Honey Walnut Filling For Hamantashen Recipes

GREAT-GRANDMOTHER BUBBIE'S HAMANTASCHEN

Steps:

• Place prunes and apricots into a large pot filled with water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Cook the fruit uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the fruit is tender, about 15 minutes. Drain fruit in a colander and mash together in a bowl using a fork. Set aside.
• Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Whisk eggs, 1 cup sugar, oil, lemon zest, and orange zest together in a bowl and set aside. Sift flour and baking powder together in a large bowl. Stir in the egg mixture, kneading with hands until the dough comes together. Roll out dough to about 1/4 inch in thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut circles out using a cookie cutter or the rim of a drinking glass.
• Mix prune and apricot mixture, lemon juice, walnuts, and 1/3 cup sugar in a bowl. Place a tablespoon of the filling in the center of the cookie. Pinch the edges firmly together to create a triangle, leaving the center open to expose the filling. Repeat with the remaining cookies.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.

ALL-THE-SEEDS HAMANTASCHEN

Steps:

• Dough
• Whisk baking powder, salt, and 1½ cups (188 g) flour in a medium bowl to combine. Set aside. Beat butter, cream cheese, and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium-high until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add egg and orange zest and beat, scraping down sides of bowl as needed, just until combined. Reduce speed to low and with motor running, gradually add dry ingredients. Beat until dough comes together and no streaks of dry flour remain.
• Divide dough in half and place each half on a piece of beeswax or plastic wrap. Pat into a 1"-thick disk. Wrap tightly and chill until firm, at least 2 hours and up to 12 hours.
• Filling
• Preheat oven to 325°F. Mix pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, ¼ cup poppy seeds, and ¼ cup sesame seeds in a medium heatproof bowl. Heat honey in a small saucepan over medium, stirring occasionally with a heatproof rubber spatula, until it bubbles and foams and turns dark amber (an instant read thermometer should register 300°F), about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in tahini and ¾ tsp. salt. Pour over seeds and stir to coat. Let cool slightly (you want the mixture to be as hot as possible since it hardens as it cools, but not so hot you could burn your hands). Working quickly, scoop out heaping teaspoonfuls of filling and roll into 24 balls.
• Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to a scant ¼" thick. Punch out cookies with cutter. Transfer to 2 parchment-lined baking sheets. (You should ideally have 12 cookies per baking sheet.) They won't spread, so don't worry about getting them close. Gather up and reroll any scraps.
• Beat egg with 1 Tbsp. water and a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Working one at a time, brush rounds with egg wash and place a ball of filling in the center. Fold sides of dough up to make a triangle, pinching corners to seal. Brush sides of dough with egg wash and sprinkle with more sesame seeds and poppy seeds.
• Bake hamantaschen, rotating pans top to bottom and front to back halfway through, until crust is golden brown and filling is puffed, 18-22 minutes. Let cool on baking sheets.
• Do ahead: Cookies can be baked 3 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

HONEY WALNUT FILLING FOR HAMANTASHEN

Steps:

• Combine ingredients in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat until very thick.