New-age Purim treats
It’s that time of year, when bloggers and crazy Jewish women everywhere scramble to come up with unique variations of hamantaschen. Check out these two twists on some special cookies that taste as delicious as they look.
Sheri Silver's Cannoli Hamantaschen
Cannoli filling:
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup mini chocolate chipsHamantaschen dough:
1 stick (4 oz.) unsalted butter or margarine, room temperature
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg white beaten with 1 Tbsp. water
1/2 cup chocolate chips
Confectioners’ sugarPreheat oven to 375 degrees.
Make cannoli filling: In bowl of a mixer, beat all ingredients except chocolate chips until light and fluffy. Fold in chips and refrigerate, covered.
Make dough: Beat butter, cream cheese, and sugar until light and fluffy; scrape down sides. Add milk and vanilla; beat until incorporated. Scrape down sides. Add flour and salt; beat again. Divide the dough into two pieces; place each between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll each to a one-half inch thickness, stack doughs on a baking sheet, refrigerate at least one hour or up to three days.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Working with one dough at a time, place on baking sheet and cut out circles using a drinking glass or cookie cutter. Gather trimmings, re-roll, and cut.
Brush edges of circles with a bit of the beaten egg white and place one-half teaspoon of cannoli filling in center. Fold dough into a triangle and pinch corners and edges firmly together. Brush with more egg white.
Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. When cooled, place on two baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
Melt chips in top of a double boiler set over barely simmering water. Cool slightly and transfer to a pastry or plastic bag. Snip a small opening in the corner and drizzle chocolate over hamantaschen. Refrigerate till set. Dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving.
Yield: 3 – 4 dozen
Mangia!
Shannon Sarna's Milk and Cereal Hamantaschen
For the dough:
1/2 cup butter (or margarine)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 Tbsp. milk (or almond milk)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour plus more for rolling
1/4 cup crushed Fruity Pebbles cereal (or other cereal of your choosing)
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. saltFor the filling:
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup milk (preferably whole milk, but not skim)
1/4 cup Fruity Pebbles cereal (or other cereal)
pinch salt
3 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Additional cereal for toppingPreheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a small bowl combine milk and Fruity Pebbles. Set aside. To make dough, cream together butter and sugar. Add egg, milk, and vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, salt baking powder, and crushed cereal. Add dry ingredients to wet mixture in batches until dough forms.
Form dough into a ball and wrap in plastic. Flatten into disc and place in fridge for at least one hour.
While dough is chilling, finish making the filling. Combine the milk-cereal mixture with softened cream cheese, sugar, salt, and vanilla.
Take half the dough and roll out to one-quarter-inch thickness. Cut rounds using a cookie cutter or glass.
Add about one half teaspoon of filling into the middle of each round. Fold corners into triangles, pinching carefully on each end.
Place cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place in fridge for 10 minutes. Bake for nine to 11 minutes. Allow to cool.
The Nosher food blog offers a dazzling array of new and classic Jewish recipes and food news. Check it out at TheNosher.com.
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