Hamantashen

If I was only allowed to make one treat at Christmas time, this would be it!  Hamantashen are a Jewish filled cookie that will change your life!  They will brighten your outlook on life and bring peace and harmony to the world around you.  At least they do for me!  If sugar cookies and tarts had a baby this would be the delicious result!

I love to buy my baking supplies at Bulk Barn because I can buy the exact amount I need.  This is especially true when it comes to pie filling!  I usually like to have a few different fillings in my hamantashen and buying my pie filling at Bulk Barn allows me to get several different flavor without having to throw a bunch out.

Hamantashen
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
6T orange juice*
1T vanilla
2t baking powder
4 1/2 cups flour
12 oz can pie filling (I used cherry & strawberry rhubarb)

*If you don't have orange juice on hand you can just use water and I promise they will taste just as amazing!

Cream butter and sugar until smooth then beat in eggs one at a time.  Stir in orange juice and vanilla.  In a separate bowl mix together flour and baking powder.  Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet mixing well between additions.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

Allow the dough to warm slightly before rolling.  I like to cut the ball into 1/4s just to make it a little easier to manage.  Roll dough out to a 1/4 inch thickness and cut into 3 inch circles using a cookie cutter or a drinking glass, which is what I use.  If you feel your rounds are a little on the thick side you can squish them out a bit just before you fill them.  Spoon 1t of filling into the centre of each round and pinch the sides to form a triangle.  Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes at 375°.  The cookies can also be frozen on the sheets before baking to help them retain their shape while baking. 

I probably should have followed the steps more carefully since most of my cookies flattened out.  This was likely a combination of soft dough and my need to jam as much filling in to the centre as possible.  These cookies freeze extremely well, I just recommend freezing them on a baking sheet first and layering them in a freezer container separating them with parchment paper so they don't stick together. 

Of course I can't make cookies without my quality control supervisor.  Luckily he got bored before the pie filling came out so I didn't have to wrestle it away from him.  A couple pieces of cookie dough and he was satisfied.

If you run out of pie filling might I suggest filling the cookies with Nutella!  I ran into this problem last year and John fell in love with the Nutella version!  I hope you enjoy a recipe that I love so much, and I apologise in advance for the 5lbs you will gain after eating the entire batch yourself!

Originally posted on Allrecipes.com