Idealogian

Reuven's Recipe corneR - Hamantaschen

With Purim less than a week away, I thought it'd be appropriate to post a recipe for hamantaschen (or "oznei Haman," if you're Israeli), the Official Snack of Purim. This one's from my mother and is just perfect: soft but firm, with just the right amount of flavor.

Hamantaschen

Ingredients:
3 c. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 stick margarine
1 c. sugar
1 large egg
1/3 c. orange juice (room temperature)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Filling of choice^*
1/2 tsp. lemon rind - optional

Instructions:
1. Place rack in upper 1/3 of oven. Preheat to 350^o F.

2. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.

3. In a large bowl, with a mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Add egg. Mix 1 minute. Mix in orange juice and vanilla (and lemon, if using).

4. Add flour mixture.

5. Shape into flat discs. Wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until firm (at least 15 minutes, or up to 2 days).

6. Roll out dough to 1/8" thick. Use 3" cookie cutter (an empty, clean can of tuna works, or something else around the same size) to create circles. Put 1 1/2 tsp. filling inside. Pinch 3 corners up, creating a triangular pocket. (Simple diagram here.)

7. Bake 15-18 minutes, or until just starting to turn golden on the bottom. (This will leave them nice and soft.)

Makes about 36

* My favorite fillings are:

• Apricot butter
• Raspberry preserves - you've got to be careful with this, though. Fruit butter (whether it be apricot or the more prevalent prune) is thick and stays put during baking. Even the thickest of preserves (and certainly jam or jelly) still has a good amount of liquid in it, and will "melt" somewhat during baking. Make sure to pinch your corners tight to ensure that the filling doesn't leak out of your hamantaschen.
• Peanut butter and chocolate - melt equal parts semi-sweet chocolate chips and peanut butter (I like chunky), with perhaps a bit of margarine to keep it soft.