Saturday, May 17, 2008

Hamantaschen (Oznei Haman)

3/4 Cup Margarine
1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
3 Tablespoons Smooth Cashew Butter
3 Tablespoons Orange Juice
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 Teaspoons Baking Powder
2 1/4 Cups All-Purpose Flour

Jam or Preserves of your choice (I just went through my fridge and used up whatever I could find- Some strawberry, cherry, guava, and yellow plum preserves. Anything you like is just fine! Even a few chocolate chips wouldn’t hurt, too…)


Using a stand or hand mixer, thoroughly cream together the margarine and sugar until smooth. Beat in the cashew butter, followed by the orange juice and vanilla extract. Mix the baking powder together with the flour, and then slowly incorporate the dry mix in until it forms a ball. It might take a bit of time, but don’t be tempted to add any more liquid- It just needs a little persuasion. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour before proceeding.

Once the dough is completely chilled, preheat your oven to 375 degrees and line two cookie sheets with silpats or parchment paper.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch thickness. You will probably want to coat the dough itself lightly with flour, and if it becomes too finicky to roll out without sticking, toss it back into the fridge for a few minutes. Cut out circles of about 3 inches in diameter with either a cookie cutter or drinking glass. Move the circles onto your prepared baking sheets, and spoon a small mound of filling onto the center of each circle, about 1 tablespoon each. Pull up the sides of the circle in order to form a triangle, and pinch the corners firmly so that they don’t separate or fall down during baking. If you’re really concerned about them staying in shape, you can freeze them just prior to baking, but I tossed them in the oven right away. Bake for 8 - 10 minutes, until lightly golden brown but still rather pale. Allow them to sit on the baking sheet for a few minutes before sliding the silpats or parchment onto a cool surface.


Source:

http://bittersweetblog.wordpress.com/2008/03/22/a-cookie-worth-celebrating/

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