Berkshire Eagle Column: 🎶...and nosh some hamantaschen... 🎶

Although Purim has come and gone this year, these cookies are delicious any time! This column was published earlier than usual online this week so readers might have more time to make hamantaschen before the holiday. (I first saw it Monday morning, whereas my columns usually don’t get posted online until late Tuesday, before the print version appears on Wednesday.) However, waiting three days before reposting here means that it’s now after the holiday, so you can just be bold and enjoy them anytime, or set yourself a reminder for Purim next year, which begins the evening of March 6th, 2023!

Click here for the Berkshire Eagle piece, or just scroll down!

🎶...AND NOSH SOME HAMANTASCHEN... 🎶

by Elizabeth Baer

I can still hear my father singing the phrase, “and nosh some hamantaschen” in his usual off-key and off-tempo way! Although I didn’t grow up very observant, we always cared about food, and any holiday with a special food – especially if it were a dessert – was reason to celebrate!

Since Purim is this week, I’m remembering my father and making some hamantaschen and imagining how many he would have eaten! The holiday of Purim, like many Jewish holidays, celebrates survival. As the joke goes about many Jewish holidays, “They tried to kill us; we survived; let’s eat!” On Purim we read the story of how Esther convinced her husband, King Ahasuerus, not to listen to his advisor, Haman, who wanted to destroy the Jews. The triangular pastry-like cookies traditional for the holiday are called hamantaschen, which translates to “Haman’s Pockets.” It does seem strange that eating the pockets of the bad guy is a way to celebrate, and there are other possibilities about the etymology of the word. Another theory (not about the name) suggests these cookies are a fertility symbol. But whatever the origin, they are a wonderful treat!

Basically, hamantaschen are a rolled-dough cookie with filling. The possibilities for fillings are endless. For my latest batch, I made fig and blueberry, simply because I had open jars of those two jams in the refrigerator. Mini chocolate chips are also a favorite, and a very traditional filling is made with poppy seeds.

Although I do not keep kosher, for those who do keep kosher, not only are certain foods prohibited entirely (such as pork and shellfish), but also one cannot consume both meat and dairy products at the same meal. For this reason, many recipes for hamantaschen use oil rather than butter so they can be enjoyed as a dessert even when the main course includes meat.

The plus side of this is that I don’t have to remember to take butter out ahead of time. The challenge is that it makes for a rather soft dough to work with. I like to use fiori di Sicilia as a flavoring, which has vanilla and citrus notes and can be found at King Arthur, but vanilla extract is fine, too.

The yield will vary, depending how thin you roll the dough and the size of your cookie cutter (or just use a glass). I like to make mine on the small side for a quick two-bite treat!

 HAMANTASCHEN

Makes dozens (depends on the size of your cookie cutter and how thin you roll the dough)

INGREDIENTS:

• 3-3¼ cups all-purpose flour, divided, plus more for dusting the work surface

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• ⅛ teaspoon salt

• 3 eggs

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• ½ cup canola oil

• 1 teaspoon fiori di Sicilia, or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1-1½ cups desired filling, usually a thick jam

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium bowl, mix together 3 cups of flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, canola oil, and fiori di Sicilia or vanilla. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and combine well. If the dough is too wet to come together, add the remaining ¼ cup of flour and mix. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours so the dough can firm up.

Prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper. Organize a work surface with a rolling mat or another large piece of parchment paper.

On a very well-floured work surface with a well-floured rolling pin, begin to roll out about half the dough. (I usually end up making the hamantaschen in two batches, the second a day or two later.) As you roll, check to make sure it’s not sticking to the work surface, adding more flour as needed. You want to get the dough to somewhere between ¼ and ⅛ inch thick.

Using a round cookie or biscuit cutter or a glass, cut out small circles of dough, about 2-3 inches in diameter. You can make bigger hamantaschen if you prefer, but you’ll have to adjust the amount of filling. Remove the scraps and place to the side. Move the dough circles to the prepared baking sheets, using a floured spatula if needed.

Place about 1 teaspoon filling onto each circle. I like to use jam – any thick jam will do – but some people like to use mini chocolate chips, and most traditional is a poppy seed filling. Fold up two sides of the circle to make a triangle shape with a rounded base and pinch the point together. Fold up the remaining rounded edge and pinch to form two more points. Be sure the points are well-sealed so the filling doesn’t leak, but make sure you can still see the filling through the opening on top. They can sit pretty close on the baking sheets as they don’t spread much. Gather the scraps and roll to form more hamantaschen. As you get to the last few pieces you have rolled and re-rolled, sometimes, because of all the flour the dough has absorbed, the corners do not seal well on those few. Don’t worry – they still taste great and are the cook’s treat!

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place the sheets in the refrigerator for a few minutes while the oven comes to temperature. (It’s easier to work with the dough cold, so I don’t like to preheat the oven and get the kitchen warm until I have formed a batch of hamantaschen.) Bake for 15-20 minutes until the corners are just beginning to brown. Remove to a rack to cool.