Every year we make the same hamentaschen recipe. Not because it’s the only one we know, but because it’s really the best. I can’t say I know where this recipe came from, all I know is that it has been photocopied many times, and the instructions are cut off on the side of the page. We’ve been able to figure out what to do. Oh, and the original recipe calls for margarine – yuck! We use butter instead.
After years of runny jam and spreading jellies, we discovered that if you want a fruit filling, you need to use butter – apple butter, apricot butter, etc. But still, our favorites are cookies with a Hershey’s Kiss in the middle, or hamentaschen with no filling; instead, the dough is speckled with chocolate chips.
This recipe makes about 4 dozen hamentaschen.
Ingredients:
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 4 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 cup (or 2 sticks) butter*
- Pinch of salt
*If you want to make these pareve, use vegetable oil and replace the orange juice with a few teaspoons of orange zest. Or use Soy Garden.
Instructions:
1. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
2. Add eggs, one at a time. Add OJ. Mix well.
3. Add vanilla.
3. Add flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix till just combined. If you’re putting chocolate chips in the dough, now’s the time to do it. We usually split the dough in half and put chocolate chips in one batch.
4. If the dough is too sticky, add more flour.
5. Refrigerate dough for a few hours (at least 2) or overnight.
6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
7. Cut the dough into quarters. Cover the parts you are not using so they don’t dry out. Roll the dough to 1/8 inch (thicker if the dough has chocolate chips) and cut into circles 2 1/2 inches round.
8. Put about 1/2 teaspoon of filling (or one Hershey’s Kiss) in the middle, and shape into triangles by bringing two sides up to the center and pinching the top, then bringing the bottom side up and pinching the two corners. We like to leave a small opening so you can see the filling peeping through.
9. Bake on greased cookie sheet for 10 – 15 minutes, or until the edges are slightly browned.
CHAG SAMEACH!
