create a cigar. Transfer to the baking sheet. Continue with the rest of the phyllo. Keep the cigars on the baking sheet an inch apart.
8. Brush each cigar with butter and then generously brush with the sugar syrup.
9. Bake for 12-14 minutes until golden and crispy. Cool.