Hamantaschen are usually enjoyed during the holiday of Purim and you can find them at Jewish bakeries throughout Toronto. While the etymology of the word hamantasch can be as varied as its spelling, many believe that the triangular pastries commemorate the defeat of Haman, a biblical villain from the Book of Esther who wore a three-cornered hat (hence the three-cornered cookies).

Here are my picks for the top hamantaschen in Toronto.

Grodzinski Bakery
Find an abundance of gift baskets (mishloach manot) and Purim-themed sweets at this kosher bakery, which has locations in Thornhill and North York. In addition to traditional fillings like poppy seed and prune, you'll find triangle-shaped cookies in flavours like apple, blueberry, cherry, date, chocolate chip, lemon and strawberry. Each cookie costs only $1.

My Zaidy's Bakery
This kosher bakery on Bathurst Street, just north of Steeles, boasts a broad selection of pocket cookies, including a unique black forest-inspired version with chocolate dough and cherry filling. Large hamantaschen sell for $2.95, while small ones are only 85 cents each.

Phipps Bakery Cafe
Located in the Yonge and Eglinton neighbourhood, Phipps is well stocked with this Purim sweet. Find big triangular cookies for $2.99 each in flavours such as apricot, poppy seed and prune.

Harbord Bakery
This Harbord Village institution has been selling Jewish-style baked goods since 1945. You'll find a traditional assortment of hamantaschen here in flavours like prune, apricot, poppy seed, apple, and raspberry.

Kiva's
The popular bagelria celebrates Purim with hamantaschen, which come stuffed with either prunes, raspberries, apricots or chocolate. Enjoy large triangles for $2.50 each or pick up an assorted pack for $7.99.

Bagel World
Stock up at one of Bagel World's four GTA locations where big cookies sell for $3 each and an assortment of mini pastries come in packages priced between $5.99 and $7.49. Flavours include prune, cherry, poppy seed and apple.

What A Bagel
Hamantaschen are available year-round from this chain of bagel bakeries. The large size costs $2, while the small ones sell for just $1. Expect to find flavours like poppy seed, prune, cherry, chocolate and apple.

Photo from Phipps on Instagram.