Name: Hamantaschen
Ingredients: egg yolks; milk

Rose Levy Beranbaum

Hamantaschen

Preparation info

Difficulty
Medium
Makes
Twenty-four
3 inch hamantaschen

Appears in

The Baking Bible

By Rose Levy Beranbaum

Published 2014

About

Oven Temperature 350°F/175°C

Baking Time 15 to 20 minutes

I love poppy seeds, but I never enjoyed bakery hamantaschen because I didn’t like the sturdy sweet dough. I therefore decided to create the hamantaschen of my dreams with dough that is tender, slightly flaky, very buttery, and vanilla imbued (pictured here). Elliott and I like the crunch of poppy seeds, so I do not cook the seeds into a smooth paste, but I do offer directions for those who prefer it. Solo makes a good quality poppy seed filling; if you substitute it, be sure to add the lemon zest and apricot lekvar or preserves.

Ingredients

Egg Glaze

	VOLUME	WEIGHT
2 large egg yolks	2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon (35 ml)	1.3 ounces	37 grams
milk	2 teaspoons (10 ml)	.	10 grams

Special Equipment

One 15 by 12 inch cookie sheet, lined with parchment | A 3 inch scalloped or plain round cookie cutter

Method

Make the Cookie Dough

See recipe.

Chill the Dough

Divide the dough in half, about 7.4 ounces/210 grams each. Wrap each piece loosely with plastic wrap and press to flatten it into a disc. Rewrap tightly and refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes, or until firm enough to roll. It can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 6 months.

Make the Filling

See recipe.

Roll the Dough and Shape the Hamantaschen

Remove a disc of dough from the refrigerator. If the dough has been chilled for more than 30 minutes, let it sit for about 5 to 10 minutes, or until it is malleable enough to roll.

Using a floured rolling pin, on a floured pastry mat or counter, roll out the dough into a rectangle, ⅛ inch thick, rotating the dough often and adding flour as necessary to be sure it is not sticking. Cut out 3 inch discs of dough. Use a thin knife or spatula, if necessary, to loosen the discs from the surface. Place them on the prepared cookie sheet. Gather up the scraps and knead them together lightly. Shape the dough into a flat patty, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate it until firm enough to reroll.

Repeat with the remaining disc of dough. Gather up the scraps and add them to the scraps in the refrigerator. Once all the hamantaschen have been shaped, the dough scraps can be used to make more, but reroll the scraps only once.

Preheat the Oven

Twenty minutes or longer before baking, set an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C.

Bake the Hamantaschen

Bake for 8 minutes. For even baking, rotate the cookie sheet halfway around. Continue baking for 7 to 12 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Cool and Glaze the Hamantaschen

Set the cookie sheet on a wire rack. If any of the sides of the dough has collapsed, use two metal spatulas to lift in any filling that may have leaked out and re-form the shape of the hamantaschen. Use a pancake turner to transfer the hamantaschen to another wire rack to cool completely. When cool, brush the poppy seed filling with the remaining 1 tablespoon of apricot lekvar or sieved apricot preserves (see Notes). If necessary, stir in a little apricot brandy or hot water to make it more liquid.

Make the Egg Glaze

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and milk. Strain the mixture into another small bowl, pushing it through with the back of a spoon or letting it sit for a few minutes to flow through the strainer. Discard the thicker part that does not pass through the strainer.

Compose the Hamantaschen

One at a time, brush the outer ½ inch of each dough disc with a thin coating of egg glaze. It is not necessary to brush the center. Place 2 teaspoons/0.4 ounce/12 grams poppy seed filling mounded in the center. Firmly pinch the dough together in three equally spaced places to form the three-corner hat effect. (Alternatively, water will also work well to seal the dough.) For a lovely color and slight shine, brush the outside of the dough lightly with the egg glaze.

Arrange the hamantaschen about 1½ inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet. Refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap, for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight, or until firm.

Store

Airtight: room temperature, 5 days; frozen, 3 months.

Notes

I find that whole poppy seeds have a bitter quality when used in this quantity, which is why they need to be ground. Because I like a slight crunch, I heat the poppy seeds only for a short time. For a smoother poppy seed paste, in a poppy seed grinder, spice mill, or blender, grind ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon/3 ounces/84 grams poppy seeds. (There will be about ¾ cup.) Place the ground poppy seeds in a small saucepan. In place of the milk, add ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons/89 ml/3.1 ounces/89 grams hot water to the poppy seeds. Cook over low heat, stirring often, for about 3 to 6 minutes. The poppy seeds will gradually absorb the water, swelling and becoming more pastelike. Add water, by the tablespoon, as needed, to keep the paste from scorching. When the poppy seed paste has the consistency of peanut butter, remove it from the heat and add the sugar, honey, and lemon zest. Cool completely. (There will be a little less than ¾ cup; use 1½ teaspoons per cookie.)

Poppy seed paste can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for several months.

If using apricot preserves instead of lekvar, place about ¼ cup/59 ml/2.7 ounces/78 grams apricot preserves in a microwavable container and bring it to a boil in the microwave. Alternatively, place it in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium-low heat on a cooktop, stirring constantly. Using the back of a spoon, push it through a fine-mesh strainer into a small bowl, and discard the small amount of pulp.