Easy Hamantashen
 
 
Author:
Serves: 25-30
Ingredients
  • ¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • ⅔ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 extra large egg, room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tsps grated orange zest (I like the dough zesty!)
  • 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • ¼ tsp sea salt
Instructions
  1. Slice room temperature butter into small chunks and place in a stand mixerAdd sugar to the bowl. With the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together for a few minutes until it's light and fluffy. Add the egg, vanilla, and orange zest to the bowl. Beat again until creamy and well mixed.
  2. Sift flour and salt into the bowl.
  3. With mixer on low speed mix until a crumbly dough forms.
  4. Begin to knead dough with hands until a smooth dough ball forms. Try not to overwork the dough, only knead till the dough is the right consistency.
  5. Form the dough into a flat disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator to chill for 3 hours to overnight.
  6. Before you begin to assemble the hamantaschen, choose and make your filling and have it on hand to work with. Lightly flour a smooth, clean surface. Unwrap the dough disk and place it on the floured surface. The dough will be very firm after chilling.
  7. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to ¼ inch thick. At the beginning, it will be tough to roll out-- you may need to pound it a bit but fear not, the buttery dough will soften as you continue rolling it. While you roll, cracks may appear on the edges of the dough. Easy fix. Just use you fingers to repair any cracks and continue rolling
  8. When the dough reaches ¼ inch thickness, scrape the dough up with a pastry scraper, lightly reflour the surface, and flip the dough over. Continue rolling the dough out very thin (less than ⅛ of an inch thick is ideal). The thinner you roll the dough, the more delicate and crisp the cookies will turn out-- just make sure that the dough is still thick enough to hold the filling and its shape! If you prefer a thicker, more doughy texture to your cookies (less delicate), keep the dough closer to ¼ inch thick. Lightly flour the rolling pin occasionally to prevent sticking.
  9. Use a 3-inch cookie cutter (not smaller) or the 3-inch rim of a glass to cut circles out of the dough, cutting as many as you can from the dough.
  10. Gather the scraps and roll them out again. Cut circles. Repeat process again if needed until you've cut as many circles as you can from the dough. You should end up with around 20 circles (unless you've kept your dough on the thicker side, which will result in less cookies).Place a teaspoon of filling (whichever filling you choose) into the center of each circle. Do not use more than a teaspoon of filling, or you run the risk of your hamantaschen opening and filling spilling out during baking. Cover unused circles with a lightly damp towel to prevent them from drying out while you are filling.
  11. Assemble the hamantaschen in three steps. First, grasp the left side of the circle and fold it towards the center to make a flap that covers the left third of the circle.
  12. Grasp the right side of the circle and fold it towards the center, overlapping the upper part of the left side flap to create a triangular tip at the top of the circle. A small triangle of filling should still be visible in the center. Here's a visual of how to do it. FOLDING HAMANTASHEN
  13. Grasp the bottom part of the circle and fold it upward to create a third flap and complete the triangle. When you fold this flap up, be sure to tuck the left side of this new flap underneath the left side of the triangle, while letting the right side of this new flap overlap the right side of the triangle. This way, each side of your triangle has a corner that folds over and a corner that folds under-- it creates a "pinwheel" effect. This method will help to keep the cookies from opening while they bake.Pinch each corner of the triangle gently but firmly to secure the shape. If any cracks have formed at the places where the dough is creased, use the warmth of your fingers to smooth them out.
  14. Repeat this process for the remaining circles.
  15. When all of your hamantaschen have been filled, place them on a lightly greased or parchment lined baking sheet, evenly spaced. Now it's time for the big chill. Place the cookies in the freezer for 30 minutes and preheat your oven to 350F
  16. When ready to bake remove them from the freezer and place them in the oven for 15-17 minutes, until the cookies are cooked through and lightly golden. Start checking them at 15 minutes; because the dough thickness tends to vary on these cookies they can cook quite fast if rolled thin. In most ovens it will take around 15-20 minutes, but best to keep an eye on them as to avoid overtaking or burning.
  17. Cool the cookies on a wire rack.
  18. When cool, dust with powdered sugar if desired or drizzle with chocolate.
Recipe by SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL EATING at https://simplybeautifuleating.com/2021/02/24/easy-hamantaschen/