Hamantaschen is a very versatile cookie that can hold a variety of different filling, as you can see in many Israeli bakeries these days.
My new take on this wonderful pastry is a filling of marzipan and Amarena cherries. The combination is very tasty, and the cherries stay moist in the short baking time. It’s my new favorite.
Amarena cherry and marzipan hamantaschen
Course: Cakes and cookiesCuisine: Jewish, IsraeliDifficulty: Medium36
hamantaschen45
minutes15
minutes1
hourMy new take on hamantaschen is a filling of marzipan and Amarena cherries. The combination is very tasty, and the cherries stay moist in the short baking time. It’s my new favorite.
Note: Pitted amarena cherries in syrup is an Italian preserves that’s available at specialty stores as well as Costco and Trader Joe’s, and online too. They are moist and delicious (and not cheap! The best value is that of Trader Joe’s.)
Note: Ruby chocolate, which is made of natural pink color chocolate beans, is available at Whole Foods and other specialty supermarkets as well as online.
INGREDIENTS
2¾ cups (400 grams, 14 oz.) all purpose flour
1 cup (115 grams, 4 oz.) powdered sugar, plus more for dusting
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon Kosher salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
- For the filling
8 oz. marzipan
8 oz. jar pitted Amarena cherries in syrup (such as Fabbri am arena cherries, see note above)
4 oz. Ruby chocolate bar (optional, see note above) or any chocolate1 teaspoon oil
DIRECTIONS
- To make the filling, roll small marzipan balls with your hand, about a teaspoon size, flatten them and keep aside. Strain the cherries from the syrup (keep the wonderful syrup for other uses.) Set aside.
- To make the dough, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and butter in a food processor. Pulse to create crumbs. Add egg and egg yolk and pulse just until the dough begins to clump together. Add 1 tablespoon of water if dough does not clump together. Turn the dough out onto a large bowl, knead shortly, gather into a ball, divide into two and flatten to 2 disks. If the dough seems too soft to roll and handle, put it in the fridge in a bowl for 15 minutes or until it feels firm enough.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Have a 3-inch cookie cutter at hand and 2 more large pieces of parchment paper.
- Put first half-portion of dough on the on a parchment paper, top with another paper and roll with a rolling pin to a rectangle (about ⅛” thin). Remove the top parchment paper. Use the cookie cutter to cut out circles of dough. Reroll the dough as needed.
- Place marzipan disks in the center of each dough circle. Top each marzipan with a pitted cherry. Lift and pinch the edges of each circle in 3 places spaced evenly apart, to create a triangle; the cherry will be partially exposed in the center. Arrange on the baking sheet, spacing them an inch apart.
- Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. In the meantime, put baking sheets in the fridge for 15 minutes.
- Bake one sheet at a time for 13-15 minutes or until the pastries are just turning very light-golden on the edges.
- Transfer the pastries to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Melt chocolate and oil in a cup in the microwave in 30 seconds intervals, mixing after every 30 seconds, until melted and smooth. Dip the corner of of each hamantaschen in the chocolate and place back on the baking sheet. Let cool until chocolate is hard.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
