Enjoy Hamentashen!
Purim – the feast of lots – is next week Wednesday night and Thursday.
Preserved in the Book of Esther, Purim is a story of God’s deliverance celebrated with merriment and good food. So here is our Hamentaschen recipe, so you can enjoy it too!
Holidays and Festivals
Dough
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 cup butter or margarine
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
Poppy Seed Filling
- 1 cup poppy seed
- 1/4 cup walnut pieces
- 1 tablespoon butter or margarine
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 egg white
Preparation of dough:
Mix flour, sugar and baking powder in large bowl. Cut in butter, using pastry blender or crisscrossing 2 knives, until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Mix lemon peel, vanilla extract and eggs. Stir into flour mixture until dough forms a ball. (Use hands to mix all ingredients if necessary; add up to 1/4 cup additional flour if dough is too sticky to handle.) Cover and refrigerate about 2 hours or until firm.
Prepare filling:
- Place all ingredients in blender or food processor. Cover and blend until smooth. Preheat oven to Gas Mark 4 (180C)
Roll half of dough at a time 1/8 inch thick on lightly floured cloth-covered surface. Cut into 3-inch rounds. Spoon 1 level teaspoon filling onto each round. Bring up 3 sides, using metal spatula to lift, to form triangle around filling. Pinch edges together firmly. Place about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until light brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.
Yield: 48 Hamentashen (1 per serving)