Once upon a time I was gifted a Zabar's holiday goodie box and in it were soft, buttery triangular cookies filled with jam. I ate them all in one sitting. That kind of disappearing act is a testament to how delicious they were. They were also very memorable. That was years ago and I still remember how each bite tasted. Those who love thumb print cookies or jam centered cookies like Linzers will be gaga for these.
Before I continue I must disclose that these are neither Christmas cookies nor are they made near Christmastime. They're a jewish cookie and are made for Purim. The cookie honors the Biblical account found in Esther. The triangle shape symbolizes Haman's hat or as the other tradition holds, Haman's ear. Regardless of what tradition is followed these are a truly delightful cookie! I have many observant jewish friends and many nonobservant and they're beloved and well-known. I asked a number of my friends if it would be terrible for me to make these cookies and include them in this year's cookie box. Only one person was upset, not because I was making them for Christmas but because they are a Purim only cookie and should be made in that season. The majority were delighted to hear they'd be making an appearance this December and their only request was that I "donate" some to those who don't celebrate Christmas. Wink, wink...I see you my dear, friends. Your boxes are on their way.
Back to my ramble. Hamantaschen are initially crisp but mine softened. The dough is scented with orange peel and can be filled with the jam of your choice. I think apricot is pretty traditional so I chose that as the filling but the options are endless. Poppy seed filling is also used a lot.
The recipe isn't mine so I'll include the link below but I do have some recipe notes that I'm leaving here so I can refer back to them later. In terms of difficulty, I'd say this recipe is moderately difficult until the dough texture is mastered. I found that my dough was a little too wet initially and her recipe didn't seem to readily address that.
TIPS:
- Once the dough is combined, pinch a piece of the dough off and roll it onto a parchment lined counter that is lightly dusted with flour. If the dough cannot be flipped over and rolled without sticking, more flour should be added to it. Add a little more flour, but go slowly, and test the dough again. The dough should be smooth and slightly tacky but not sticky. The texture should be like play-dough.
- Do not roll this out on a silicon baking mat. The dough sticks to it like crazy even when the consistency is perfect. Parchment is best.
- Roll to half the thickness needed, flip over and roll again. The flipping of the dough is important because the bottom of the dough is flipped over to form the hat and the smooth underside looks nicer.
- When stamping out the circles, make sure that you wiggle the cutter so that the dough is separate from the scraps. I found this dough is a little bit like glue and tends to glue back to the scraps. You want clean, tidy circles.
- To fold the hats, an offset spatula was very helpful. I recommend loosening the entire circle and then folding it. You can also lift the circles onto a parchment lined baking sheet and fold directly on the baking sheet.
- I used Solo canned apricot filling and it was excellent. The filling should be thick so that it doesn't spread too much. If apricot isn't preferred, use a different solo filling or a very thick fruit spread verses a jelly or runny jam.
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