Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Hamantaschen Test Kitchen #5: Aunt Dora's Recipe

This is my history.

I used to make these hamantaschen with my mom. Every year.

We used this recipe, from my great-aunt Dora. My mom followed her around (when she was pregnant with me) and wrote down exactly what she did.

Aunt Dora's Hamantaschen Dough
2 sticks margarine, softened
1 cup sugar
6 eggs
5-6 cups flour
4 rounded teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla

Pre-sift together flour and baking powder. Start with 5 cups. If necessary, use the 6th cup in preparation of the dough. Beat margarine and sugar til creamy. Add eggs one at a time. Add the flour/baking powder mixture. Add the 6th if necessary. Add vanilla. Mix well.

Roll out very thin (the original recipe said "on wooden board with rolling pin" - do you think there was magic in that wooden board? Must have been. I use Roul-Pat.), cut circles with rim of glass, put in filling. Make the hamantaschen. Bake at 350 until real light brown. Watch your oven, do not over-bake.
(Yep, there wasn't a time listed. I think about 15 minutes.)

My mom even made Aunt Dora's fillings. All are delicious. Worth the work, I tell you.

PoppySeed Filling
1 can Solo poppy seed filling
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon margarine
1/2 cup chopped nuts
lemon juice

Mix all ingredients together, place in pot on the stove. Stir constantly and bring to a boil. Continue to stir and turn down heat to simmer. Add lemon juice (if ncessary to unsweeten) to taste. Simmer for a few minutes. DO NOT LET THE MIXTURE BURN. Remove from heat. Allow to cool, use for filling.

Prune Filling
1 lb pitted prunes
1/2 lb raisins
1 small jar cherry preserves
1 cup chopped nuts

Grind prunes and raisins in food grinder (or electric mixer or blender). In bowl add mixture and cherry preserves and chopped nuts. Mix together, ready for filling.

Apricot Filling
1 can Solo apricot filling
1 package dried apricots (around 6 oz)
1/2 cup water
lemon juice and sugar

Steam the dried apricots in covered pot of water to soften. Remove from water, chop. In bowl mix apricots and filling. Add, if necessary, sugar (to sweeten) or lemon juice (to unsweeten) to taste. Ready for filling.

Wasn't I a cutie-pie?
Yes, this is me and not my daughter. 
Previous Hamantaschen Test Kitchen posts here:
Cream Cheese Dough
Gingerbread?
Gluten Free Hamantaschen
Chocolate!

7 comments:

RivkA with a capital A said...

yum!

we just use apricot jam.

this sounds like more work, but a lot more flavor!

Anonymous said...

Totally thought this was Yael!!!

Wow -- I just don't know if I can commit som much time.

Bad mommy...

Ellen said...

Now these are the hamentashen I remember making with you and your mother and your brother and your father and my husband and my kids and your grandmother. It was quite the production. I made hamentashen with Sara recently but it was not the same.

Sigh. I miss you--and the little you too.

Unknown said...

Okay, so there are some changes since the original receipe on the fillings that incorporate the food processor. I mix the prune in the food processor. I no longer steam the apricots, but put them in the food processor with the Solo apricot filling. Apricot is my favorite.

Cousin Rachael said...

That isn't the recipe that i use...we have a different secret recipe.
I would let you use it...but you can't post it. at least not with the secret ingredient listed.

Jew Wishes said...

Oh, look at cutie you! :)

Nice recipe with varied fillings. Yum!

=

Mindy said...

I thought it was Yael. amazing. gotta try your recipe, but I am so busy... Retirement...go figure.