Hamantaschen are the new soufganiyot!
Take a stroll through the many pastry shops in Israel these days before Purim and you will notice nothing short of an amazing variety of small, decadent, sablé pastry hamantaschen filled with such inventive options, they can only compete with the craze that takes over the country around Hanukkah.
Dates, halva, and poppy seeds are considered classic fillings for little triangle pastries. But now you can find much more: cherries and marzipan, strawberry and pistachio, and passion fruit macaroon filling. Not to mention the savory hamantaschen, like feta and walnuts, caramelized sweet potatoes and goat cheese with chestnuts.
As for me, my favorite will always be the poppy seed hamantaschen, but I’ll be the first to admit that these three unconventional options easily make the cut.
Below you’ll find the recipe for salted peanut and caramel hamantaschen.
Look for halva and Nutella hamantaschen here and birthday hamantaschen here.
Salted peanuts and caramel hamantaschen
Course: Cakes and cookiesCuisine: Israeli, JewishDifficulty: Medium40
Hamantaschen40
minutes20
minutes1
hourMahlab is a wonderful Middle Eastern spice, made of ground cherry pits. It is used mainly in baked goods and adds an earthy and irresistible umami. Mahlab is available in most Middle Eastern stores and online. Substitute with vanilla extract if you can’t find it.
INGREDIENTS
- For the dough
2¾ cups (400 grams, 14 oz.) all purpose flour, plus more for dusting
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
4 tablespoons poppy seeds to decorate the dough (optional)
- For the filling
12 oz. (about 2 cups) roasted salted peanuts
2 oz. (½ cup) rolled oats
2 cups sugar
1 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons mahlab (See note above) or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS
- Make the filling
- Chop peanuts in a food processor using the pulse button to create rice-size crumbles. Set aside.
- Heat a non-stick pan over medium-high heat. When pan is hot, add rolled oats and toast, stirring frequently, for about 3 minutes until golden-brown. Transfer oats to a bowl. Reduce heat to medium, add sugar and let it caramelize for a few minutes without stirring. When the sugar melts and becomes golden on the sides and bottom, stir it a little to let the rest of the sugar become golden. As soon as it all melts, reduce heat to low and slowly add heavy cream. The sugar will bubble vigorously, so be careful as you’re adding the cream. The sugar will form medium-size chunks at this point, so keep on cooking on low heat, stirring constantly, until it all melts and the caramel is smooth. Add butter and mahlab (or vanilla extract), mix and remove from heat. Mix in peanuts and rolled oats, transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool. Transfer mixture, covered in plastic wrap, to the fridge for 30 minutes to expedite cooling, make sure not to leave it in the fridge for longer than that.
- 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 2¾-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, sprinkle poppy seed on the dough and use your hand to press them slightly into the dough. Cover with the parchment paper again, then flip the dough, so the poppy seeds are now at the bottom. Remove the top parchment paper. Use the cookie cutter to cut out circles of dough. Reroll the dough as needed.
- Use a teaspoon to mound a small amount of the filling in the center of each circle. Lift and pinch the edges of each circle in 3 places spaced evenly apart, to create a triangle; the filling will be partially exposed in the center. Arrange on the baking sheet, spacing them an inch apart. Cover baking sheet with plastic wrap and put in the fridge for an hour and up to a day.
- Turn oven to 350 F degrees.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the pastries are just turning light-golden on the edges.
- Transfer the pastries to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
