Purim brings more Hamantaschen!

I love this time of the year! It's just as the weather is changing (getting warmer...yey!) and everyone emerges from their hibernation and starts playing in the parks again. This also brings about Easter and Purim. 

Purim is my second favorite holiday (next to Hanukkah of course) because the kids dress up in characters from ancient times, people can be as loud as they want in temple, and I get to make hamantaschen (a triangular shaped, fruit-filled, cookie), which I make by the dozen and send my husband off to work with him. 

Here is my favorite recipe with some amazing filling suggestions. Enjoy!

Hamantaschen recipe from epicurious.com

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

1 cup sugar

1 large egg

2 teaspoons packed finely grated fresh orange zest

1 tablespoon fresh orange juice

2/3 cup filling such as Date Orange Filling , Apple Raisin Filling , prune lekvar, poppy-seed filling, or apricot or cherry jam

Into a bowl sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. 

In another bowl with an electric mixer beat shortening, sugar, and egg at medium speed until light and fluffy. 

Add zest and juice and beat until incorporated. 

Add flour mixture, stirring, until a smooth dough is formed. 

Gather dough into a ball and flatten into a disk. 

Chill dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, at least 3 hours and up to 2 days.

Preheat oven to 375° F.

Halve dough. 

On a lightly floured surface roll out half of dough (keeping other half wrapped and chilled) 1/4 inch thick. 

With a 3-inch cutter cut out as many rounds as possible. 

Transfer rounds with a metal spatula to a large baking sheet, arranging about 1/2 inch apart. Reroll scraps and cut out more rounds. 

Put 1 teaspoon filling in center of each round and fold up edges to form triangular cookies resembling a tricornered hat, pinching corners together and leaving filling exposed. (Pinch dough tightly enough so seams are no longer visible and sides are taut enough to prevent cookies from leaking filling as they bake.)

Bake hamantaschen in middle of oven 20 minutes, or until pale golden. 

Cool hamantaschen on baking sheet 5 minutes and transfer to racks to cool completely. 

Make more hamantaschen with remaining dough and filling in same manner. 

Hamantaschen keep in an airtight container at room temperature 5 days.

Apple Raisin Filling from epicurious.com

1/2 cup unsweetened apple butter

1/4 cup chopped golden raisins

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

stir together filling ingredients until combined well

Chocolate Filling:
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup milk or whipping cream or coffee
1 cup chopped toasted walnuts

mix all ingredients together in a bowl

I also like putting poppy seed filling in my hamantaschen... you can find the canned stuff in the kosher food section of your local grocery store. Yummm...

Let me know how they turn out :) I would love to see some great examples of your work!