The Hamantashen

What is a Hamantashen?

A cookie traditionally made for the Jewish holiday Purim. Hamantashen cookies are often made with many different fillings, including prunes, nut, poppy, date, apricot, fruit preserves, chocolate, dulce de leche, Halva, or even caramel or cream cheese. They are shaped like triangles.

Hamantashen Recipe:

15 Servings

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 cup milk
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon salt
5-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 eggs
1 (12.5 ounce) can poppyseed filling
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon cold water

1.) Soften yeast in 1/4 cup warm water. Heat milk, sugar, butter or margarine and salt until the sugar dissolves; cool to lukewarm. Stir in 2 eggs. Stir in 2 cups of the flour, beat well. Stir in enough of the rest of the flour to make a moderately stiff dough.

2.) Knead on floured surface till smooth and shape into a ball. Place dough into a greased bowl and cover with a towel. Let rise until doubled, then divide in half.

3.) To make filling: Combine the poppy seeds with the lemon peel and lemon juice and mix well. Set aside.

4.) Roll each half of the risen dough into a 17 x 12 inch rectangle. Cut into 4 circles. Put about 1/2 tablespoon of the filling on each circle. Moisten the edges, bring the sides together and pinch, forming a triangle. Place on a greased cookie sheet and cover. Let the dough rise again until doubled.

5.) Brush with egg yolk mixed with water, then bake at 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) for 15 to 20 minutes.

Source: allrecipes.com


Working Mom's Hamantashen:

24 Servings

Prep Time: Approx. 10 minutes
Cook Time: Approx. 15 minutes

1 (18.5 ounce) package moist yellow cake mix
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs
2 tablespoons water
1 cup fruit preserves, any flavor

1.) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.

2.) In a large bowl, mix together the cake mix and flour. Stir the eggs and water to form a stiff dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into 3 inch round circles and place 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets. Place a teaspoon of filling into the center of each cookie and pinch the sides to form three corners. Moisten with water if necessary.

3.) Bake for 6 to 8 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly browned. Allow cookies to cool for 1 minute on the cookie sheets before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

Source: allrecipes.com

Other Hamantashen Recipes:

Aish.com- This site has a chocolate cookie dough hamantashen recipe.

Chefkosher.com- Recipes for different fillings

Epicurious.com - Mindy Segal's Sweet Hamantashen recipe.

Jewfaq.org - Recipe is way at the bottom of the page, scroll down. It has an alternative recipe for those that are allergic to wheat.

JewishRecipes.org

Myjewishlearning.com

Enjoy!