MAKING HAMANTASCHEN WITH SHELLY

When my neighbor Shelly told me she would like to make hamantaschen for Purim (according to Judaism 101 it is a fun Jewish holiday that commemorates a time when Jewish people living in Persia were saved from extermination) like she does every year, but needed some help, I was happy to sign up. I rarely bake as it is not as much fun to bake for one (not good for my waist-line to have a bunch of home-made goodies around) and also baking alone doesn't seem to be as much fun either. I remembered Shelly's hamantaschen from last year: not too sweet, and perfect accompaniment to afternoon coffee, or tea. This would be a great chance to spend time with her (Shelly always has interesting stories,) get the recipe (citrusy, perfectly crumbly even couple days later, but not hard,) learn about cooking/family traditions in a different family and culture, and distribute the wealth as one ends up with many of these triangular-shaped (well, according to tradition, they are shaped after Haman's hat) cookies to be enjoyed alone. And of course, for me it was an opportunity to connect with my grandmother whom I used to bake with when I was quite young, but since she passed away when I was fifteen I haven't had a the opportunity to bake with her as a grown woman which I am sure would be a wonderful activity. 

When I showed up at Shelly's home with the prune lekvar (a very traditional filling from what I learned by reading on the web - basically prune puree with orange juice, but since I am not Jewish I felt like I could take liberties and add my "touch" with cinnamon, cloves, and walnuts) she was finishing up her breakfast and was all excited for the task at hand. She had already made the dough 2 days in advance as we had planned (recipe to follow), and the rolling pin, baking sheets, parchment paper and various fillings were laid out on the kitchen island. Her dough is very unique (at least from what I read on the web) because it uses vegetable oil instead of butter (which makes it acceptable for kosher people who might be eating meat at the same meal, and for those of us who try to avoid saturated fats when we can) and has specks of orange rind which makes the dough yellow. It is also easy to roll out (with additional flour as needed), and as Shelly put it "very forgiving" - as long as you keep it on the cold side. I noticed that it got a bit too soft as we were getting to the end of the first batch, so we put the remainder back in the fridge for 15-20 minutes before rolling out the next batch.

Shelly sharing her technique for moving the first hamantaschen
to the baking tray in one piece

First batch of hamantaschen with various fillings ready to hit the oven!

By the time I was rolling out the second batch, the kitchen already smelled like "baking" - that wonderful aroma of, spices, oil, flour, fruit, and simply... love. Once the second, and the third batches were in the oven, we were ready to reward ourselves with good cup of coffee and a tasting of various hamantaschen to "test" the fillings (Shelly's husband Don's favorite is the Senseo single-serve coffee maker, and he was right, as every cup was fresh and tasty). The verdict is, all of them were good: apricot and plum are traditional, the nuts add a bits of crunch, lemon curd is tasty but too runny, and chocolate is decadent (note to self: think about chocolate hamantaschen for Valentine's Day next year!)

Hamantaschen fresh off the oven!

More hamantaschen - last batch!

As Shelly told me, these "hat shaped cookies" are made to share, so we shared with the neighbors in small bags we made (see below) and I hope those who had a bite could feel the joy and fun we had. 

I hope my grandmother and Shelly's grandmother (whom Shelly used to bake with when she was young) watched over with a smile. I wonder if there is any baking in heaven... Maybe one can bake any way she likes, and the outcome is always perfect... 

HAMANTASCHEN RECIPE

1 cup sugar

1 cup oil (we used canola oil)

1/2 cup orange juice

1 teaspoon vanilla

zest of 1 orange

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 eggs (plus one for the eggwash)

4 cups flour + extra for rolling out

1 tablespoon cornstarch (optional)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Blend together the sugar and the oil, add the orange juice, zest, vanilla and 3 of the eggs, mix together. Fold in the flour, cornstarch, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Cover the dough and let it rest at least for 20 minutes or refrigerate for up to 3 days. 

When ready to bake, divide the dough into 3-4 pieces depending on the size of your rolling space, and roll 1/8th of an inch on a floured surface with a well floured rolling pin. The dough will be sticky, so adjust the flour to roll it comfortably and take it off the rolling surface easily. While rolling one batch, keep the rest of the dough in the refrigerator. 

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Cut the dough to circles with the help of a glass or a cup, brush the edges with water, and place a small amount of the filling in the center. Fold one part, then the other two on the corners to create the triangular hat shape unique for hamantaschen, and move on to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (a spatula comes in handy) and continue until your sheet is full. The cookies will rise a bit, so space out accordingly.

Add a tablespoon of water to the egg and stir until combined, brush the cookies with the eggwash before putting in the oven. Cookies should be ready when golden, about 18-20 minutes.

Note: If you'd like to see my other Jewish cooking adventure, take a look at my Hanukkah Latkes by Way of London.