In honor of Purim,
The Jerusalem Post asked members of our
Facebook and
Twitter communities to submit their favorite family hamentaschen recipes. JPost Lifestyle editor
Yoni Cohen selected the winning recipe, which was in turn created by the Post's social media manager,
Zohar Friedman. To complete the story, the cookies were then shared with a more than delighted office.
The
winning recipe was submitted by Elizabeth Book Kratz, on behalf of her
mother Ruth Book, who is famous for her hamentaschen recipe. The recipe
is a Book family favorite, and has been adapted and used by Ruth’s five
daughters and daughters in law. “Not only are the hamentaschen
incredible,” Elizabeth says, “but the recipe is impossible to mess up.”
Elizabeth
encourages tweaking the recipe to match your hamentaschen preferences:
Want a tarter, lemon-flavored cookie? Try adding a little lemon zest and
swap some of the liquid for lemon juice. Like a spicy kick? Add a
teaspoon or two of cinnamon and fill the hamentaschen with a
complementary fruit filling such as apricot.
We decided to go the lemon route, and made lemon-raspberry hamentaschen.
Ingredients:4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted margarine
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
4 teaspoons milk, rice milk or water
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup of your favorite filling
Preparation:1. Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F).
2. Cream together margarine and sugar, then add the eggs and vanilla.
3. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt.
4. Add dry ingredients to the egg mixture with the mixer on low, alternating with water or rice milk.
5. Chill the dough for 1 hour to overnight (this step can be skipped
if
you're in a rush, cold dough is just easier to handle). Roll out the
dough to 1/4 inch thickness, and using a water glass or round cookie
cutter, cut into 2-inch rounds.
6. Fill each round with 1 heaping teaspoon of your favorite filling, and draw up sides for triangle.
7. Seal edges with cold water.
8. Bake at 190°C (375°F) for 12-14 minutes.
9. To keep hamantaschen soft, store in airtight containers.