The joyous festival of Purim, told in the Book of Esther, begins on the evening of March 6 and goes until sundown on March 7, this year.

One of the traditions of Purim is creating and sending Mishloach Manot, also called a Purim basket. These gifts of food or drink, meant to ensure everyone has enough food for the Purim feast, are sent to family, friends and others on Purim day.

Michal Levison, a speaker, cookbook author and founder of Seasoned Moments, suggested a growth theme for your Mishloach Manot.

“Since spring is a time of renewal and growth, a time for planting, putting together a Mishloach Manot around this theme is very appealing,” she said. “I like to give healthy foods, usable things or things that will last. Anyone can grow herbs, even in a small apartment. I love giving seeds as a gift.”

In addition to seeds that people can plant, as well as sunflower seeds, nuts and fresh fruit, you can write a note on seeded paper. The hamantaschen can be poppy and you can bake cookies in the shape of flowers. Don’t forget a bottle of rose water.

“Everything can be placed in a nice terra cotta pot with a spade and gloves,” Levison said.

Grandmother Bella’s Hamantaschen Recipe

Dough

4 cups flour

3 sticks butter (she used margarine but I think butter is so much better, and for parve I use vegetable shortening or coconut oil)

½ cup sugar

1 whole egg plus an egg yolk

2 tablespoons baking powder

½ cup seltzer

2 teaspoons vanilla

I like to add 1 teaspoon of lemon zest

Poppy Filling

‎8 ounces whole unground poppy seeds

‎1/4 cup unsalted butter ‎

‎1 cup milk (can sub with almond milk)‎

‎1/2 cup sugar

‎1 tablespoon jam (any jam you like, I prefer apricot)

1 teaspoon lemon zest

‎1/4 teaspoon salt

‎2 large eggs, beaten

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Mix all the dough ingredients together to form a soft ball. Knead for five minutes and form into a flat disc. Refrigerate for at least two hours (or overnight). 

In the meantime, make the filling. Grind the poppy seeds for 20 seconds.

Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat. Whisk in the milk, sugar, jam, zest and salt. Stir until the sugar dissolves.

Crack the eggs into a bowl. Take a cup of the hot liquid and whisk into the eggs. Whisk this egg mixture back into the butter mixture in the pan. Whisk for another 3-4 minutes until the mixture thickens and turns a light yellow. Mixture should coat the back of a spoon. Remove pan from heat and whisk in the ground poppy seeds. Let the mixture cool to room temperature before using. 

Roll out the dough to ¼ inch thickness on a well floured surface. Cut into 3 inch rounds with a cookie cutter or cup. Add 1 teaspoon of filling and draw up the sides to form a triangle shape. Pinch the corners to secure the shape. Place your cookies on the prepared pans.

Bake at 350 for about 15-20 minutes, until golden.

Flower Sugar Cookies

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 3/4 cups sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons milk

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt, and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar. Mix everything together on medium speed until fluffy and well-incorporated. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Then add the vanilla extract and milk.

Turn the mixer to low, add the dry ingredients and mix until they’re just mixed in. If you want to color the cookies, add your food coloring now. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a spatula, and finish mixing all the dough by hand. 

Divide the dough in two and flat each half into a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for half an hour.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. For faster clean-up, you can roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment. Otherwise, roll it out on a surface dusted with powdered sugar. Roll the dough to ¼” thickness.

Using a flower cookie cutter, cut out your cookies and place them on a parchment lined sheet pan. To prevent the butter from melting, place the sheet pan in the freezer before you bake.

Bake your cookies for around 10 minutes or until the edges are just starting to take on a little bit of color.

* * *

Debby Segura suggested putting “Daisy Bread” in your spring-themed Mishloach Manot. These are simple challah rolls dolled up to look like flowers. 

“Make a Mishloach Manot basket with one of these, a couple pats of creamery butter and a tiny jar of marmalade,” Segura, a designer, gourmet cook and cooking teacher, told the Journal.

Add posey of Gerber daisies and you are good to go.

Purim Challah Daisies

4 ½ cups Better for Bread flour

3 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon (or 2 envelopes) Rapid Rise Yeast

1½ teaspoons kosher salt

1 egg

3 tablespoons Canola oil

Warm water

Non-stick cooking spray

Egg wash (Mix together one egg yolk and a tablespoon of water)

Optional sprinkles: Sesame seeds, poppy seeds

Place the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, yeast and salt) in the work bowl of a (large) 14-cup food processor. Into a two-cup glass-measuring cup, add the egg and the canola oil, along with warm water to total 2 cups. Reserve. Place the top on the food processor, and turn it on. Pour in the wet ingredients. Watch carefully, and when the dough Just forms one cohesive ball, allow the machine to continue running precisely 60 seconds, to complete kneading.

Spray a large mixing bowl with non-stick cooking spray. Remove the dough from the food processor and place it in the bowl. Rotate the dough once to coat it with the spray and cover the bowl of dough loosely with plastic wrap. Allow the dough to rise until it has doubled in size, about 1 to 1 ½ hours.

Punch the dough down to remove air bubbles and divide into 9 equal pieces. Divide the first piece of dough into 8 small pieces and roll each small piece into a ball. Flatten each of the remaining 8 pieces of dough into round circular discs each measuring about 5-6” across. Going around the edge of the disc, use a sharp knife to make 6 2” cuts on the edge of the disc, so your dough resembles an asterisk!  Pinch the end of each leg of the asterisk to form 6 petals. Place the dough daisy on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Repeat this process for the other 7 pieces of dough spacing the daisies about 2” apart. With your thumb, make a dent at the center of each daisy and place a dough ball in each dent. 

Lightly spray the dough daisies with non-stick cooking spray, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and allow it to rise again until almost doubled in bulk, about 50 minutes. Paint the dough shapes with egg wash.  Carefully (and generously!) sprinkle as shown in the picture with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or sugar.

Bake the bread in the center of a preheated oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the pan and cool on a rack.