Earl Grey and Apricot Hamantaschen

Sharon Martinenko

Danties Cookies

EARL GREY APRICOT FILLING ②

6 ounces (170g) dried apricots, coarsely chopped (about 1 rounded cup)

3 tablespoons honey (2.3 oz / 64g)

2 Earl Grey tea bags

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (0.5 oz / 15g)

DOUGH AND ASSEMBLY

12 tablespoons unsalted butter (6 oz / 170g), cut into ½-inch pieces, at room temperature

4 ounces (113g) cream cheese, cut into ½-inch pieces, at room temperature

½ cup powdered sugar (2.1 oz / 60g)

1 large egg yolk (0.6 oz / 16g)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest

½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt

1 teaspoon baking powder (0.14 oz / 4g)

2 cups all-purpose flour (9.2 oz /260g), plus more for rolling out

1 large egg, beaten

Poppy seeds and demerara sugar, for sprinkling the top

Make the filling: In a medium saucepan, bring 2 cups of water (16 oz / 454g) to a boil. Remove from the heat and add the apricots, honey, and tea bags and let the mixture steep uncovered for 10 minutes. Remove the tea bags and set the mixture over medium heat. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to cook at a gentle simmer, stirring and mashing the apricots often with the back of a wooden spoon or a potato masher, until you have a thick paste that doesn’t immediately cover the line left by the spoon as you scrape it across the bottom of the pan, 25 to 30 minutes (the thicker the filling, the less likely the hamantaschen will be to open up during baking). Remove from the heat and scrape the apricot mixture into a heatproof glass measuring cup. You should have between 1 and 1¼ cups-a bit less is fine, but if you have more than an extra tablespoon or two, return it to the saucepan and cook it a bit longer. Stir in the lemon zest and juice. Let cool completely, then cover and refrigerate until you’re ready to fill the cookies.

Make and chill the dough: In a food processor, combine the butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, egg yolk, vanilla, and lemon zest and process in long pulses, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice, until the mixture is smooth and creamy, about 20 pulses total. Scrape down the sides and add the salt, baking powder, and 2 cups flour. Pulse until a dough forms around the blade, about 10 pulses. Divide the dough in half, wrap each half in plastic, and press into a ¾-inch-thick rectangle. Refrigerate until the dough is firm, at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.

Preheat the oven and prepare the baking sheets: Arrange an oven rack in the center position and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Roll out and cut the dough: Remove one piece of dough from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes to soften slightly, then roll out on a lightly floured surface, dusting the top and underside of the dough with more flour as needed, into a ⅛-inch-thick slab (any size is fine). Use a 3½-inch round cutter to punch out rounds, cutting them as close together as possible to maximize the yield. Place the rounds on one of the prepared baking sheets. Gather the scraps, quickly mash them back together, and roll out again with more flour. Cut as many rounds as you can from the scraps and place on the baking sheet; discard any remaining dough scraps. Space all the rounds equally on the baking sheet-you should have about 10.

Fill and fold the hamantaschen: Dollop a scant tablespoon of filling in the center of each dough round. Working one at a time, use a pastry brush to paint the perimeter of each round with a thin layer of beaten egg. Fold the dough over the filling on three sides to make an equal-sided triangle, leaving an opening about ½ inch wide in the center and pinching very firmly at the three points to make sure the dough sticks to itself. Repeat until all the rounds have been filled and folded into triangles. Brush all three sides of each hamantaschen with more egg and sprinkle with poppy seeds and demerara sugar. Transfer the baking sheet to the refrigerator and chill the hamantaschen, uncovered, for at least 10 minutes before baking. ③ Meanwhile, repeat the rolling, cutting, filling, shaping, and chilling process with the second piece of dough and remaining filling and egg, placing the hamantaschen on the second baking sheet.

Bake and cool: Remove the first baking sheet from the refrigerator and bake until the hamantaschen are golden brown all over, 22 to 27 minutes. They may open up slightly while baking, but should maintain their triangular shape. When the first batch comes out, transfer the second batch from the refrigerator to the oven and bake. Allow the hamantaschen to cool completely on the baking sheets before removing them from the parchment paper.

DO AHEAD

The filling, stored airtight and refrigerated, will keep up to 1 week. The hamantaschen, stored in an airtight container at room temperature, will keep up to 5 days. The dough can be refrigerated up to 2 days or frozen up to 1 month (allow frozen dough to thaw 24 hours in the refrigerator before rolling out).

① You can use a smaller cutter, like a 3 inch or even a 2½ inch, if that’s what you’ve got. Just remember to scale down the amount of filling and note that smaller hamantaschen might bake slightly faster than the larger ones.

② To save time, use your favorite store-bought fruit preserves or jam instead of making the apricot filling (recommended: fig preserves or bitter orange marmalade). Just be sure to pick a jar of something that is thick and concentrated, like a compote with pieces of actual fruit or a fruit butter.

③ Chilling the hamantaschen before baking them is an important step, since letting the dough rest in the refrigerator helps relax the gluten and makes them less likely to open up in the oven. One or two triangles per batch might unfold slightly, particularly if they were cut from rerolled scraps. No worries, they will still taste great, and you can consider them a perk for the baker. ③ Chilling the hamantaschen before baking them is an important step, since letting the dough rest in the refrigerator helps relax the gluten and makes them less likely to open up in the oven. One or two triangles per batch might unfold slightly, particularly if they were cut from rerolled scraps. No worries, they will still taste great, and you can consider them a perk for the baker.

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