Hamantaschen Triangular Purim cookies - Larry Diamond

It's getting to that time of year!

Hamantaschen

A recipe for triangular Purim cookies
Makes about 36

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup margarine or butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 1/2-3 cups sifted unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• Dash of salt

1. Cream the shortening with sugar. Add egg and continue creaming until smooth.
2. Add the vanilla. Stir in the sifted flour, baking powder, and salt until a ball of dough is formed (a food processor is excellent for this).
3. Chill for 2-3 hours, or overnight.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
5. Taking 1/4 of the dough, roll out on a lightly floured board to a thickness of 1/8 inch. Cut circles of dough with a drinking glass or round cookie-cutter. With your finger put water around the rim of the circle. Fill with 1 teaspoon poppy-seed or nut filling and fold into three-cornered cookies. (Press two sides together, and then fold the third side over and press the ends together.)
6. Bake on a well-greased cookie sheet 10-16 minutes, until the tops are golden.

Filling
For an easy filling fix, plenty of people use premade jams or jelly.

HUNGARIAN COOKIES - Carol Matto Kaye

Here's one: the best little hungarian cookies......

• 1 lb. of butter,
• 1 lb. of creamcheese and
• 1 lb. of flour....

Just knead all ingredients together until it no longer sticks to your hand; refrigerator over night. 

Roll out the dough on a floured board ( i also put sugar in the flour) small bits at a time to about 1/8" to 1/4" thick; cut into 2-3" squares and fill with walnuts or lekvar (prune) or apricot filling.

Just fold over 2 corners & pinch together.

Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes until golden brown. 

For the walnuts: grind as much as you want, add sugar to taste and a little milk to hold the nuts together.

These are great but very time consuming. I make about 300 for Christmas. Enjoy!!

CAROL MATTO KAYE

Bloger's Note:

Carol made Hungarian Cookies, if you are Interested in the Polish version recipe, search under Little Cakes or Kolaczki 

Holiday Snow Balls - Mary-Ann Makar

Recipe from a Church fundraising book (Ukrainian) 1960's. Recipe is by Mary-Ann Makar her recipe will live on for all of us to enjoy. 

Ingredients as follows:

•  1 stick of butter
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 c of ground walnuts or pecans
• confectioners sugar
• 2 tbsp of sugar
• 1 1/4 c. of sifted regular all purpose flour

In mixing bowl cream butter, add sugar and beat intil creamy. Blend in vanilla, flour, & nuts. Chill. Shape into one inch balls. Place on baking sheet. Bake 15-20 minutes while still hot, roll in confectioers sugar. Cool on wire rack. Roll again in the confectioners sugar.

Polish Little Cakes - Kolaczki - Kathy Syontko Szemcsak

My Mom, Sophie, always made these Little Cakes around Christmas and Easter in our home on Johnstone Street.

• Makes about 7-9 dozen Fruit Filled Cookies
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 35 minutes

All times are Approximates - Kathy wanted the times in to show that it does not take long to make them.

Ingredients:

• 1 (16-ounce) cream cheese, softened
• 1 lb.  (4 sticks) butter, softened
• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 (14-ounce) cans fillings of choice (poppy seed, apricot, prune, raspberry, etc.)
• Confectioners' sugar

 Directions:

Mix cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add flour 1 cup at a time and mix well. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. 

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out dough 1/4-inch on a surface that has been dusted with equal parts confectioners' and granulated sugars, keeps the dough from sticking. Cut into 2-inch squares. Place 1/2 to 1 teaspoon filling on center of each square. Overlap opposite corners of dough to the center over filling. 

Bake for 15 minutes or when corners start to brown. Cool and dust with confectioners’ sugar. If not eating in a day or two, do not put confectioners' sugar on it, wrap or store in tight container. Freezing is acceptable also.