Hamantaschen
Hamantaschen
Hamantaschen are three cornered triangle cookies stuffed with various fillings like tradtional poppy seed (called Mohn), fruit jams or chocolate and are typically eaten during the Jewish Holiday of Purim. Purim commemorates the story recounted in the biblical Book of Esther, where a villianous man named Haman hatched a plan to annihilate all the Jews in ancient Persia. He manipulated the King to help execute his plan unaware that the King’s wife Esther was Jewish. Esther along with her Uncle Mordecai worked together to stop it. Along with Hamantaschen that represent the three points of Haman’s hat there are many other tradtions celebrated during the holiday. It doesn’t have to be Purim for you to enjoy these buttery cookies filled with a variety of yummy fillings.
Makes 18 cookies
Ingredients
2 1/4 cups Flour (approx 330g)
2/3 cup (150g) Sugar
1 Vegan Egg Replacer (I used Bob’s Redmill)
1/4 tsp Salt
3/4 cup (185g) Vegan Butter softened
1 1/2 tsp (7.5g) Orange Zest
2 Tbsp (30ml) Plant Milk or Water
1 tsp (5ml) Vanilla
Fillings
Poppy Seed or Mohn (recipe below)
Raspberry Jam (use flavor of your choice)
Chocolate or Vegan Nutella (Nocciolata is my favorite)
Poppy Seed Filling or Mohn
Ingredients
1.5 oz (43g) Poppy Seeds, finely ground
1/2 cup (118ml) Plant Milk
1/4 cup (55g) Sugar
1 Tbsp Vegan Butter
1 Tbsp (15ml) Maple Syrup
1/2 tsp (2.5ml) Almond Extract
1 tsp (5g) Marmalade or Apricot Preserves
1 Tbsp (15g) Corn Starch
pinch of Salt
1.Make the poppy seed filling by melting the butter, sugar, maple syrup and milk together in a pot on medium low heat. Once the sugar has dissolved add in the almond extract, marmalade and salt. Allow the marmalade to melt and then add in the ground poppy seeds and mix well.
2.Bring the mixture to just under a boil and add in the cornstarch while stirring. Whisk until smooth and allow the mixture to come to a very light boil. Keep mixing until the filling has thickened about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely before using. (You can make this the day before and refrigerate overnight)
Note: grind the poppy seeds using a coffee or spice grinder until light and fluffy.
Directions
1. In a large bowl cream together the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy (you can use either a hand mixer or stand mixer). Then add in the vanilla, orange zest and egg replacer and mix to combine.
2. Add a third of the flour at a time and mix on low speed. Once all the flour has been added, add the plant milk until the dough comes together. The dough should be smooth and pliable. If it’s too dry add an additional tbsp of liquid and if it’s too wet add a tbsp of flour until you reach the right consistency.
3. Pat the dough into a flat disc shape and wrap with plastic film. Chill in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes.
4. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a 1/4 inch thick. You can go thinner to 1/8 for a crispier cookie but becareful as it makes the dough more difficult to handle.
5. Cut out circle shapes with a 3.5” round cookie cutter. Gently move them to a lined baking sheet. You will probably fit 6-8 on one sheet. Reform the dough scraps into a new ball, cover with plastic film and refrigerate for 10 minutes before repeating the process until all of your dough has been used.
6.While the dough is chilling, place a tbsp of the filling in the center of the cut out circles of dough. Form the triangle by bringing together the left and right sides into a fold to form the top corner. Make sure to pinch together the dough well. Fold the remaining bottom portion of the circle over at the ends and pinch together each side to form the other two corners.
7. Smooth out any cracks or bumps in the dough with your fingers and make sure that all sides are pinched together to insure none of the filling leaks out.
8.Bake at 350 for 12-16 minutes or until the cookies are very lightly browned. Set the cookies on a cooling rack and enjoy once completely cooled.
