Purim Hamantaschen (Stuffed Pastry Dough With Filling) - cooking recipe

Ingredients

COOKIE DOUGH
2 cups unbleached flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup sugar
8 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
YEAST DOUGH
1 (1/4 ounce) envelope active dry yeast
1/4 cup lukewarm water
1/2 cup sugar
4 -5 cups unbleached flour
1/2 cup milk (or soy milk for non-dairy)
1 pinch salt
2 eggs
8 tablespoons butter or 8 tablespoons margarine, melted and cooled
MOHN (POPPY SEED) FILLING
1 cup poppy seed
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup milk (or soy milk)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1/2 cup raisins
PRUNE FILLING
1 lb unsweetened pitted prune, chopped (about 3 cups)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup honey
3/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
LEKVAR FILLING
1/2 lb prune butter (\"lekvar\")
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
1 tablespoon honey
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
ASSSEMBLY
1 egg, beaten with 1 tbsp water

Preparation

COOKIE DOUGH:
Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a large bowl.
Work in butter using a pastry blender or two forks, one held in each hand.
Add the eggs, mixing in with the pastry blender.
Add the lemon peel.
Form the dough into a ball and wrap in wax paper, and refrigerate for atleast 1 hour.
YEAST DOUGH:
Sprinkle the yeast over 1/4 cup lukewarm water (105\u00b0F); add a pinch of sugar, and set aside until foamy.
Put 2 cups flour in a large bowl and add the yeast, milk, salt, and remaining sugar.
Beat in the eggs, one at a time.
Add the butter and enough flour to produce a dough that is moist and pliable.
Knead for 5 minutes.
Form the dough into a ball and place in a large greased bowl.
Cover with a dish towel and set aside to rise, 1-1 1/2 hours until doubled in bulk.
MOHN FILLING:
Combine the poppy seeds, honey, and milk in a small saucepan. Simmer for about 10minutes, stirring constantly; the mixture should thicken.
Stir in lemon juice, lemon peel, and raisins.
Set aside to cool.
PRUNE FILLING.
Cover the prunes with 1 cup water in a small saucepan.
Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes -1 hour, until tender.
Add the lemon juice and honey, and simmer slowly for about 10 minutes.
Stir in the nuts (if using) and let the filling cool.
LEKVAR FILLING:
Combine all ingredients.
NOTE:
All fillings can be made in advance and stored (covered) in the refrigerator.
ASSEMBLY:
Preheat the oven to 350\u00b0F You will need 1 recipe dough, 1 recipe filling, and 1 egg, beaten with 1 tbsp water.
Divide whichever dough you choose into portions you can easily roll out.
On a floured board, roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch. The cookie dough rolls out best if rolled out between two sheets of wax paper.
Cut the dough into 3-4 inch circles, using the top of a glass or cookie cutter. Fill each circle with a heaping teaspoon of filling and pinch the dough around it into a triangular shape.
Brush the dough with the egg wash and bake on a greased cookie sheet for 20-30minutes (the cookie dough will bake faster than the yeast dough).
When the cookies are done, they will look appealingly brown. Taste one if in doubt!