Hamantaschen

Hamantaschen (Adapted from King Arthur Flour CC)

Cookie Dough

3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon lemon oil
3 1/2 cups flour
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 egg plus 1 egg white *keep the yolk to use later as a glaze

Filling

3 ounces golden raisins
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons honey
6 ounces finely diced dried apricots
1 tablespoons grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup apple juice
1 large apple, peeled, cored and grated

Dough

In a medium mixing bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, salt, vanilla and lemon oil until light and fluffy.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder. Add flour mixture, egg, and egg white to the creamed butter. Mix until the dough comes together. Divide the dough in half, wrap it well, and refrigerate it for at least 1 hour.

Filling

In a small saucepan, add all of the filling ingredients and bring to a boil while stirring constantly. When the mixture thickens, remove it from the heat. Tranfer to a bowl and chill in the refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 375

Shaping

Using one part of the dough at a time, roll it into a 16" square about 1/4" thick on a lightly floured surface, turning frequently. Cut the dough into circles with a 3 1/2-inch round cutter. Repeat with remaining dough. Place the circles on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place a rounded teaspoonful of filling in the center of each circle.

In a small bowl, beat the remaining egg yolk with 1 tablespoon water. Brush the edges of the dough with the egg wash.

Bring three of the "sides" together to meet in the center, but leaving the center open, and form a large triangle. Pinch the edges together to seal.

Bake 12-14 minutes, until lightly browned on the bottom and edges. Transfer them to a wire rack to cool. As they cool, they will become crisp.