Holy Hamantaschen!

What are you looking at, you ask?  Any guesses?  Well, they are little Hamantaschen cookies gone very wrong :(

I wanted to make these buttery triangular gems as soon as I read their backstory.  As a non-Jew, I was intrigued by the persistence of Queen Esther and her relative Mordecai in foiling the plot of King Haman to massacre Jews in his kingdom.  Nowadays Jews eat these cookies on Purim to commemorate the derailing of Haman's plan.  There is also the side-story that Haman wore a three-cornered hat, and so there you have it...Hamantaschen (Yiddish for Haman's pockets).

Right before Purim, a well-known bakery in my area (Patisserie Florentine, Englewood, NJ) published its recipe for these pastries.  It just so happens that my bridge group was meeting on the day of Purim (and you know I always bring some kind of treat).  Therefore you can understand that the stars were aligned for a successful endeavor in my kitchen.  I wish...

Now I need to mention that culinary mistakes aren't necessarily the worst thing that can happen.  A failed Hamantaschen journey (as is depicted in the photo above) can provide a path forward and have an eventual happy ending.  Though I had high hopes for these little nuggets, I had to show patience and persistence to succeed, starting with a do-over.  And, let me be the first to tell you that I served the bombs right along with the blessings and both were well received. Conclusion?  They are that good!

Notes

1.  Traditional fillings include poppy seeds, dried fruits, or preserves.  I used a rhubarb and strawberry preserve for some of mine and Hershey kisses (dark chocolate) for others.  The sheer variety of fillings that can hang out in the center of this cookie are reason enough to make these again and again.

2.  The recipe calls for adding one tablespoon of water if the dough does not come together when mixed.  I used 2+ tablespoons on each trial.

3.  I had a bit of extra dough left on trial #1, so I just rolled little balls and plopped them into the filling.  See picture at bottom of posting ;)

4.  I made this recipe twice in a 24-hour period, and never once was frustrated, even on the first disastrous try. I figured that my cookies were too small (I used a 2 and 5/8" circle and the mentor recipe said 3").  And though I kept the filling volume in check to account for the smaller-sized cookie, they still opened up and spilled the preserves.  So then I thought that I had not pinched the corners tight enough.  So many variables to reconsider!

5.  I was not very scientific about tweaking the recipe on the second trial.  I should have changed only one variable, but I didn't.  I used a 3" cookie cutter (no scallops this time) and really worked on the three triangular seams.  So who knows which variable made the difference?  My advice?  Use a 3" cookie cutter and work on the seams.

6.  As a preventative for preserve over-spillage, I also used individual Hershey kisses as filling since I figured they would hold their shape while baking.  Yes, you are right to note that this was yet another distinct manipulation of variables.  Good call!

Holy Hamantaschen
(courtesy of Patisserie Florentine)
Yield:  First time:  19      Second time:  13

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 stick of butter, room temperature soft
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg yolk
Filling of your choice (see Notes)

Directions:

1.  Place all the ingredients (except for the filling) into an electric mixer and combine until uniform.  Add a tablespoon or two of water if the dough does not come together.  You can place all ingredients into a large bowl and use a hand mixer to combine or even combine by hand.

2.  Remove the dough from the mixing bowl, give it a couple of squeezes, flatten into a disk, and wrap in plastic wrap.

3.  Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

4.  Meanwhile prepare baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.

5.  Preheat oven to 350ºF.

6.  Lightly flour the surface where you will be rolling out the chilled dough.

7.  Remove dough from refrigerator and remove the plastic wrap.

8.  Place dough on floured surface and roll out, lifting and turning as you go to make sure the dough is not sticking.  Add a bit more flour if necessary.  Roll to a thickness of 1/4 inch.

9.  Cut out circles with a 3-inch diameter cookie cutter or beverage glass.

10. Place one teaspoon of filling (or one Hershey kiss) into the center of each cut-out.

11. Lift the dough from two opposite sides and pinch together to form the top corner of the triangle.  Then fold up the base of the triangle and squeeze the two corners to complete the triangle.  Make sure that the corners are well-sealed.  Compare the picture above and the one below.  Which one opened?

12. Bake for 13-15 minutes or until just turning golden.  Remove from oven to cooling rack.

Enjoy!

P.S.  I know you want to see more of my tasty mistakes, I have that photo for you 😬

P.P.S.  Persistence paid off! 😊