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Hamantaschen
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Hamantaschen

Hamantaschen can be found in any city, at most Jewish delis and bakeries, especially during the holiday of Purim. Making these triangular cookies is easy and in my humble opinion, better than most that I’ve sampled. The soft, tender dough is easy to make and the multiple filling options make these a delight worth trying for any occasion. Dough inspired by Joan Nathan's rugelach dough in Jewish Cooking in America.
Course: Desserts
Author: Zoë François

Ingredients

  • 8 oz cream cheese
  • 2 sticks unsalted butter
  • 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
  • pinch salt
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp lemon zest
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract make homemade vanilla
  • 2 cups (10 oz) unbleached all-purpose flour (measured with scoop and sweep)

Poppy Seed Filling

Prune Filling

  • 1 cup pitted prunes finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup dried apricots finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup raisins finely chopped
  • 1/2 orange washed and finely chopped (peel and all)
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • Hot water or black tea to cover the fruit

Instructions

Poppy Seed Filling

  • In a saucepan, simmer all the ingredients until the liquid is absorbed and the mixture is quite thick, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Prune Filling

  • In a saucepan, simmer all the ingredients until the liquid is absorbed, the fruit is soft and the mixture is quite thick, about 30 to 35 minutes minutes. If the fruit still isn't soft, add more water and continue to cook until it is soft.

Dough

  • In a Food Processor mix together the cream cheese, butter and confectioners’ sugar. Add the lemon juice, zest and vanilla, pulse again to combine. Add the flour and pulse the dough until it comes together in a soft ball. Divide the ball in two discs and refrigerate until it is firm, for about one hour. Dough can be frozen for about 3 weeks.

To Make the Cookies

  • Preheat the oven to 375°F. On a well floured surface, roll the dough to about 1/8-inch thick. Use a 3-inch round cookie cutter to make the discs of dough.
  • Transfer the discs to a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Fill with 1 to 2 teaspoons of poppy seed filling or the dried fruit filling. Form the dough into a triangle by pinching three corners and folding the sides up onto the filling.
  • Bake for about 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown along the bottom edge. Allow to cool slightly or the pastry will fall apart when lifted.