Purim Hamentashen

Happy Purim! Purim is like the Jewish Halloween. There is of course a story behind it and it has nothing to do with Halloween but the costumes and all of the noisemaking always remind me of it. Purim is definitely one of the more fun Jewish holidays because it encourages you to act like a kid. Best of all, Purim is accompanied by yummy cookies called Hamentashen, specially made in the shape of a triangle to resemble Haman's hat.

This year I decided to make Hamentashen and distribute them amongst my family. I made two different types of dough: a shortbread dough and a yeast dough, as well as two different fillings. It was quite a lengthy process to make both but I didn't mind...I hadn't baked in so long I was definitely craving some good quality time in the kitchen!

I wanted to figure out which dough was better for the Hamentashen so I opted to use the same combination of fillings for both and keep that element constant. At first I made the Hamentashen with the shortbread dough then the next day I made the yeast dough. The winner of my little contest: shortbread. Taste wise, I think I actually preferred the shortbread dough over the yeast dough, though my brother felt the opposite. However that wasn't the deciding factor...it was the effort.

The yeast dough took a lot longer to make, considering that I had to wait for it to rise once then again after forming the Hamentashen. Also, the Hamentashen kept falling apart when made from the yeast dough and the triangle shape was hard to achieve. My mom said that when her grandmother made the Hamentashen in the past, she used the yeast dough and made them bigger. Maybe that helps, I don't know, but I definitely know that I'm not repeating the process. I'm sticking to the shortbread dough and that's that.

Purim Hamentashen
Note: This recipe makes about 30 cookies. Each of the fillings is enough to fill one batch of 30 (more or less). I doubled the dough and used both fillings, but had some dough left over, so I filled the rest with apricot jam.

For the dough:

• 2/3 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 lemon, zested
• 1 tsp baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 2-3 cups flour

1. Cream together the butter and sugar. 
2. Mix in the egg, vanilla, and lemon zest.
3. In a separate bowl combine the baking powder, salt, and 2 cups of flour.
4. Add the dry mixture in parts to the wet until a dough starts to form. If necessary add a little more flour.
5. Gather the dough into a ball and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30-45 minutes so that it is easier to work with.

For the poppy seed filling:

• 1 cup poppy seeds
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp butter
• 1 lemon, zested
• 1 orange, zested

1. In as small saucepan bring the milk and poppy seeds to boil.
2. Once boiling, add the honey and butter and continue to heat over medium high heat for about 10 minutes, until the filling thickens.
3. Remove the saucepan from the heat and mix in the zests. Set aside to cool.

For the berry, chocolate, nut filling:

• 3/4 cup nuts, toasted (I used almonds. Other options include walnuts, pecans, etc)
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup jam (I used plum but you can use anything....strawberry, raspberry, etc. Try to get seedless jam)

1. Combine the nuts and chocolate chips in a food processor and pulse until a paste forms.
2. Empty into a separate bowl and stir in the jam.

To make the Hamentashen:

1. Roll out the dough to about 1/8" thickness and cut into 2" rounds.
2. Place a teaspoon of filling in the center of each round.
3. Carefully wet the edge of the dough and bring up the sides to form a triangle. It helps to pinch the ends together to achieve the triangle shape.
4. Bake for 12-14 minutes at 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
5. Allow to cool for 2 minutes on the pan before removing to a plate to cool completely.

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

It's amazing how much more baking and cooking I am able to do in the first month of a school term before exams hit. Last weekend I decided to bake muffins for breakfast and wanted to try two different recipes. The first was for an apple cheddar muffin and the second was for a lemon poppy seed. I was hoping that the apple cheddar muffin would turn out to be more on the savory side, especially considering how little sugar the recipe called for, but unfortunately my expectations were not met. The muffin tasted neither cheesy nor like apples...it kind of just tasted like a sweet muffin. As such, I have decided not to post the recipe but for those still interested it can be found here.

As for the lemon poppy seed muffins...those were a hit! The lemon flavor definitely stood out and the glaze on top highlighted the lemon even more. The poppy seeds provided a nice little pop and I also thought they were quite visually appealing. As is my new obsession, I made the muffins in my mini muffin pan but I don't think anyone would have minded a larger, full size muffin. Still, I think the minis always come out looking cute and provide a nice little portion. For those who want more...simply take two :)

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffin
Note: The original recipe was intended for 12 regular muffins. I halved the recipe and was able to get 21 mini muffins. The recipe posted below reflects the quantities I used to make the minis.

• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 lemon, juiced and zested
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 tbsp poppy seeds

For the glaze:

• 1 tbsp lemon juice (about 1/2 a lemon)
• 3 tbsp powdered sugar

1. Sift and whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda and set aside.
2. Cream the butter, sugar, and lemon zest until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg.
3. Stir in 1/3 of the flour mixture until just combined.
4. Stir in the lemon juice and half of the sour cream until combined.
5. Stir in half of the remaining flour mixture, then the rest of the sour cream, then the remaining flour, and finally the poppy seeds. Do not overmix with each addition.
6. Line a muffin tin with paper liners or spray with non-stick cooking spray. Fill each cup to the top with the batter and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15-20 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Note: if making in regular sized muffin tins, bake for about 30 minutes.
7. While the muffins are baking, assemble the glaze by mixing the lemon juice together with the powdered sugar.
8. Once ready, remove the muffins from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before lightly brushing the glaze over top. I found it easiest to just pick up the muffin, dip the top in the glaze, then swirl above the bowl to let the excess drip off before placing back upright.

Poppy Seed and Walnut Rolls

I have been wanting to make these rolls for quite some time and finally got the opportunity to do so this weekend. My grandparents just returned from a vacation to Switzerland and France, and the whole family gathered at their apartment to hear their stories and view pictures. By now, my entire family knows that no get-together is complete without my baking. As such, I'm always looking to try out new recipes on them.

I decided to go easy on myself and prepare the dough the same way I do for all of my other sweet dough creations. Although I did research other dough recipes, I wasn't sure how much they would yield and how well I could roll out the dough into a large rectangle. Since my family is quite extensive, I like to bake things big...big cakes, long rolls, etc. Therefore, I decided to stick with what I know, as far as the dough, and leave the experimentation to the filling.

The fillings were quite easy to make and I was able to use my new zester...I was not disappointed. I loved the walnut filling because it was very moist and the nutty flavor was accented by the orange and lemon zests, but not too powerful...it felt just right. The poppy seed filling was also nice in flavor, but I wish I had put about twice as much because it was a lot thinner than the walnut feeling and was therefore not as moist once baked. Next time, I might even try mixing the fillings and seeing what that tastes like; I have a feeling the moisture from the walnut filling would help the poppy seeds.

Poppy Seed and Walnut Rolls
Note: Each roll uses half of the dough from my sweet dough recipe, which can be found here.

Poppy Seed Filling

• 1 cup poppy seeds
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp butter
• 1 lemon, zested
• 1 orange, zested
• 2 egg whites (save the yolks for the egg wash) 

1. Pour boiling water over the poppy seeds. Let them stand for 5 minutes, drain them, and repeat the process.
2. In a small saucepan, cover the poppy seeds with milk and bring to a boil. Strain the poppy seeds and then grind in a food processor until the seeds release the milk and turn white. You may have to scrape down the bowl a couple of times.
3. Add the sugar, honey, and butter and cook for about one minute.
4. Once cool, add the zests and egg whites and mix it all together.

Walnut Filling

• 1 2/3 cup ground walnuts
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 lemon, zested
• 1 orange, zested
• 1/4 cup water

1. Mix all of the ingredients together and gently simmer for about 15 minutes. Cool and set aside

To make your rolls:

1. Divide the dough in half. Roll each half into a large rectangle, leaving it about a 1/4"-1/8" thick, depending on how big you want it.
2. Spread the poppy seed filling over one rectangle, the walnut filling over the other. Make sure to leave a little border so that you can seal the rolls. If you want, you can sprinkle some raisins over the fillings like I did, or you can leave them as is.
3. Carefully start rolling the dough from one long side to the other, taking care not to squeeze too hard.
4. Place the rolls onto a baking sheet, seam side down, and cover in plastic wrap. Let them sit for 30 minutes.
5. Using a fork, poke some holes all along the top of the rolls. Brush with an egg wash and sprinkle with some topping of your choice. I sprinkled sliced almonds all along the tops and sides, just to give it a little extra sparkle.
6. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 35-40 minutes. I noticed after 30 minutes that the tops were a nice golden brown and I didn't want them to get burnt, so I covered the rolls with aluminum foil and then put them back in the oven for about 7 minutes.