As a rabbi’s daughter, Jessica Bram helped her mother bake thousands of “hamantashen” cookies over the years for her father’s mainland congregation.

She loves watching people’s faces light up when they taste the fresh-from-the-oven triangular confections tied to the Purim holiday and hearing them enthuse: “This is sooo good!”

Now Temple Emanu-El’s new education and youth director, Bram stepped up the annual baking demands at the Nuuanu temple by opening pre-ordered cookie sales to the general public as a “great opportunity to share” the Jewish celebration with Oahu residents. The offer brought in orders for a total of 60 dozen cookies — about double what Bram had anticipated.

“I hope it catches on and maybe one day it becomes like the malasadas at the Punahou Carnival,” Bram said, referring to the sugary Portuguese fried-dough treats.

Cookies will be sold individually and in preordered batches, at $14 per dozen, that will be available for pickup at the Purim Carnival, 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sunday at the temple, 2550 Pali Highway. Admission to the carnival is free and open to everyone.

Most people preordered the cookies with strawberry jam as a filling, but other flavors include apricot, lilikoi, poppy seed, and chocolate. All proceeds will help fund youth programs, Bram said.

Purim, which falls on March 23 and 24 this year, celebrates both “Jewish freedom and feminism,” she said. The holiday is based on the Book of Esther, which tells the story of Queen Esther’s role in foiling the villain Haman from launching a plan to kill all Jews in the kingdom.

Esther initially hid her Jewish identity from King Ahasuerus when they were married, as her cousin, Mordechai, advised. Haman later convinced the king to sign an edict commanding the annihilation of all Jews to punish Mordechai for refusing to bow down to him. Esther then risked her life to beg the king to nullify the order. Outraged that anyone would harm Esther, the king scrapped the edict and ordered Haman’s death.

The triangular cookies symbolize the three-cornered hat of Haman, who was prime minister of Persia. Other versions of the story refer to the cookies as “oznay Haman,” which means “Haman’s ears” in Hebrew — a reference to the old practice of cutting off a criminal’s ears before hanging.

Last weekend, as baking got underway at Temple Emanu-El, Hinda Diamond and Sue Kazimirski — both experienced bakers — showed newcomers some of the tricks they’ve learned from years of making the cookies.

Kazimirski and a friend started baking hamantashen for preschool fundraisers at the temple more than 20 years ago. Diamond, who grew up in Hawaii making them for family and friends as well as for the preschool, said, “It’s what you call a labor of love. Everybody gets together and does it, so it’s kinda fun.”

While patiently helping a little girl shape dough, Diamond noted, “You have to have a good dough that rolls out easy, just a decent sugar cookie recipe — it will make it or break it.”

The dough should be refrigerated so it’s easy to work with. It is then cut into circles, filled and pinched into triangles.

“Although it seems easy, pinching is really an art form — getting the three corners nice and even,” Bram said.

At the carnival, the Purim story will be presented as a spoof, as is the custom, in which grown-ups and kids enjoy taking roles, Diamond said. “You’re supposed to boo when the name ‘Haman’ is mentioned during the play,” she said, prompting an immediate “boo” from the dozen women bakers present. “And you’re supposed to block out his name with groggers — those are noisemakers.”

Many of the girls dress up as Queen Esther at the carnival. There are also costume contests for youths and adults, prizes and music.

Diamond said, “Purim is a fun holiday; there’s lots of eating, there’s good storytelling. It’s fun for kids.”