Giant Spumoni Hamantaschen Recipes

GIANT SPRINKLE MACAROONS

Steps:

• For the macaroons: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment and set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine the condensed milk, vanilla and almond extract. Mix in the coconut and set aside.
• In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites and salt until stiff peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture, then gently fold in the sprinkles. Spoon lightly packed 2-inch balls of the mixture onto the baking sheets, 1 inch apart, and sprinkle the tops with more sprinkles.
• Bake until golden brown; begin checking for doneness at 18 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• For the topping: Place the sprinkles in a shallow dish. Microwave the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second increments, stirring after each, until melted (or melt in a saucepan over low heat, stirring often).
• Dip the bottoms of the macaroons in the chocolate, scrape off any excess and then dip the chocolate in the sprinkles. Place back on the parchment and let cool at room temperature or in the fridge. These can be kept at room temperature for about 3 days or in the fridge for up to a week.

SPUMONI CAKE JARS

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate, medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, oil, vanilla and egg. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Whisk in the coffee.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out; it will be a thin layer of cake! Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean; begin checking for doneness at 18 minutes.
• Let cool in the pan completely.
• For the frosting: Combine the butter, mascarpone, powdered sugar, salt and lemon zest in a bowl and mix until just combined. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix to combine. Divide the frosting into 2 bowls. Stir the pistachios and green food coloring into one half and the chopped maraschino cherries into the other half.
• To assemble, crumble the cake with your hands and press a small handful into the bottom of a 4-ounce jar, packing firmly, to make a 1/2-inch-thick layer. Spread a layer of frosting (either flavor) on top to make a 1/4-inch layer, then add another 1/2-inch layer of packed cake. Top with a 1/4-inch layer of the other flavor of frosting and smooth out the top. Add a squirt of the canned whipped cream. Finish with a pinch of nonpareils and a whole cherry. Continue with the remaining jars. Serve immediately. (To make ahead, assemble the jars but don't include the canned whipped cream, nonpareils or whole cherries. Refrigerate, covered. Add the whipped cream, nonpareils and whole cherries immediately before serving.)

POPPYSEED HAMANTASCHEN

Steps:

• For the filling: Finely grind the poppy seeds, in batches if necessary, in a spice or coffee grinder. Transfer to a small saucepan and stir in the almond milk, sugar, honey, vanilla, salt and lemon zest and juice. Bring to a rapid simmer and cook, stirring often, until thick and jammy (if you draw a spoon across the bottom of the pan, you will see a line), 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let cool completely. (You can refrigerate to expedite the process.)
• For the dough: Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine the coconut oil and sugar in a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on high speed until fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the lemon zest and 2 of the eggs, then beat until very smooth, about 1 minute. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and beat on medium-low just until the dough comes together and cleans the side of the bowl. Wrap the dough in plastic and chill until the dough firms up enough to be rolled but is not so cold that it will crack, about 15 minutes. (You can make the dough ahead and refrigerate, but let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes or so before rolling.)
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Beat the remaining egg with a splash of water. Cut the dough in half. Roll one piece on a floured work surface to about 1/8-inch thick. Use a 3-inch ring cutter to cut out as many circles as you can, saving the scraps. To form the hamantaschen, brush a circle with the egg wash and dollop about a teaspoon of filling in the center. Fold the dough up into 3 corners to form a triangle with the filling exposed in the middle. (Don't worry if the hamantaschen don't look completely full at this point; the filling expands as it bakes.) Place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining circles and dough half, rerolling the scraps once, if desired.
• Have your sprinkles standing by. Brush the hamantaschen with the egg wash (just the dough, not the filling). Bake, rotating the trays from top to bottom halfway through baking, until the filling is bubbly and the dough is set and light golden, about 12 minutes. While the filling is still hot, top with the sprinkles. Let cool before serving.

