On a cool marble slab atop her kitchen table, Shira Singer rolled a ball of sugar-cookie dough into a thin sheet. Using a cobalt-blue pint glass dipped in flour, she cut the dough into circles, peeled away the leftovers and spooned a glistening black poppy-seed filling onto the centers. A second batch got a dollop of sticky apricot and almonds in the middle. Then, she drew up the sides of the circle and pinched the corners to form a triangle, left open at the top to reveal the sweetness inside.

Over the course of the afternoon, the Bar Harbor woman baked batch after batch of the pastries – called Hamantashen – to give to friends in the days leading up to the festive Jewish holiday Purim, which falls on Feb. 25 this year.

“I’m big into traditional Jewish foods for the holidays, especially baked goods,” Singer said as she dropped poppy-seed filling onto a circle of dough. “My grandmother baked Hamantashen, for sure, and my mother did, but she didn’t like it as much as I do.”

It’s a ritual Singer has followed for years, making a list and passing out the treats to her friends and family. An artist friend enjoyed them so much that he returned the favor by crafting her a sheet-metal Hamantashen sculpture with a filling of ball bearings. Another friend, Bar Harbor lawyer David Einhorn, can’t wait to get his yearly batch.

“My midriff doesn’t look forward to it, but I’m looking forward to it,” Einhorn said, laughing. “It’s always delicious, and it makes me think of Purim.”

Rabbi David Cantor of Beth Israel Synagogue in Bangor said Hamantashen is to Purim what candy canes are to Christmas – linked to the holiday, but no one is sure why.

“It’s a local edible, connected to the holiday for no reason whatsoever,” Cantor said. “There’s nothing in the Magilla about Hamantashen, kind of like there’s nothing in the story of Jesus’ birth that’s linked to candy canes, but the two are forever linked.”

While Hamantashen aren’t mentioned in the Magilla, the scroll that tells the story behind Purim, they have become part of the custom of giving – to friends and to the poor – in the days surrounding the holiday.

“The tradition is really a tradition of giving Shalach Manot, which literally means ‘the sending of gifts,'” said Rabbi Larry Milder of Congregation Beth El in Bangor. “It’s customary on Purim to give gifts – packages of goodies, sweets to eat, nuts, candies – and the most favored of these gifts is Hamantashen.”

Hamantashen has its root in the Yiddish words “mun,” meaning poppy seed, and “tash,” which means pocket or bottom (as in “tush”), depending on the translation. As the pastries became associated with Purim, the name evolved to Hamantashen, after Haman, the villain in the Magilla. Now, many translate Hamantashen to mean “Haman’s hat” or “Haman’s ear,” due to its triangular shape.

The Magilla tells the story of Hassadah, whose uncle Mordecai served as an adviser to King Ahasuerus of Prussia. After Ahasuerus banished his wife from his kingdom for refusing to dance for his subjects, he started to search for a new queen. Mordecai urged his niece to go to the castle, but said she must change her name to Esther, which means “secret,” because no one could know she was Jewish.

After several years, Ahasuerus picked Esther as his queen. In the meantime, trouble was brewing between Haman, the new prime minister, and Mordecai, who distrusted him and refused to bow in his presence. When Haman discovered that Mordecai was Jewish, he ordered the destruction of the Jewish community in Persia in retaliation for his disrespect. He rolled dice to pick the day the killings would begin (the Yiddish word “pur,” means “lot” or “dice,” thus Purim).

Mordecai then appealed to Esther to reveal her true identity to the king to save her people, but she could not see the king without his permission, for she could be killed as well. Time was running out, though, so she decided to face the consequences and approach the king. None of his guards stopped her, and when she told him the truth, he ordered the killings to stop. He also ordered the death of Haman and his family.

“Haman’s plan was foiled because of Esther’s bravery,” Milder said. “After the Jews had been saved from destruction, they declared it a holiday.”

In keeping with the biblical Book of Esther, it is customary for Jews to give donations to the poor and gifts to their friends and family during Purim. Children and adults alike often dress up as characters from the story for the festivities. People bring noisemakers to temple so they can drown out Haman’s name every time it comes up during the reading of the Magilla.

“It’s a very fun observance,” Milder said. “It’s a time of year where Jews aren’t encouraged to take themselves too seriously. There’s lots of noise and lots of song.”

And, at Singer’s house at least, lots of Hamantashen.

Poppy Seed Filling

2 cups ground poppy seeds

1 cup milk

3/4 cup honey

1/2 cup seedless raisins

To grind poppy seeds, use a coffee or spice grinder.

Combine poppy seeds, milk and honey in a saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and stir in raisins. Cool and refrigerate until ready to use.

Adapted from “The Art of Jewish Cooking” by Jennie Grossinger.

Apricot-Nut Filling

1/2 cup ground almonds or walnuts

3 cups dried apricots

? cup sugar

3/4 cup water

1 teaspoon ground orange rind

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Place nuts and apricots in a food processor and pulse blade until apricots are chopped.

Combine apricot mixture, sugar, water, orange rind and lemon juice in a saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens, about 10 minutes. Cool and refrigerate until ready to use.

Adapted from “The Art of Jewish Cooking” by Jennie Grossinger.

Hamantashen Dough

Makes about 5 dozen pastries

4 cups all-purpose flour

? cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs, beaten

4 tablespoons orange juice

1 cup margarine or butter, softened to room temperature

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease two cookie sheets.

Using an electric mixer, cream the margarine or butter, brown sugar, white sugar and vanilla together in a large bowl.

Add the eggs and orange juice. Mix well.

In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the flour mixture to the sugar and egg mixture. Mix together with a large spoon. If the mixture is too sticky, add a little more flour.

Cover dough with waxed paper and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Sprinkle rolling pin and rolling surface with flour (a marble slab works well for rolling as it keeps the dough cool). Roll out the dough to ?- to 1/4-inch thickness.

Find a round glass, mug or cookie cutter with a rim about 21/2 to 3 inches across. Flour the rim. Use it to cut the dough into circles.

Mix together the filling ingredients (see above recipes). Put about 3/4 teaspoon of filling in the center of each circle. Shape into triangles by bringing two sides of the circle up to the center and pinching them together. Then bring up the third side and pinch it together with the other two sides. Be sure to pinch the dough firmly so the pastry will not open up during baking. Do not close the tops completely, so some filling shows in the center.

Place the Hamantashen on the greased cookie sheets, about an inch apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly browned along the edges. Cool on wire racks.

Variations: Strawberry, raspberry, prune or other preserves can be used in place of the traditional fillings. Chocolate chips or peanut butter and jelly also can be used as a filling.

Adapted from “Cakes and Miracles: A Purim Tale” by Barbara Diamond Goldin.

Congregation Beth El on French Street in Bangor will hold its Purim observance at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 25. Beth Israel Synagogue on York Street in Bangor will hold its observance at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 25.