Rainbow Hamantaschen Recipes

HAMANTASCHEN

Steps:

• Make the dough: Beat the butter, both sugars, the egg, milk, vanilla and maple extract (if using) with a mixer on medium-high speed. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and beat until fully incorporated.
• Divide the dough into thirds and wrap each portion tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
• Form the hamantaschen: Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 375˚ F. Roll out one piece of dough on a floured surface until 1/8 inch thick. Use the rim of a juice glass to cut out 3-inch circles. Repeat with the remaining dough.
• Spoon a teaspoon of the apricot preserves into the center of each circle of dough.
• Fold in the edges of the dough to form a triangle, pinching at the corners to keep the filling in but leaving the center filling slightly exposed.
• Bake the hamantaschen: Arrange the hamantaschen on 2 baking sheets (use nonstick pans or line the pans with parchment paper).
• Bake, rotating and switching the pans halfway through, until the hamantaschen are lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Let cool a few minutes on the baking sheets, then remove to a wire rack and let cool completely.

HAMANTASCHEN

Steps:

• In the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar on medium speed until light in color and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add orange zest, orange juice, vanilla extract, and 2 eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl when necessary
• Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add to butter mixture until just combined. Divide dough into thirds. Wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Remove one-third of the dough from the refrigerator at a time. On a liberally floured surface, roll dough to a 1/8-inch thickness. With a 3-inch fluted round cutter, cut out as many circles as possible, and place on a prepared baking pan. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile make the poppy-seed filling: Grind poppy seeds in a food processor. Place seeds in a medium saucepan. Add milk and honey. Cook over a medium-low heat until thickened, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Add raisins and lemon zest. Remove from heat. Cool completely before using.
• Remove chilled circles from refrigerator. Place each filling into a medium pastry bag fitted with a coupler. Pipe 2 teaspoons of filling into the center of each circle. Whisk together remaining egg with 1 teaspoon of water. Brush edges with egg wash. Fold in sides to form a triangle. Pinch dough to enclose the filling.
• Bake the cookies in the center rack of the oven until golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool cookies on baking sheets for 5 minutes; then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

RAINBOW HAMANTASCHEN

Steps:

• In a stand mixer, beat together the margarine and sugar then add the coconut milk and vanilla extract. Once everything is combined, slowly add the flour until the mixture is combined. Divide the dough in to 6 equally sized pieces. Place an ⅛ teaspoon of gel food coloring on to each piece of dough. Wearing gloves, knead each piece of dough to work the color in. Line a 9″x4″ loaf pan with a large piece of plastic wrap that hangs over the edges of the pan then split each piece of dough in half. Starting with one of the red balls, flatten out the piece of dough to the size of the pan with your hands and placed it on the bottom Do the same thing for each remaining color then begin with the red again so you end up with two layers of rainbow dough. Lightly press down on the dough to make sure the layers are all touching. Wrap the dough in the plastic wrap and freeze it for 30 minutes. You can make this dough ahead of time and freeze for up to 3 months. When you are ready to make the hamantaschen, preheated the oven to 375 degrees F. and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove the dough from the freezer and set it on the counter to warm up slightly for 5 minutes. With a sharp knife, slice the rainbow dough into ⅛ inch thick slices. The slices don't have to be perfect but you definitely don't want them to be too thick since each slice will become a hamantaschen. Place the rectangles of rainbow dough on the parchment lined baking sheets. Cut each rectangle with a circle cookie cutter and remove the excess scraps. Fill the center of each rainbow circle with around one teaspoon of the filling of your choice. Brush the edges of the circles with the whisked egg then pinch together the edges to create a triangle. Bake each sheet of hamantaschen for 10-12 minutes, until lightly golden brown on the bottom. Transfer the hamantaschen to a wire rack to cool completely.