How to Make Delicious Hamantaschen

Just in time for Purim! Make these tasty hamantaschen (a filled-pocket cookie or pastry in Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine recognizable for its three-cornered shape) to celebrate the holiday and the downfall of the villain, Haman (boooo!). Various filling options are included, sweet and savory.

Here are your ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter
- 1 1/3 cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 4 1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1-5 tsp water (if needed)

- Beer (to drink while you work - it's Purim! It's a mitzvah!)

Make sure the butter is room temperature, then cut it into chunks and mix it with the sugar in a stand mixer.

Once the butter and sugar are fully combined, mix in the eggs and vanilla

While the stand mixer mixes on low, mix the salt into the flour, then tap the mixture in, about a cup at a time. When it is all combined, the dough should look fairly crumbly. 

First, remember you have beer, take a drink, then get back to work! Take the bowl off the stand mixer and start kneading. The dough should begin to stick together in a large ball. At this point, if it isn't sticky enough, add the water, a teaspoon at a time, to get it to stay together.  

Once you've got the dough in a large ball, wrap it in plastic and chill it in the refrigerator for about 3 hours

While your dough is chilling, it's time to make fillings! This is where you can get creative. We made chocolate, peanut butter, PB&J, just J, and caramelized onion. Here's a few tips:

Chocolate filling:
To make a very easy chocolate filling, melt good quality baking chocolate, semi-sweet, (about 6 oz.) with 2 tablespoons of butter. 

Peanut butter filling:
Melt 3/4 cup of peanut butter until it becomes liquid, mix in a few tablespoons of confectioner's sugar, chill for about 15 minutes so that it is scoopable

Or you can add you favorite jams or preserves, or try cooking down some caramelized onions and add sun dried tomatoes for a savory cookie. 

Now that your dough is nice and chilled out, place it on a lightly floured surface for rolling. You'll want to roll it out to about 1/4 inch thick. It might be quite stiff so you may want to work it a little in your hands to warm it up. 

Use a circular cookie cutter, not too large to cut out the dough

Add a teaspoon or so of your desired fillings to the center of each round, then pinch the corners so that they turn into little triangles. If you wet your hands, it helps the dough stick. Make sure you pinch them tightly so they keep their shape while baking!

Now bake your beautiful hamantaschen at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. When the edges start to look just the tiniest bit golden, they're ready. Enjoy!