This one is from my grandmother’s old cookbook (Jewish Cookery, Leah Leonard, 1949) It’s a little on the imprecise side, but given that the cookbook is sixty years old, that’s not surprising. I’ve added notes where I could, and will continue to update it when possible.
Please let me know how it worked and if you made any changes.
Update:
The hamentashen was tested by a nice reddit user who filled them with peach preserves, and a raspberry jam said they came out beautifully, and if you use Jam, use a little less since it tended to boil over.
Dough
| Ingredients: | ||
| 2/3 | C | Butter (shortening in original recipe) |
| 1/2 | C | Sugar |
| 1 | Egg | |
| 3 | T | Milk or Water |
| 1/2 | t | Vanilla |
| 2 | C | Sifted Flour – you might need an extra 1/2C depending on the weather and the flour. |
Directions:
- Cream shortening and sugar.
- Add egg and continue creaming until smooth
- Add liquid and vanilla and sifted flour and stir until it forms a ball.
- Chill 2 – 3 hours or overnight
When chilled . . .
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Roll out on a lightly floured board until 1/8″ thick
- Cut into 2 inch rounds
- Place ball of filling the size of a hazelnut in the center of each round
(NB. This is between 15mm and 24mm, or somewhere between the size of a US nickle and a US quarter dollar) - Fold over the edges (three sides) and press with fingers
- Place on a cookie sheet and bake until light brown (about 20 minutes)
Poppy Seed and Honey Filling
| Ingredients: | ||
| 2 | C | Poppy Seeds |
| 1 | C | Water or Milk |
| 1/2 | C | Honey |
| 1/4 | C | Sugar |
| 1/8 | t | Salt |
| 2 | Eggs (Optional) | |
- Combine everything except the eggs in a saucepan
- Cook over moderate heat until thick, stirring to prevent scorching.
- Let cool before adding eggs, beating in thoroughly. If the eggs thin it out to much, return to heat and stir while cooking 1 – 2 more minutes.
- Fills 24 small or 12 large hamentashen