Chef Jeff Nathan of Abigael’s shares his recipe for Chef Jeff Nathan’s White Chocolate and Cherry Hamantaschen
Chef Jeff Nathan’s White Chocolate and Cherry Hamantaschen
Servings
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup Sugar
- 4 ounces sweet butter
- 1/2 cup cream cheese softened
- 1 cup flour
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup white chocolate rough chopped
- 1/4 cup pecans finely chopped
- 1/4 cup sun dried cherries plumped in brandy
- 2 tablespoons Sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- In an electric mixing bowl, fit with the paddle attachment, cream together the sugar, butter and cream cheese. Add in the flour, cocoa powder, salt and vanilla. Blend until just combined. Do not overmix. Add more flour to as necessary to prevent a sticky dough. Transfer dough to a lightly floured board and shape into a large disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes.
- Remove from the refrigerator and plastic wrap and divide into 2 portions. Using a floured board and rolling pin, roll each piece of dough into a 10” disk. Roll to a thickness of 1/4”. Using a 3” round cookie cutter, cut as many circles as possible from each of the dough portions. Fold up the lower third of each circle and pinch into place. Turn and repeat pinching until a triangle shape is formed. Place each Hamantasch on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- In a small bowl combine the white chocolate with the pecans and cherries. Sprinkle in the sugar and cinnamon. Toss to evenly combine. Fill each Hamantasch cookie with approximately 1 teaspoon of the white chocolate filling. Bake in a preheated 325 F. oven approximately 15 – 18 minutes until Hamantaschen are lightly golden-brown, or drier and crackly in appearance. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
can these be made ahead of time and frozen?
There could be a few reasons why you’re having trouble. * Depending on where you live, the altitude may cause need for the flour content to be adjusted. * There may be too much flour on the dough from rolling it out, which will prevent the edges from sticking. If this happens, you can moisten the edges with a bit of water or egg wash. * If the dough was overworked, it may need a little more time to relax to prevent it’s springing back. These are great treats all year round no matter what the shape! Work on it a time or two to figure out which is the best solution for you in time for next Purim.
I have tried these for 3 years and they are fantastic but theydon’t hold the shape. They all open up and are just a flat round cookie
Wow these look delectable.