Purim Hamantaschen With Prune Filling Food

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.

PURIM HAMANTASCHEN WITH PRUNE FILLING

Steps:

• Combine honey, lemon juice, and prunes in a small saucepan. Add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until prunes are softened, about 10 minutes. Remove prune filling from heat and let cool.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Combine flour, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl.
• Beat sugar, butter, and shortening together with a wooden spoon until creamy. Add eggs; stir until smooth. Stir in orange juice and vanilla extract. Gently fold in flour mixture, mixing until a dough forms. Divide dough into 3 balls.
• Roll out 1 ball of dough on a floured work surface to 1/4-inch thickness, using a piece of parchment paper under the rolling pin to prevent sticking. Use the rim of a glass to cut dough into circles.
• Place 1/2 teaspoon prune filling in the center of each circle of dough. Pinch edges together to secure filling and form triangular pockets. Transfer cookies to baking sheet. Repeat rolling, cutting, and filling remaining balls of dough.
• Bake cookies in the preheated oven until lightly golden, about 18 minutes.

PURIM HAMANTASCHEN (STUFFED PASTRY DOUGH WITH FILLING)

Steps:

• COOKIE DOUGH:.
• Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a large bowl.
• Work in butter using a pastry blender or two forks, one held in each hand.
• Add the eggs, mixing in with the pastry blender.
• Add the lemon peel.
• Form the dough into a ball and wrap in wax paper, and refrigerate for atleast 1 hour.
• YEAST DOUGH:.
• Sprinkle the yeast over 1/4 cup lukewarm water (105°F); add a pinch of sugar, and set aside until foamy.
• Put 2 cups flour in a large bowl and add the yeast, milk, salt, and remaining sugar.
• Beat in the eggs, one at a time.
• Add the butter and enough flour to produce a dough that is moist and pliable.
• Knead for 5 minutes.
• Form the dough into a ball and place in a large greased bowl.
• Cover with a dish towel and set aside to rise, 1-1 1/2 hours until doubled in bulk.
• MOHN FILLING:.
• Combine the poppy seeds, honey, and milk in a small saucepan. Simmer for about 10minutes, stirring constantly; the mixture should thicken.
• Stir in lemon juice, lemon peel, and raisins.
• Set aside to cool.
• PRUNE FILLING.
• Cover the prunes with 1 cup water in a small saucepan.
• Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes -1 hour, until tender.
• Add the lemon juice and honey, and simmer slowly for about 10 minutes.
• Stir in the nuts (if using) and let the filling cool.
• LEKVAR FILLING:.
• Combine all ingredients.
• NOTE:.
• All fillings can be made in advance and stored (covered) in the refrigerator.
• ASSEMBLY:.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F You will need 1 recipe dough, 1 recipe filling, and 1 egg, beaten with 1 tbsp water.
• Divide whichever dough you choose into portions you can easily roll out.
• On a floured board, roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch. The cookie dough rolls out best if rolled out between two sheets of wax paper.
• Cut the dough into 3-4 inch circles, using the top of a glass or cookie cutter. Fill each circle with a heaping teaspoon of filling and pinch the dough around it into a triangular shape.
• Brush the dough with the egg wash and bake on a greased cookie sheet for 20-30minutes (the cookie dough will bake faster than the yeast dough).
• When the cookies are done, they will look appealingly brown. Taste one if in doubt!

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.