Hamantaschen made easy! Quantity 24
Hamantaschen is t the symbol of Purim, but how did it get its name Mohntaschen, or "poppy seed pockets," were a popular German pastry dating from medieval times. Around the late 1500s, German Jews dubbed them Hamantaschen, or "Haman's pockets."
The play on words likely references the rumour that the evil Haman's pockets were filled with bribe money ,other say its named for the 3 cornered hat he wore .
There are many recipes and nowadays many fillings, personally I am not so fond of the traditional poppy seed filling, and these are a lighter alternative.
If you are gluten free you can use gluten free self-raising flour, but be aware that the dough could be a bit crumblier.
I make & cover the dough with cling film and refrigerate it overnight, its easier to handle when making.
I use baking cups for measuring for this recipe.
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar.
- ¾ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup orange juice
- 2 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 5 ½ cups Self Raising flour.
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 cup whole fruit jam any flavour or chocolate spread
To make the dough:
Combine eggs and sugar in a large bowl; beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Stir in oil, orange juice, and vanilla. Combine flour and baking powder; stir into batter to form a stiff dough, adding more flour if needed. Cover with cling film and put in fridge preferably overnight but at least for an hour.
Then make the hamantaschen
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Cover your balking trays with baking paper.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll out into a 1/2-inch thickness.
Cut into circles using a cookie cutter or the rim of a drinking glass; place 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.
Spoon about 1 to 2 teaspoons of jam or chocolate spread in the centre of each circle.
Pinch edges to form three corners.
Bake in the preheated oven until lightly browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on the baking sheets for 3 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Store in an airtight tin for up to one week or freeze and defrost as needed.