The Jewish holiday of Purim, just passed. This is a day of fun and good food as well as remembrances. It is common to eat foods like kreplach, dough stuffed with meat, and hamantaschen filled pastry. These are made in the same shape. One is boiled and one is baked.
I have an assortment of hamantaschen, left from Purim which I want to share with you and the recipe for making them from Susie Fishbein, who has written some beautiful kosher cookbooks.
HAMANTASCH
“This is an old family recipe. It is a very easy dough to make and work with. The egg glaze and cinnamon/sugar on top give the cookies a beautiful color. My Mom and Aunt make these in advance and freeze them. Do this at your own risk. At a group confession, every one of my cousins and siblings admitted to sneaking hamantaschen and eating them frozen weeks before Purim. ” Susie Fishbein
Ingredients:
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
3/4 cup cold water
1 cup sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
6 cups all-purpose flour
flour for dipping
apricot butter or prune butter (As you will see there are many spreads you can use besides these. Chocolate is very popular. Peanut butter is another choice. All flavors of jams are used. Use your imagination and you can make a new hamantash.) (I have a jar of pear butter which I should have used.)
1 large egg, beaten
cinnamon/sugar
Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover 2 baking sheets with parchment or foil.
Either by hand or in a mixer combine the oil, egg, vanilla, water, sugar, baking powder, and flour. Knead until it forms a soft dough. Roll the dough out into a very thin layer. Dip the rim of a 3- to 4-inch cup or glass in flour. Use the glass like a cookie cutter to cut out circles. Re-roll the scraps of dough and reuse.
In the center of each circle, drop a teaspoon of apricot butter or prune butter. Shape into a triangle by folding 2 sides of the circle to the center and pinch together at the corners.
Fold remaining side up to the center and pinch together at the corners.
Place hamantaschen 1 inch apart on the baking sheet. Brush with beaten egg. Sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar. Make sure corners are tightly pinched so they don’t open during baking. Bake 20 minutes. Can be made in advance and frozen.
Yield: 4 dozen
“This cookie dough is great for all year round: After cutting the dough into flat circles or any shape, transfer them to the baking sheet and put a dollop of the thickest all-fruit preserves you can find, in the center. Sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar and bake as indicated. “
Susie Fishbein is the creator of the highly acclaimed Kosher by Design series, whose books have each sold tens of thousands of copies. Jewish World Review.
For more recipes by Susie, check here.
Stop by Chaya’s Comfy Cook and Sweet and Savory and let’s share.
Old family favorite recipes are the best! These look delectable!
It is so much fun to share in others’ traditions. These are great!!
I make these for my Jewish daughter-in-law who is now learning to make them herself. Yum!
xoxo Pattie
Absolutely delightfull Chaya, thanx for this recipe and making my first ever Purim very special…..felt like i joined u in all the festivities 7 oceans apart….
These look delicious Chaya! Thanks for sharing an old family recipe with us 🙂