Easy Purim Hamentashen Food

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.

HAMENTASHEN

Steps:

• Mix everything together until you have a nice dough.
• Take piece by piece from the dough and roll it out with a rolling pin on a floured surface until you get a nice disk.
• Taking a drinking glass, use it to make a nice circle.
• Fill it up with poppy seed filling and close it in the shape of a triangle.
• Bake it in a preheated 350 F degree oven for about 30 minutes. Makes 50 to 60 cookies.

PURIM HAMANTASCHEN

Steps:

• Cream the butter and sugar together in the large bowl.
• Add the egg yolks and continue to mix well.
• Add the ice water.
• Gradually stir in flour until a ball of dough is formed.
• Place the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for several hours or overnight.
• When ready to continue, take dough out of refrigerator.
• Turn on the oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease the cookie sheet with the butter.
• Divide the dough in half.
• Wrap the extra half in the plastic and put back in the refrigerator.
• Roll out the dough on a clean, lightly floured surface to a 1/4" thickness.
• Cut it into 2" circles (use the top of a glass to"press out" the circles).
• Place 1 teaspoon of the jam in the center of each circle and fold into three-cornered cookies.
• Start by pressing two sides together, then fold the third side over and press the ends together.
• Place the Hamantaschen about an inch apart on the greased cookie sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until lightly browned along the edges.
• You don't have to limit yourself to jam, I have used chocolate, peanute butter, a combo of peanut butter and chocolate, date spread, etc.