Hamantaschen

There's no Purim without hamantaschen. The internet is already full of recipes of every kind, but here is mine: hamantaschen made from a soft, tender dough, quick and simple to make, with no eggs at all. And you get to choose the filling: almond cream, peanut butter with Reese's, or Nutella in a dough speckled with chocolate sprinkles.

Happy Purim!

Before you start

• This makes a LOT of hamantaschen; you can halve the recipe.
• Pinch the hamantaschen firmly closed so they don't open in the oven.
• Don't flour the work surface too heavily.
• You can freeze the hamantaschen for about half an hour before baking (it helps them keep their shape).
• You can also fill them with date paste or any other filling you like.
• Go easy on the almond cream filling; it tends to spread.

Ingredients

• 770–840 g all-purpose flour (5½–6 cups, see the instructions).
• 200 g margarine or butter, at room temperature.
• 200 g vegetable oil (1 cup).
• 240 ml orange juice (1 cup).
• 200 g sugar (1 cup).
• 1 Israeli packet baking powder (10 g, about 2 teaspoons).
• A pinch of salt.

For the peanut butter filling

• Reese's peanut butter cups.
• Smooth or crunchy peanut butter.

For the almond cream filling

• 80 g sugar.
• 85 g margarine or butter, softened.
• 40 g egg yolks (2 yolks from large eggs).
• 100 g almond flour (1 cup).
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
• 50 g sliced almonds, for sprinkling (about ¼ cup).

For the Nutella filling

• 20 g chocolate sprinkles, mixed into the dough (1 heaping tablespoon).
• Nutella.

Instructions

1. Put all the dough ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook and knead for about 6 minutes, until the dough is smooth, soft and pleasant (start with 5½ cups of flour and add the rest only if needed).

2. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for about 40 minutes.

3. Divide the dough into 6 equal balls (if you made half the dough, divide it into 3).

4. Lightly flour your work surface and roll each ball out thin (but not too thin).

5. With a glass or a round cutter, cut out even circles.

   

6. For the peanut butter filling: spread a teaspoon of peanut butter in the middle of a circle, set a Reese's cup on top and fold into a hamantasch.

   

7. For the Nutella filling: put one ball of dough in a bowl, add the chocolate sprinkles and knead them in by hand.

   

   

8. Roll it out thin and cut into circles, put a teaspoon of Nutella in the middle of each and fold into hamantaschen.

9. For the almond cream filling: in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk, beat the margarine or butter, vanilla and sugar for a few minutes until creamy.

   

10. Add the yolks and beat until absorbed.

11. Stop the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the almond flour.

12. Beat for about 2 minutes, until thick.

13. Roll out a ball of dough and cut into circles, put a teaspoon of almond cream on each and sprinkle with a few sliced almonds.

    

14. Fold into hamantaschen.

15. Arrange the hamantaschen evenly spaced on a baking sheet (if it isn't nonstick, line it with parchment paper).

    

16. Bake in an oven preheated to 350°F (175°C) for about 15–20 minutes (check the bottom of a cookie to see if they're done).

17. Let them cool and dust with powdered sugar.