You may recall that last year around this time, my hamantaschen melted.
This year’s recipe was an improvement on that sorry experience, but it’s the first time I’ve ever used the word “infuriating” to describe cookie dough. I thought this would be a fun project to do with Harry, rolling and filling and whatnot, but the blasted dough was so obstinately sticky, so resolutely soft, that I didn’t want him anywhere near the kitchen while I was working with it. Because we all know I have a bit of a potty mouth.
I tried refrigerating the dough (contradicting the recipe’s instructions, which specifically tell you not to refrigerate). I used ample amounts of flour. And still the dough stuck to everything it touched. Ultimately I rolled it out between sheets of parchment paper, and even with that I had to stop every minute or so to carefully peel the paper away and sprinkle yet more flour. It took forevah to get everything rolled out; I finally slid the last tray into the oven at 10:00 last night. Actually, that’s not true. I have more dough in the fridge.
The remaining dough will not be rolled, I can tell you that much. I’m thinking it might make for a fine thumbprint cookie, where you form little balls and indent each with your thumb then fill that hole with jam. Because for as infuriating as it is, that dough makes a mighty tasty cookie. Plus it’s the prettiest hamantaschen I’ve ever baked, so there’s that.
Got a killer hamantaschen recipe? I’m all ears! Next year is only 364 days away.
ETA: Looks like I should’ve paid more attention to the Times this week. Deb at Smitten Kitchen tried the recipe they printed & was pleased as punch. Considering her previous hamantaschen experiences sound a lot like mine, I may have found next year’s recipe!
http://www.cupcakeproject.com/2009/03/hamantashen-recipe-tips-to-make-perfect.html
Enjoy!
Bee
Debbie, I used dough recipes from Marcy Goldman, Tina Wasserman and arthur Schwartz to see how they'd compare. I really liked them all but got TFFS (tri-corner folding fatigue syndrome) so I used the dough a fillings to make triangle shaped flat cookies and also cookie bars (just put a schmear of filling between two rectangles of dough. I didn't make a strudel hamantachen hybrid but that is on my bucket list. I am not a strudel "paper thin" layer purist so can see strudelfying
Any cookie/pastry dough as long as a fun filling is around. My four part Purim prep series is at this link
http://textislepatchworkblog.com/tag/purim-prep/
Chag sameach to you and your readers
Thanks, anon & Becky! Off to check out those links…
smitten kitchen has a similar problem going on. these taschen seem real difficult.
I'm just saying,I know it's apples and oranges…but putting hard boiled eggs in store bought dye is SUPER easy 🙂
awww its nice to hear theat you are human, with baking struggles too. lol 🙂
Ellyn, I saw that Smitten Kitchen post & added a link to it earlier! Funny. (And any time you want to come over & dye eggs with jr, I'm sure he'd be THRILLED.)
Tia, I mess up so often I have an entire category of the blog tagged "failures"! I'm just a home cook, and sometimes my experiments are unsuccessful. Luckily, more often they work out!
Sounds like the exact frustration I had last week with a batch of homemade cinnamon rolls. The result still looks delicious!
I saw these at the grocery store in the bakery on Wednesday. Had never heard of them before. Then you and Smitten Kitchen both posted on them!
Is there seasonal significance? Are they like little open faced turnovers? I was tempted to buy them and try them but I just wanted one cookie, not the big bucket that these triangle tarts were in!
Sammie, I hope your frustrating cinnamon rolls were as tasty as my hamantaschen!
Christi, hamantaschen are eaten on the Jewish holiday of Purim, which I like to call "Halloween for Jews": kids wear costumes, and everyone gathers to hear the story of how Queen Esther saved the Jews from the bad guy, whose name was Haman. I'd always heard that hamantaschen are in the shape of his tri-cornered had, but some also say that they're supposed to be his ears. The cookie itself is fairly crumbly/shortbready, and there's usually jam or a sweetened poppy seed paste inside. Done well, they're very yummy. Hope that helps!
I have a great Hamantashen dough recipe that rolls and rerolls endlessly making lovely hamantashen. It was given to me by an elderly convert I met when I moved to the back of the beyond where (I thought) there were no other jews. My problem is fillings. I always end up with too much – have to make more cookie dough – then I don't have enough filling – so I have to make more filling – resulting in an endless loop.
so with Gratitude to Thelma of blessed memory
4 eggs
1 C oil
3/4 c sugar
1 orange, juice & rind
1 tsp almond extract/or vanilla
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sour cream
4 C flour (she used whole wheat, I use 1/2 & 1/2)
Makes a very moist dough. I make a ball out of it. Then I pull off a lump to make a smaller ball. This I roll out 1/4" thick with plenty of flour on my board. It will stick if you don't use enough flour. Then as Thelma taught me I cut out the rounds which I pass to my kids to stuff. I scoop up the between bits add some fresh dough,re-flour the board and roll out again. Too thick and dough get tough when cooked btw so keep it thin. And don't overfill or they open up when they cook. 1 recipe makes about 95 small hamantachen. I usually end up with 300 or more!
This recipe looks amazing!
Yours are prettier than mine, but I didn't have an issue with wet dough. See my blog post at http://alittlenosh.blogspot.com/2011/03/hamentashen.html