Date, almond & rose-water hamantaschen
This year, when I make hamantaschen, I can't think about triumphalism.
Hamantaschen are traditionally baked during the Jewish festival of Purim to mark the victory over the evil Haman. But this year, I can’t think of triumphalism. Instead, when I bake them, I’ll think of how peace, safety, and freedom can’t come from mass murder and forced indignity. I’ll think of our collective responsibility to one another. And I’ll think of mothers holding their babies, in their arms and bellies, desperate for their lives to be long and happy and free.
Below, you’ll find my recipe for date, almond, and rose-water hamantaschen. I love these cookies. The pastry is delicate and buttery and hugs the sticky filling perfectly. You can substitute any ground nuts—I particularly like pistachio—or swap orange-blossom water for the rose water. Both the filling and the pastry can be made in advance. The dough might feel a bit tricky to handle because it’s soft and tears easily. You can reduce the butter by 20 grams if you like, though I think the flavor is much better with the higher quantity. The recipe makes plenty because I love to share them with friends, but they’ll keep very well in an airtight container if you have several mouths to feed at home.
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Date, almond, and rose-water hamantaschen
Makes about 25
For the filling:
200 grams pitted soft dates
60 grams ground almonds (ideally roasted, but not essential)
20 grams powdered sugar
1 dessertspoon rose water (or 1 tablespoon if you’re particularly fond of it)
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon (Ceylon variety preferably)
¼ teaspoon fine salt
Pinch of orange zest
1 tablespoon orange juice
For the pastry:
120 grams unsalted butter at room temperature
120 grams fine sugar
1 egg at room temperature
200 grams all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon vanilla paste
¼ teaspoon fine salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
Equipment:
Food processor
Electric hand mixer
Rolling pin
7-centimeter-diameter round cookie cutter
To make the filling, add all of the ingredients to the bowl of a food processor and blitz until a paste forms. Scrape the whole sticky lot into a Tupperware box, cover, and refrigerate to firm up.
To make the pastry, use an electric hand mixer to cream the butter and sugar together for a couple of minutes. Add the egg and mix slowly until it’s fully incorporated. Sieve the flour, salt, and baking powder together, and add to the butter mixture along with the vanilla. Mix until a dough forms.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead briefly. Bring together into a ball before flattening into centimeter-thick disc. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for several hours, or preferably overnight.
On a floured surface, roll out the dough until it’s 3–4 millimeters thick. The dough is torn very easily, but fortunately it can be patched up very easily too. Use a round, 7-centimeter-diameter cookie cutter to cut out the individual pieces for each biscuit. Scraps can be pressed together and rolled out again. Repeat until you’ve used as much of the dough as possible.
Remove the filling from the Tupperware box and form it into a ball, and weigh it. Count how many discs of pastry you’ve got. Divide the weight of your filling by this number to give you the weight of the filling per biscuit (probably around 11-ish grams.) Divide the filling out, weighing each piece to be sure they’re even.
Roll the divided filling into balls and flatten slightly. Place one ball in the center of a pastry disc. Lift up one edge of the pastry, fold together and pinch to seal. Repeat two more times to form the pointed triangle shape. Repeat the whole process until you’ve filled all of your discs. Don’t worry if the pastry tears a bit. You can repair the tear quite simply with your fingers, and it won’t be noticeable after baking.
Preheat the oven to 180°C (with fan) and arrange the hamantaschen on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake in the center of the oven for 15 minutes, or until they’re golden brown. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
The hamantaschen will keep very well in an airtight container. The pastry will soften as the days go on but will remain delicious!
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