Tag Archives: hamantaschen

{Video} Tips On Forming Perfect Hamantaschen

Tutorials and Videos,

I have always loved shaping hamantaschen for the holiday of Purim.  There is something so calming about trying to create perfect little triangles.  I have to say, I think I got my method down to a science.  In this video you can see how I fold the circles and pinch just the seams.  If you want my no-fail recipe, you should try my recipe for classic hamantaschen.  If you are more adventurous, I have a great recipe for peanut butter and jelly hamantaschen and pina colada hamantaschen as well.

Here are some tips I can offer on forming good looking hamantaschen.

  • I like to roll my dough out directly onto a floured piece of parchment paper so I can transfer the whole sheet onto a baking sheet as soon as the hamantaschen are formed.  It’s a lot less handling of the dough.
  • Make sure to use enough flour when rolling out your dough, or the dough will stick and the cookies will lose their shape when you try to work them into cute triangles.
  • I don’t use water or egg wash to keep the hamantaschen together, I just keep pinching the seams until they are sealed.  Try not to pinch the corners, just the top seams.
  • Use a pastry bag and straight round tip (or ziplock bag with the corner snipped off) to fill the hamantaschen.
  • Do not overfill the hamantaschen with filling. The filling puffs in the oven and will bust your perfect little triangles open.  Use about a teaspooon or two, but it really depends on how large your round cutter is.
  • For a medium sized hamantaschen, I use a round cutter that is 2 3/4 inches in diameter.  Anywhere from a 2 inch to a 3 inch round cutter will yield nice sized hamantaschen.
  • Be gentle with your dough.  Try not to stretch out your circles of dough or your hamantaschen can look misshapen.

If you have any questions or other tips, let me know in the comments!  Happy Purim!

Pina Colada Hamantaschen

Cookies,

Pina Colada Hamantaschen

Pineapple and coconut is one of my favorite flavor combinations, so for my favorite holiday, I combined the two into the perfect pina colada hamantaschen. My favorite hamantaschen of all time are the prune flavor I make with my classic recipe.  Yet, classic hamantaschen are kind of boring lately.  So in the past I shared my recipe for peanut butter jelly hamantaschen that were a huge success!  I had this cookie idea for Purim last year, but I never got around to testing it out.  I’m glad I planned a little early this year, because here it is!

Coconut Hamantaschen with Pineapple Filling

The cookie is crispy, yet tender and soft, and full of coconut flakes.  I added coconut extract for double the flavor and intensity. The homemade pineapple filling is so easy and delicious, you won’t believe it!  I know a classic pina colada cocktail is supposed to contain rum, but I skipped it to keep it simple and kid friendly.  If you are missing it from this recipe, try adding a rum icing over the top of each cookie. Simply mix 1½ cups powdered sugar with 3 tablespoons of rum until smooth.  Then drizzle a little bit of icing over each and enjoy!

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Pina Colada Hamantaschen
Author: 
 
Ingredients
Coconut Dough:
  • ½ cup shortening
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp. coconut extract (I like the Lorann Coconut Bakery Emulsion)
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 2 ½ cups flour
  • 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut, slightly ground
  • ¾ tsp. baking powder
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • 3 Tbs. pineapple juice
Pineapple Filling:
  • 1-20. oz can crushed pineapple with juice
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 3 Tbs. corn starch
  • pinch of salt
Instructions
Prepare the filling:
  1. In a medium pot, combine the canned pineapple with the juice, sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Stir to make sure the sugar and cornstarch are combined. Heat the mixture on medium heat for 3-5 minutes until thickened and clear; no longer cloudy. Make sure to stir frequently so the pineapple doesn’t burn. Remove from heat, cover directly on the surface with plastic wrap so a skin does not form, and chill in the refrigerator until cool, at least 3 hours. Filling makes 2 ½ cups and can be make a few days in advance and stored in the refrigerator.
Prepare the dough:
  1. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the shortening with the sugar and coconut extract until light and fluffy. Add in the egg and egg yolk and mix until combined. Add in the flour, ground coconut, baking powder, and salt and slowly mix on low speed. Pour in the pineapple juice and mix until a dough is formed. You can use the dough right away. If the dough is too sticky, wrap and chill in the refrigerator for a half hour.
Form the hamantaschen:
  1. On a lightly floured surface, or on a floured sheet of parchment paper, roll out a piece of the dough until thin. Use a round cutter (2½ to 3 inch in diameter) and cut out circles of dough. Fill each round with a tsp. of filling and pinch the seams together to form a triangle. Transfer to parchment lined baking sheet and bake in 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes until the edges begin to brown. Allow to cool and enjoy!

Peanut Butter and Jelly Hamantaschen {Recipe}

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Peanut Butter and Jelly Hamentaschen

Hamantaschen are a traditional Jewish cookie made for the holiday of Purim, or Jewish Halloween.  They are basically the perfect cookie in my humble opinion.  What is better than a sweet cookie filled with delicious jam?  When I was younger, my mom and I had to bake so many batches of hamantaschen because my family and friends would gobble them up so quickly.  My mom tried to hide them so we wouldn’t have to keep baking them every night, but that never worked-someone always found them.

Jam Filled Peanut Butter Hamentaschen

While I love classic hamantaschen, (find my recipe and instructions with pictures here), I kind of get bored of the same old thing.  I need to mix it up a little, turn a classic recipe on its head.  We used to experiment with different fillings a lot when I was younger.  We would try filling the hamantasch dough with chocolate chips, marshmallows, chocolate spread and other various creations that didn’t go so well.  We also used to try a peanut butter and jelly filling.  For some reason, the peanut butter didn’t really bake well.  It would dry out and become crumbly.  I thought to myself, what if I make a peanut butter dough and fill it with delicious fruit jams!  Peanut butter and jelly hamantaschen!  This was my mini aha moment.  I was so proud of the idea. The only problem was that I hadn’t seen it done anywhere which means there are no recipes available.  I was challenged with developing my own recipe and I am so happy with the results.  These are a great alternative to the classic and will appeal to the kid in everyone. Chag sameach!

PB&J Hamentaschen

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Peanut Butter and Jelly Hamantashen
Author: 
Serves: About 6 dozen cookies
 
Ingredients
  • 1 cup honey
  • ¾ cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup shortening
  • ¾ cup smooth peanut butter
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 4 eggs
  • 4½ cups flour
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • ¾ tsp. salt
  • Your favorite flavor jam filling*
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  2. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the honey, brown sugar, shortening, peanut butter, and vanilla until smooth.
  3. Add in the eggs, one at a time until combined.
  4. With the mixer on low speed, add in the dry ingredients and mix until the dough comes together. Do not mix too much or the cookies will be tough.
  5. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour in the fridge.
  6. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and roll the dough out thin.
  7. Using a round cookie cutter (I use a cutter that is 2 ½ to 3 inches in diameter) or a drinking glass, cut out the cookies.
  8. Using a spoon or a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip, fill the cookies with the jam filling. *Make sure the jam is oven proof meaning it won’t melt and ooze out of the cookies. Apricot and prune butter work nicely as well as anything labeled “oven proof”, “bakers filling”, or “cake and pastry filling”.
  9. Pinch 3 corners, forming the classic triangle shape and bake for 8-10 minutes on parchment lined baking sheet until light golden brown.
  10. Allow to cool-the filling will be extremely hot! Enjoy!