My kids are home on vacation, but I am working this week. In between seeing their friends and enjoying our unseasonably warm and beautiful weather, they are, of course, looking to be entertained. And who better to entertain them than Mom? Sigh. It's not easy.
Baking with little kids counts as an activity, but with an 11-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl, making cookies just doesn't cut it as something cool to do. Especially with Mom.
However, kids of all ages still like to eat cookies and mine particularly enjoy dictating what type I should make. They do make themselves scarce once the work needs to start, though. But since I like to make cookies, I decided to go ahead without any help. And this Hamentashen recipe is so easy, I really can't complain.
Try your own fillings -- almost anything will work. Just make sure you don't use too much filling, because it will ooze out while baking and make a mess.
I wouldn't limit these cookies to Purim, either. There's no reason to do that. They're perfect to have around the house any time, or to serve as a casual dessert along with fresh fruit or ice cream.
Hamentashen Recipe
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil (I use canola)
1 tsp vanilla
Juice of 1/2 orange and grated orange rind
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix together eggs, sugar, oil, vanilla, orange juice and rind. Sift together dry ingredients and mix into wet ingredients. Mix by hand until dough forms. On a well-floured surface, roll out dough to about 1/4 thickness and cut into 2-3" rounds with a cookie cutter. Place a small spoonful of your chosen filling in the middle of each round. Pinch edges of cookie together firmly into a triangle shape, with filling open in the middle. Bake at 325 for 20-25 minutes. Cool before eating.
Thank you SO much for this hamentashen recipe. I have heard they are easy to make, and you certainly make it seem doable. Now if I could only find that poppy seed filling that makes the bakery-bought ones so delicious...
Posted by: Katherine | Wednesday, March 14, 2012 at 08:45 AM
These look and, I'm sure, taste beautiful! Maybe I can order some from you and your kids next year. Mine all exploded in the oven - as they do every year, no matter what recipe I use, how lightly I fill them, whether I twist, use water to seal them, use egg wash to seal them, etc. I guess I'm not a baker, sigh!
Posted by: Stacy | Friday, March 16, 2012 at 12:27 AM