MILLIONAIRE'S SHORTBREAD HAMANTASCHEN

Steps:

• For the dough: Beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the vanilla and egg yolk just until combined. Switch to a wooden spoon or use your hands to gradually mix in the flour and salt until combined and the dough is uniform. Do not over-mix. The dough should be slightly tacky; if it's very sticky add a little more flour 1 tablespoon at a time. Gather the dough into a ball, flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.
• For the caramel filling: Place the sugar in a medium heavy-bottom saucepan and cook, stirring, over medium heat. The sugar will clump up at first and then melt into a brown liquid; lower the heat if it starts to burn. This will take about 10 minutes so be patient!
• Combine the butter, cream and salt in a separate small saucepan and place over medium heat just until the butter melts. Once the sugar is melted, slowly whisk the cream mixture into the sugar until uniform in color. Simmer for 2 minutes without stirring. Remove from the heat. Transfer to a small bowl and refrigerate, covered, until firm, about 2 hours.
• When you are ready to form the hamantaschen, roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to about 1/4-inch-thick. If your dough cracks as you roll, let it warm up to room temperature before continuing to roll.
• Cut out circles with a 3-inch round cookie cutter (the top of a wine glass works too!). Gather any scraps, roll them out and cut more circles. Beat the remaining egg and 1 teaspoon of water together in a small bowl. Brush each circle with some of the egg wash.
• Place a teaspoon of the caramel in the center of each circle. Do not over-fill; excess will leak out. If you are having a hard time scooping the caramel, let it come to room temperature. (You can scoop out all the teaspoons of caramel first, then place them in the centers of the hamantaschen.)
• Fold two sides of each circle together overlapping at the bottom, and then fold the top down to make a triangle. There should be a quarter-sized amount of the caramel showing. Place hamantaschen 1 inch apart on 2 parchment-lined cookie sheets. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes; this will prevent them from spreading and opening during baking-do not skip this step.
• While the cookies chill, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Bake the cookies until lightly golden on the bottoms, 10 to 12 minutes. Do not over-bake. Cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
• For the chocolate glaze: Place the chocolate chips in the top of a double boiler set over simmering water and stir frequently until melted. Remove from the heat and add the butter. Stir until the butter is melted and glaze is shiny. If the butter doesn't melt completely, return the top of the double boiler to the heat and stir until smooth. Let the glaze cool until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon but not so long that it hardens.
• Dip one corner of each cooled hamantaschen into the chocolate and place them on a wire rack. Let sit at room temperature until the chocolate is firm; you can place the cookies in the refrigerator to speed up the process. Decorate the cookies with edible gold foil if using. The cookies will keep at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days or can be frozen for up to 2 months.

GIANT LATKE SKILLET

Steps:

• For the latke: Drape a clean dish towel (or cheesecloth) over a colander. Grate the potatoes and onion in food processor or by hand with a box grater and place inside the towel-lined colander. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt, toss around and let drain in the sink for 20 to 30 minutes.
• Squeeze as much moisture as possible out of the potato-onion mixture. Combine with 1/2 teaspoon salt, the lemon juice, lemon zest, eggs, matzo meal and 2 to 3 turns of black pepper in a medium bowl and mix to form a pasty mixture. Fold the dill into the mix. Cover with plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• Place a 10-inch cast-iron skillet on medium heat and allow to heat for 5 minutes. Also, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Add 4 tablespoons of the oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Flick a little piece of the potato-onion mixture into the oil; if it's hot enough, it will sizzle lightly.
• Roll the potato-onion mixture into a ball and place it in the middle of the pan. Gently press with spatula to flatten the mixture so it evenly covers the bottom of the pan. Cook on medium heat for 5 minutes. Transfer to oven and bake for 10 minutes. By this time, the latke should be firm enough to flip without falling apart. Transfer the pan to the stove. Place a plate over the pan and carefully invert to flip the latke. Slide it back into the pan and bake for another 10 minutes.
• For the topping: To assemble, place the latke on a plate. Spread some creme fraiche over the latke, then lay the salmon slices on top in an even layer. Top with the eggs, a dash of hot sauce, a few more dollops of the creme fraiche, the dill and chopped scallions, a few turns of black pepper and a pinch of salt. Slice into wedges to serve.