OK, maybe not world famous, but it was published on a long ago defunct website called JCN (Jewish Communications Network) where I wrote their cooking column. It is very easy and creates about 2 dozen great Hamentashen. I posted this here last year, but here I add some commentary.
Ingredients –
1. 1 stick of margerine (or 1/2 C of Crisco)
2. 1 C sugar
3. 1 large egg
4. 1 1/2 t baking powder
5. 1 t vanilla
6. 2 C flour
1. Cream the margerine and the sugar in a large bowl. Creaming just means mixing fat (usually butter) with sugar. You want it well mixed together . I use my kitchen aid standing mixer, and highly recommend using a mixer.
2. Add the egg and mix well.
3. Add the baking powder and vanilla and mix.
4. Add one cup of the flour and mix in. Depending on many factors you may use any amount of the second cup of flour (perhaps even a bit more). The most major factor is humidity. The more humid, the more flour you will use. Today for example, doing a double batch I only needed 3 cups of flour! I suggest adding the second cup by quarter cups. You want the dough to be like cookie dough, but just a bit dryer as you will need to roll it out. You also do not want too much flour as you will add flour to the board when you roll. I like to let the dough stand for a short while to allow everything to incorporate. You can wrap in plastic wrap and put in the fridge for about an hour.
5. Roll out to about 1/4″ thickness and then cut out circles with a cookie cutter or a glass. I use an “old fashion” glass which is about 3 inches in diameter.
6. Put about 1/2 t of filling in each and then fold up the edges to make a hamentashen (see photo). Place on cookie sheet sprayed with non stick spray.
7. Bake in a 350° oven for about 10 minutes. You want the hamentashen to just start browning. Don’t let them get dark brown. Remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack.
Fillings –
This is not meant to be an endorsement, but I have tried them all. The best filling that one can buy for Hamentashen is Solo brand pie filling. It has the best consistency of the pie fillings I have found. Traditional flavors would be Prune, Poppy or Apricot, though they have many different flavors. You could also use Chocolate Chips, or Nutella, which is a hazelnut chocolate combination. Be careful with Chocolate chips though as the cookie will dry up when baking. I like to put a small amount of raspberry or strawberry filling in the center and put two or three chocolate chips in the filling.
If you would like to make your own fillings, you should take your fresh fruit, peel then and take out any seeds or pits and then cut them into smaller pieces. Place in a pot and put in some sugar to taste. If the fruit dried, like apricot, you should just cover the fruit with water. Cook this down slowly until you are left with a thick syrup. If it is not the right consistency, mix one teaspoon of corn starch with 1 teaspoon water in a glass. Pour into the fruit mixture. It will thicken up quickly.
NOTES:
You can use 1/2 stick of regular Margarine and 1/2 stick light margarine to cut down on some of the calories.
You can use your food processor for this recipe. Put the Margarine and the sugar in the bowl of the food processor, and process for 30 seconds. Add the rest of the ingredients except the flour and process for about 1 minute until mixed through. Add the flour and process until the dough begins to form a ball in the center of the bowl. At this point, take it out and finish it on your floured board.
It is best to chill the dough before rolling so it is easier to work with.
Enjoy!
