Israel: Hamantaschen Cookies

Edited and written by Catherine Cunningham. Published October 16th 2021

Original recipes The Frayed Apron and The Spruce Eats.

INGREDIENTS: 

¾ cup of unsalted butter, softened

⅔ cup of granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon of vanilla

¼ teaspoon of salt

2 tablespoons of orange juice

2 ¼ cups of all-purpose flour

Raspberry jelly jam 

For the Poppy Seed Filling: 

1/4 cup of poppy seeds (ground)

4 tablespoons of milk

1/4 teaspoon of vanilla

3/4 tablespoon of corn syrup (white) 

4 tablespoons of sugar

4 tablespoons of butter

1/2 tablespoon of flour (all-purpose)

1 pinch of salt

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INSTRUCTIONS: 

1. In a mixer, cream together the butter and sugar, stop when it’s light and fluffy. 
2. Add the vanilla, salt, orange juice, and egg, it should then be creamy. 
3. Sift the flour into the bowl and add to the mix on low, it should be a crumbly dough.
4. Knead the dough with a little bit of flour until it forms a smooth dough. Wrap tightly and refrigerate for an hour or two.
5. In a medium size pot, combine all of the poppy seed filling ingredients. Bring to a boil over low heat.
6. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Cool completely before using.
7. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper, if using jam, it helps to double up on parchment paper. 
8. Lightly flour your countertop and roll the dough until it’s about 1/4″ think. Then  stamp 3″ circles. Next, spoon out a level teaspoon of jam or the poppy seed filling in the center and fold one side, then overlap with another flap, and another to form a triangle where the corners meet and press together.
9. Bake for 20 minutes or until the dough is lightly golden. 
10. Enjoy!