What if I told you there are men out there who bake delicious sweets from scratch?! Would you believe me? Probably not, but you should, because two of our JDate guys baked hamantaschens for the office to celebrate Purim. And let me tell you, they got rave reviews. Good looking, Jewish AND he bakes? What beats that?

Below, we’re sharing David and Alex’s recipes that you can (and should) recreate for your Purim party.

JDate David’s Hamantaschen Recipe
For David, the best thing about hamantaschen is the many flavorful fillings. So for his recipe, he wanted to try different flavor combos to see which was the favorite in the office. While his list of delicious fillings is included below, don’t be afraid to try out your own. David nailed it with this Purim treat by ensuring that everyone could find a flavor they like (though the Nutella hamantaschen happened to disappear especially fast).

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup canola oil
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 tablespoons orange juice
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 4 cups flour
• Non-stick cooking spray
• Fillings of your choice: strawberry, raspberry, poppy seed, nutella, apricot, etc.

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, canola oil, sugar, vanilla and orange juice, beating after each ingredient is added.
2. Add baking powder and flour. More flour may need to be added to create workable dough.
3. Divide dough into quarters.
4. On a lightly floured board, roll it out to 1/4 inch thickness.
5. Use a 3-inch round cookie cutter or the rim of a cup to cut rounds.
6. Place a teaspoonful of filling into the center of each round section.
7. Roll up 3 sides and pinch.
8. Place on a cookie sheet coated with non-stick cooking spray.
9. Bake at 350° F for 15-17 minutes.

 

JDate Alex’s Hamantaschen Recipe
While David’s recipe is quick and easy, Alex’s takes a little more of a DIY approach to making hamantaschen. Instead of the pre-made fillings in the previous recipe, this one includes a poppy seed filling made entirely from scratch. If you want hamantaschen that taste just like your Bubbe’s, this is the recipe for you.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 cup sugar
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 6 tablespoons rose water
• 1 egg, lightly beaten as an egg wash
• Poppy seed filling (see below)

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the oil, eggs, egg yolk, sugar, zest, lemon juice and rose water until the mixture is smooth.
3. Gradually stir in the flour mixture until sticky dough is formed.
4. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and then flatten into a disk and chill for at least 5 hours (overnight is even better).
5. When you’re ready to bake, cut off about one quarter of the dough and return the remaining wrapped to the refrigerator.
6. Roll the dough on a lightly floured surface until it’s a little less than 1/4-inch thick.
7. Cut circles using a water glass or 3-inch cookie cutter.
8. Place about 1 teaspoon of filling in the center of each cut circle and then pinch one side up. Turn and pinch second and then third to make a triangular shape. Leave a little bit of the filling showing at the top.
9. Place cookies on parchment paper on a cookie sheet and brush with a little beaten egg wash to give cookies a little gloss.
10. Bake at 375° F for 10-15 minutes.

Poppy Seed Filling:

• 3/4 cup fresh poppy seeds
• 1/2 cup milk
• 4 to 5 tablespoons sugar
• Pinch salt
• 1/4 cup honey plus 2 tablespoons
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice
• 1 slightly beaten egg

Directions:

1. Combine everything except the lemon zest and juice and the beaten egg into a saucepan and cook over moderate heat. Stir often until thick, 10-15 minutes.
2. Add zest and juice. Take a bit of the filling and mix it into the beaten egg. Repeat, and then mix the egg mixture into the pot of filling.
3. Cool overnight. Makes enough to fill 2 1/2 dozen Hamentashen.
   Note: You MUST use poppy seeds as soon as you open them. They spoil very quickly.

(Adapted from Duff Goldman’s recipe)

 

Now you be the judge. Once you bake David and Alex’s recipes, let us know which you liked best!

Happy Purim!