Hamantashen Food

HAMANTASCHEN

Steps:

• Make the dough: Beat the butter, both sugars, the egg, milk, vanilla and maple extract (if using) with a mixer on medium-high speed. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and beat until fully incorporated.
• Divide the dough into thirds and wrap each portion tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
• Form the hamantaschen: Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 375˚ F. Roll out one piece of dough on a floured surface until 1/8 inch thick. Use the rim of a juice glass to cut out 3-inch circles. Repeat with the remaining dough.
• Spoon a teaspoon of the apricot preserves into the center of each circle of dough.
• Fold in the edges of the dough to form a triangle, pinching at the corners to keep the filling in but leaving the center filling slightly exposed.
• Bake the hamantaschen: Arrange the hamantaschen on 2 baking sheets (use nonstick pans or line the pans with parchment paper).
• Bake, rotating and switching the pans halfway through, until the hamantaschen are lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Let cool a few minutes on the baking sheets, then remove to a wire rack and let cool completely.

HAMANTASCHEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease 2 baking sheets.
• Mix flour, sugar, and baking powder together in a large bowl. Cut in margarine with 2 knives or a pastry blender. Add eggs and vanilla extract; mix well until dough comes together and is smooth. If dough is sticky, add more flour.
• Roll out dough on floured work surface until it is about 1/4-inch thick. Press the rim of a glass into flour and then into the dough to cut out circles.
• Place 1/2 teaspoon filling into the center of each circle. Fold up the 3 sides into a triangle shape, pinching the sides together tightly to seal. Transfer cookies to baking sheets.
• Bake in the preheated oven until cookies are golden brown, about 25 minutes.

HAMANTASCHEN, LAZY

Steps:

• Beat butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla together. Add flour.
• Form into 3" logs, wrap and freeze.
• Before making, remove from freezer and let thaw slightly. Slice in 1/4" slices.
• Put some filling in the center of each slice.
• Fold each "cicle" into a triangular shape, pinching the edges closed. Note that the dough needs to have defrosted all the way to fold it.
• I put the cookies on a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper. That way, you can use a sharpie to write whose cookie is whose on the paper.
• Bake at 350°F until done, about 20 minutes.

APRICOT HAMANTASCHEN

Steps:

• Combine the confectioners' sugar, flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Process for 10-15 seconds to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 2 of the egg yolks and pulse a few times, until the mixture is crumbly and pale yellow. Add 1 tablespoon of the water and pulse just until the dough starts to clump together. If the mixture seems dry, add the remaining tablespoon of water and pulse again. Dump the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead a few times into a smooth ball. Divide in half and pat into two 6-inch discs; wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375°F and set racks in upper and lower thirds of oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a small bowl, make an egg wash by mixing the remaining egg yolk with 1 teaspoon water. Set aside.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place on a lightly floured work surface. Working with one disc of dough at a time, roll to ⅛-inch thick, turning and dusting with more flour as necessary so it doesn't stick. Using a cookie cutter or glass, cut out 3-inch circles and place about ½-inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Re-roll and re-cut any excess dough. Brush the dough very lightly with the egg wash. Place a level teaspoon of apricot jam on the center of each cookie (do not overfill). Fold in the sides, slightly overlapping the filling, to form a triangle so that each side of the cookie has a corner that folds over and a corner that folds under -- this creates a pattern that looks pretty (but don't fuss too much over it). Pinch the corners together neatly so that they form a point. Slide the pans into the refrigerator for 20 minutes to chill.
• Bake for 12-15 minutes, turning the pans halfway through baking, until the cookies are lightly golden on top and just starting to brown in the corners. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The Dough can be Frozen for up to 3 Months: Shape the dough into 2 discs, wrap each securely in plastic wrap, and place them in a sealable bag. When ready to bake, remove the disks from the freezer, thaw the dough for 1 to 2 days in the fridge, and then proceed with recipe. To Freeze After Baking: Let the hamantaschen cool completely and store in an airtight container separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Before serving, remove the cookies from the container and let them come to room temperature.

