#27. Strawberry Hamantaschen

Hamantaschen are traditionally associated with the Jewish holiday of Purim (which was February 28th-March 1st in 2018), but there's no law (religious or secular, hah!) against enjoying them any time of the year. 

I enjoy making them not only because of the delightful contrast between the sweet fruit jam and buttery dough but also because I get to practice my pinching technique to form the signature triangle shape.  Btw, although fruit or poppyseed are standard fillings, more unorthodox flavors of hamantaschen (pistachio and triple-chocolate) are arising all over the interwebs. 

The recipe below is adapted from Saveur.

Ingredients

• 4 eggs

• 1 cup white sugar

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

• 2 Tbs lemon juice

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• 2 tsp baking powder

• 5 cups flour

• 1 1/2 cups strawberry preserves

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line at least 2 cookies sheets with wax or parchment paper.

2. Whisk eggs and sugar together in large bowl until foam forms.

3. Add oil, lemon juice, and vanilla extract.

4. In a separate bowl, combine baking soda and flour. Gradually add this dry ingredient mixture to wet ingredients until a stiff dough forms. You may have to knead a bit by hand to thoroughly combine.

5. Lightly flour a clean work surface and turn the dough out onto the surface. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to an even ¼-inch-thick sheet.

6. With a round cookie cutter or the rim of a glass, punch circles in the dough. 

7. Fill center of each dough circle with approximately 1 tablespoon of strawberry preserves.

8. Fold in the dough from three sides and press the edges together to seal, leaving a small opening over the filling. When all of the cookies are shaped, place them 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.

9. Bake cookies until lightly brown on bottom (about 20 minutes).

10. Enjoy with a tall glass of milk.