EASY HAMANTASCHEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
• In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until lightly and fluffy. Stir in the oil, vanilla and orange juice. Combine the flour and baking powder; stir into the batter to form a stiff dough. If dough is not stiff enough to roll out, stir in more flour. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out to 1/4 inch in thickness. Cut into circles using a cookie cutter or the rim or a drinking glass. Place cookies 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets. Spoon about 2 teaspoons of preserves into the center of each one. Pinch the edges to form three corners.
• Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly browned. Allow cookies to cool for 1 minute on the cookie sheet before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

HAMENTASHEN

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk the oil, eggs, egg yolk, sugar, zest, both juices and brandy until smooth. Gradually stir in the flour mixture until a sticky dough is formed. Wrap in plastic wrap, flatten into a disk and chill overnight.
• When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Working with about one quarter of the dough at a time and leaving the remaining in the refrigerator, roll on lightly floured surface a little less than 1/4-inch thick. Cut circles (or other fun shapes) using cookie cutters 2 1/2 to 3 inches. Place a spoonful of filling in center (about 1 teaspoon per cookie) and then pinch one side up. Turn and pinch second and then third to make a triangular shape. Leave a little bit of the filling showing at the top. For non-traditional shapes, use your imagination: tubular, squares, bite-size or even some flat cookies depressed in the center with a bit of filling there.
• Place cookies on parchment paper on cookie sheet, brush with a little beaten egg for sheen and bake until nicely browned, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Keep room temp in airtight container but consume within 3 to 4 days, tops.
• Combine everything except the lemon zest and juice and the beaten egg into a saucepan and cook over moderate heat until thick, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir often. Add zest and juice. Take a bit of the filling and mix it into the beaten egg. Repeat, then mix the egg mixture into the pot of filling. Cool overnight.

EASY PURIM HAMENTASHEN

Steps:

• To make fillings, cover prunes with water in a saucepan, bring to a boil over medium heat, cover, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes. Drain the liquid, and mash the prunes with a potato masher. Stir in 1/4 cup of walnuts, 2 tablespoons of honey, and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. In another saucepan, cover apricots with water, bring to a boil, cover, and simmer 10 minutes; drain liquid. Mash apricots with 1/4 cup walnuts, 2 tablespoons honey, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Set both fillings aside.
• For the cookie, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl until well mixed.
• In another bowl, place the butter, shortening, and sugar, and mash them together with a spoon until the mixture is completely combined and creamy. Beat the egg, milk, and vanilla extract into the butter mixture. Beat the flour mixture gradually into the butter mixture, while sifting the flour mixture in through a sifter. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface, and knead a few times, until smooth and easy to handle. If dough is too sticky, knead in additional flour 1 tablespoon at a time. Cut the dough into two portions, wrap each portion separately, and refrigerate at least 3 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Roll a portion of dough out on a floured surface to 1/8-inch thick, and cut into 12 circles with a 3-inch round cutter. Place 1 heaping teaspoon of prune filling into the center of a dough circle, and pinch the dough together to form a triangle, with the center open to expose the filling. Repeat for the rest of the circles.
• Brush the cookies with beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar, if desired. Bake in preheated oven until the cookies are lightly browned, 18 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for about 5 minutes before removing to finish cooling on rack.
• While the prune cookies are baking, repeat the process with the second refrigerated portion of dough, rolling and cutting as before, and filling each with 1 heaping teaspoon of apricot filling. Pinch the cookies into triangles, brush with egg and sprinkle with coarse sugar as before, and bake the apricot cookies in the preheated oven for 18 minutes. Cool as for prune cookies.

HAMANTASHEN

Steps:

• Place rack in upper third of oven. Preheat to 350°F Line baking sheets with parchment paper, or grease them.
• Sift flour, baking powder and salt.
• In a mixing bowl with electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Add egg and mix 1 minute.
• Mix in orange juice, vanilla and almond extracts.
• Add flour mixture and mix until incorporated. Shape into a flat disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate until firm enough to roll out, at least 15 minutes. (Dough can be refrigerated up to 2 days.).
• Divide the dough in half; it will be very sticky.
• Cover 1 portion with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Place other half between sheets of floured wax paper and roll to 1/8 inch thick.
• Use a 3-inch circle cookie cutter or biscuit cutter, cut circles.
• Using a floured spatula, pick up circles and place on prepared baking sheets.
• Spoon 1 1/2 teaspoons filling in the center of each circle. Press three edges together to make a triangle, leaving an opening in the center with the filling showing.
• Place 1 1/2 inches apart on baking sheets.
• Repeat with remaining dough, rerolling scraps and cutting out as many circles as possible.
• Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until golden on the bottom. If baking more than one sheet in the oven at a time, rotate baking sheet positions after 7 minutes.
• Cool 5 minutes and remove to racks to finish cooling.
• May be stored, airtight, for several days.

HAMANTASHEN

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the orange juice and vanilla. Mix in the baking powder, then gradually stir in the flour until the dough forms a ball. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours. I like to do mine overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into 3 inch circles using a cookie cutter or drinking glass. Place circles on the prepared cookie sheets. Spoon 1 teaspoon of filling onto the center of each circle. (Any more and it will ooze out) Pinch the sides of each circle to form a triangle, covering as much of the filling as possible. The cookies may be frozen on the cookie sheets if desired to help retain their shape while cooking.
• Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until light golden brown. These are best undercooked slightly. Cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

SPICED APPLE-CHESTNUT HAMANTASCHEN

Steps:

• In a small mixing bowl, combine 2 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon of the granulated sugar and the cinnamon with a fork until it resembles wet sand. Set aside.
• In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and the remaining 2/3 cup granulated sugar until light in color. Beat in the vanilla and egg. Sift together the flour and salt. Slowly add the flour to the butter. Then add the chestnut meal and mix until a dough forms. With mixer on low speed, slowly add the cinnamon mixture 1 teaspoon at a time until all of the mixture is added. Mix until a swirl of the cinnamon sugar appears, about 10 seconds, and then turn the mixer off. Turn the dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap and tightly wrap. Refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours.
• For the filling: Melt the brown sugar, butter, nutmeg and salt in a large high-sided saute pan. Add the apples and cook over medium heat. Add the sherry, then reduce the heat to low, and cook until the apples are tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in the pecans, then remove from the heat and set aside to cool completely. Fold the applesauce into the cooked apple mixture.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Dust a flat surface with flour. Roll the dough until 1/8- to 1/4-inch thick. Using a 3-inch round dough cutter, cut out as many circles as you can, re-rolling any excess dough until it is all used up. Add a heaping teaspoon of the filling to the center of each dough circle. Fold the sides of a circle in three parts, pinching corners together as you go, to create a triangle with a window of filling in the center. Repeat for the remaining cookies. Place the cookies 1-inch apart on the prepared baking sheet and bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool the cookies before serving.

HAMENTASCHEN

Steps:

• To make the Filling: Place the ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes or until soft and the liquid is absorbed. Add water, if needed. Let cool.
• To make the Dough: Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a food processor. Add the butter and pulse. In a small bowl, mix together the sugar, egg, egg white, and orange zest. Add it to the processor and pulse to mix, being careful not to over mix. Divide into 2 disks and chill 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Roll out the dough on a floured work surface to 1/4-inch thick. Cut out 2 1/2 to 3-inch disks. (You can re-roll the scrapes to make more disks.) Place a disk of dough down and place 1 teaspoon of filling in the center. Pinch the disk in 3 places to form a triangular shape with the filling still showing in the center. They will look like 3 cornered hats. Place 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Continue until all the disks are made.
• Bake for 12 to 14 minutes.

HAMANTASCHEN (BEST EVER!)

Steps:

• For the filling, simply chop all the ingredients fine in your food processor and mix well.
• For the dough, cream sugar and eggs.
• Add oil and mix until it turns pale yellow and is no longer shiny.
• Mix in lemon and vanilla.
• In another bowl combine flour, baking soda, and baking powder.
• Slowly add dry ingredients to wet. When it becomes difficult to mix, add more flour and knead.
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• To assemble cookies, roll out dough (in batches) to desired thickness (maybe a little thinner than 1/4") and cut into circles of desired size (can use cookie cutter, inverted glass, etc). Put a dollop of filling in the center of each cookie and fold up into a triangular shape, pinching the corners and leaving the center open so that the filling peeks out.
• Bake cookies for about 15 minutes until they are beginning to brown. I've always greased the cookie sheet very lightly with non-stick spray, but I don't know that you need to.

HOW TO MAKE TRADITIONAL HAMANTASCHEN

Steps:

• Cream butter and eggs using a stand mixer. Add vanilla, sugar, and orange juice until incorporated. Mix dry ingredients and slowly add them, one cup at a time, to the mixer. Use a spatula to help gather dough if needed. Once all ingredients have mixed for about 3 minutes, separate the dough into 2 balls. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.
• Position racks in the lower thirds of the oven. Preheat to 350° F. Remove 1 ball of dough from the fridge. Lightly dust flour over a clean surface. Separate the dough ball into thirds. Roll one-third until about ⅛ inch thick, turning and flipping at 90 degrees every few rolls, to prevent dough from sticking and to keep the dough even.
• Use a juice glass to cut circles in the dough. Lift the excess dough off and flip the circles over. Add a blueberry-sized amount of filling to the center of a circle. If the dough has dried, run a wet finger or pastry brush with water around the perimeter. Then, fold one edge inwards, slightly covering the filling, fold the next edge slightly overlapping, and then the last, creating a triangle with overlapping sides. Press down to ensure the dough sticks together. Some prefer to pinch the dough upwards, which works too!
• Line uncooked hamantaschen on a baking sheet, not touching. Let cool in the fridge for 10 minutes. Bake 10-12 minutes in the lower part of the oven until the corners are golden brown. Move to a cooling rack, being careful not to spill the hot filling. The first batch offers an opportunity to adjust filling ratios-if filling spills out, use less. If cookies have a hollow center, try slightly more.
• Repeat with remaining dough and fillings. Unrolled dough will keep in the refrigerator up to 2 days, as long as it is tightly wrapped. Unbaked hamantashen can also be frozen on a baking sheet then bagged (perfect for baking in the future or shipping frozen to loved ones).

HAMANTASHEN

Steps:

• To make the dough, cream the butter or margarine with the sugar in the food processor. Add the egg, vanilla, and orange juice, and continue to mix until smooth.
• Add 2 1/2 cups flour, the baking powder, and the salt. Process until smooth. Flour your hands, remove the dough from the food processor, and cover it in plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.
• Meanwhile, make the filling. Put the poppy seeds in a small saucepan. Cover with the milk, and simmer for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat, and cool.
• Add the poppy seeds and milk to the sugar, dates or figs, raisins, walnuts, almonds, lemon zest, and egg yolk. Transfer to a food processor equipped with a steel blade, and pulse until just combined. Refrigerate until the batter is chilled.
• When ready to make the cookies, remove the cookie dough from the refrigerator, preheat the oven to 375 degrees, and grease two cookie sheets.
• Divide the dough into four pieces. Roll one ball out on a lightly floured board to a thickness of 1/8 inch. Cut the dough into 3-inch circles. Place 1 teaspoon of filling in the center of each circle. To shape the hamantashen, first brush water around the rim of the circle with your finger. Lift the edges of the dough up to form a triangle around the filling, pinching the three corners together, leaving a small opening in the center. Transfer to the cookie sheet, and bake in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the tops are golden. Repeat with each of the remaining dough balls.

HAMANTASCHEN

Steps:

• Make the dough: Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest in a large bowl and mix them together with your hands until thoroughly combined. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, and oil together vigorously until thoroughly combined. Pour the egg mixture into the dry ingredients and mix them together with your hands for 10 to 15 seconds. Add the water and continue mixing with your hands until the dough comes together, another 30 seconds or so.
• Scrape the dough onto a floured surface, adding a little more f lour if the dough is too sticky. Use your hand to flatten the dough slightly into a thick disk, and wrap the disk very snugly in aluminum foil. Refrigerate until the dough is firmly set, about 3 hours.
• Make the apricot or prune filling: Combine all the filling ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring them to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Set the mixture aside until it is just cool enough to handle, then transfer it to the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Refrigerate the filling until it's completely cooled before using.
• Make the poppy-seed filling: Combine all the filling ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce the heat and simmer until the mixture has reduced somewhat, 15 to 20 minutes. Set the mixture aside until it is just cool enough to handle, then transfer it to a food processor and process until the poppy seeds have broken down and are thoroughly incorporated, 5 to 6 minutes. Refrigerate the filling until it's completely cooled before using.
• Shape, fill, and bake the cookies: Remove the dough from the refrigerator (it will look and feel quite oily) and transfer it to a floured surface. Tear off a small piece of dough and roll it between your hands into a ball roughly the size of a Ping-Pong ball; use your hand to flatten the ball into a thick disk. Repeat with the remaining dough to make roughly 28 disks and hold them in the refrigerator. Then, pull one disk out at a time and place it onto a sheet of floured parchment paper. Fold the edge of the paper over the top of the disk, and use a tortilla press or rolling pin to flatten the dough until it's roughly doubled in width. Using the same sheet of parchment and adding flour as needed, repeat with the remaining dough pieces. Working with 1 flattened piece of dough at a time, dollop a heaping tablespoon of the filling of your choice in the center of the dough. Then gently fold 1 edge of the dough over the side (but not over the top) of the filling and press the edge slightly against the filling so it stays in place. Next, bring up a second edge the same way. Finally, bring up the third edge and pinch the 3 seams together, creating a triangular pastry with a little of the filling still exposed at the top. Transfer it to a 10-by-15-inch baking sheet that's lined with parchment paper and greased with oil or cooking spray (use a bench knife or a metal spatula to gently scrape the bottom of the filled cookie off the work surface, if necessary). Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. Cover the filled cookies with plastic wrap and refrigerate them for about 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the plastic wrap and bake the cookies, rotating the tray halfway through baking, until golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes.

TRADITIONAL HAMANTASCHEN

Steps:

• Into a bowl sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl with an electric mixer beat shortening, sugar, and egg at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add zest and juice and beat until incorporated. Add flour mixture, stirring, until a smooth dough is formed. Gather dough into a ball and flatten into a disk. Chill dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, at least 3 hours and up to 2 days.
• Preheat oven to 375° F.
• Halve dough. On a lightly floured surface roll out half of dough (keeping other half wrapped and chilled) 1/4 inch thick. With a 3-inch cutter cut out as many rounds as possible. Transfer rounds with a metal spatula to a large baking sheet, arranging about 1/2 inch apart. Reroll scraps and cut out more rounds. Put 1 teaspoon filling in center of each round and fold up edges to form triangular cookies resembling a tricornered hat, pinching corners together and leaving filling exposed. (Pinch dough tightly enough so seams are no longer visible and sides are taut enough to prevent cookies from leaking filling as they bake.)
• Bake hamantaschen in middle of oven 20 minutes, or until pale golden. Cool hamantaschen on baking sheet 5 minutes and transfer to racks to cool completely. Make more hamantaschen with remaining dough and filling in same manner. Hamantaschen keep in an airtight container at room temperature 5 days.

HAMANTASCHEN

Steps:

• Mix applesauce, sugar and egg white. Mix flour, salt and baking powder and add to applesauce mixture. Add milk and vanilla,.
• Mix well with hands. Form into a ball and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
• Divide dough into 16 small balls. Roll out each ball to a 3.5 inch diameter circle (you will need extra flour for hands and board, since the dough is sticky).
• Place in the center of each circle one (heaping) teaspoons of the filling.
• Form triangles by folding over edges of circle and pinch to create three corners, leaving a small amount of the filling in the center uncovered.
• Bake on a sprayed cookie sheet, at 375° F, 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.

HAMANTASHEN

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast in milk. Let stand 10 minutes until frothy.
• Meanwhile, put flour, sugar and salt into a food processor and pulse briefly to combine. Add butter and pulse several times, until mixture resembles peas.
• Add yeast, sour cream and eggs and process just until mixture forms a ball. Turn out onto plastic wrap, wrap tightly, and refrigerate at least 2 hours, up to overnight.
• Dust a work surface and rolling pin with flour. Roll dough to 1/4" thickness. Cut 4" circles with floured cookie cutter or rim of glass. Re-roll scraps and cut again.
• Place about 2 tsp of filling on each circle, and fold to form triangles (there should be a gap exposing the filling). Carefully pinch each corner to seal.
• Beat egg yolk and water in a small bowl. Arrange on greased cookie sheet or Silpat. Set in a warm place to rise one hour. Brush exposed pastry with egg wash. Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 20-30 minutes until edges are golden.