I like to call these beautiful hamentashen…Royal hamentashen! Not only did I make royal icing to decorate the tashen with, but it IS Purim time after all and Queen Esther was…royalty!

For these royal hamentashen, I decided to make minis! It was a little tricky finding the perfect amount of filling so that the hamentashen didn’t open with jam spilling out. After the first batch flopped ( tasted great but popped open) I decided on 1/2 tsp filling in each triangle, and it was perfect.

Ingredients:
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup lemon juice
5 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup of jam/preserves
1 beaten egg

Directions:
With a balloon whip attachment or beater, beat eggs until frothy. Beat in sugar and then fold in oil, vanilla, and lemon juice. In a separate bowl combine flour, salt and baking powder. Blend both mixtures together, cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. * This recipe needs refrigeration or the mixture will be too sticky to handle.

Preheat oven to 350.

Thaw dough for 5 minutes, and sprinkle flour on your work surface. Use the rim of a glass cup ( I used a small jam jar), and cut circles in your dough.

Place 1/2 teaspoon of jam in the center of your circle. Use beaten egg to wet the edges of your circle.

Fold sides towards center and bottom towards top, and pinch. Place hamentashen on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 7-8 minutes.

* If you want to decorate with royal icing like I did, here are the tips. It’s very easy and looks stunning.

You will need:
1 cup confectioners sugar
1 large egg white

With a balloon attachment, combine with sugar and egg white in a bowl and beat on low speed. Turn the speed up to high and whip for 3 minutes. Drizzle back and forth over hamentashen and let dry. * Royal icing hardens very quick, so use immediately.

~ Recipe submitted by Hilary Goldstein of mywifethechef.com

These chocolate and raspberry filled pastries are decadent! The first time I baked them, the raspberry juices leaking out during the baking process leaving them to resemble bleeding hearts. (Which worked for me since my fam and I dressed up as pirates for Purim!) This year I dusted the raspberries in some flour before placing them in the chocolate, and they did not leak. Either way, they taste divine!

Ingredients:
1 sheet of puff pastry
1 cup of raspberries
Chocolate spread
1 cup of chocolate chips

Directions:
Cut out circles of puff pastry using a cookie cutter or the rim of a glass cup. Wet the dough with some water, then place 1 tsp. of chocolate sauce in the center of each circle. Place 1 or 2 raspberries on top of chocolate then pinch the side of the dough together forming a triangle. If you have trouble getting it to stick, wet it with more water. This will help it stick together. Bake in oven on 375′ for 15 to 20 minutes until golden and slightly crispy. Melt the chocolate chips and drizzle over hamentashen. These taste great once cooled off and given the chance to slightly harden, otherwise it’s a gooey mess!

~ Recipe submitted by Nina Safar

Ingredients:

Cookies:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg

Filling:
1/3 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper, or use non stick cookie sheets.
In a bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
In another bowl, mix butter with white sugar until fluffy, add brown sugar.
Mix in peanut butter until well incorporated. Then add vanilla and egg. Blend well.
Using a spatula or a wooden spoon, gently mix in flour mixture.
Shape dough into 3/4inch balls and place on cookie sheets.

For peanut butter filling, mix powdered sugar, vanilla, and peanut butter (you can use a mixer)
and shape into 1/4inch balls. Flatten each chocolate dough ball and top with a peanut butter ball. Wrap chocolate dough over the peanut butter filling so that it completely covers the filling. Roll into balls again and flatten. Bake for 8 minutes or until just set and surface is slightly cracked. Cool cookies for 1 minute before transferring them to wire racks to cool completely.

~ Recipe submitted by Kseniya of “The Midnight Baker”

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and sugar. Mix in egg substitute and vanilla. Then mix in the dry ingredients. Press dough flat onto a board. Use cookie cutters to cut dough into shapes. Place shapes onto a cookie sheet. Sprinkle with sprinkles, or press chocolate chips in instead. Bake about 10 minutes.

~ Recipe submitted by S.K.

This recipe is Vegan, No Bake and Kosher for Passover!

Ingredients:
1 cup almond meal
1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
2 tablespoons agave syrup or honey

Optional flavoring:
Add 1 teaspoon almond extract, or rum/brandy, or orange peel.

Coating:
unsweetened cocoa powder (I used raw cacao)
coconut flakes

Directions:
Combine ingredients in mixer until it forms a thick paste. Roll into small balls, cover in desired coating, and place in mini cupcake liners.

Makes about 15 walnut sized balls.

Tips: If using sweetened coconut flakes, use a little bit less honey; unless you like your macaroons sweet.

~ Recipe submitted by Kseniya of “The Midnight Baker”

Use the traditional fillings of mohn, apricot and prune or use your favorite flavors of preserves.

Ingredients:
3 cups flour
½ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 cup frozen non-dairy margarine
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons water

Equipment:
Electric food processor
2 large cookie sheets
Baking parchment
3 inch round cookie cutter
Rolling pin

Directions:
Combine dry ingredients in bowl of processor. Pulse processor three or four times. Cut margarine into tablespoons and add to flour mixture. Pulse several times until mixture resembles small crumbs. Beat egg with vanilla and two tablespoons water. Turn on processor and pour liquid through feeding tube. Dough will form in less than a minute. Add one tablespoon more water if mixture seems too dry. Scrape dough onto a sheet of waxed paper Wrap well and chill several hours or up to two weeks.

To Form Hamantaschen:
Allow dough to return to room temperature before rolling. Cover cookie sheets with parchment. Preheat oven to: 375 F. Sprinkle flour on a flat surface. Divide dough in thirds. Take one portion and roll out until it is about 1/8th inch thick. Cut into circles with cookie cutter. Place about 1 teaspoon desired filling towards the top of the circle. Fold over the top and two sides to form a triangle. Pinch corners together and place carefully on cookie sheet. Repeat process until all the dough has been used. Combine scraps and roll again to produce a few more hamantaschen. Before baking, seal corners by pinching them together with water. Bake 10-12 minutes or until hamantaschen are lightly browned. Cool completely before eating or freezing.

~ Recipe submitted by Gloria Kobrin of Kosher Cookbook

Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 Cup Ground Flax Seeds
1/2 Cup Quick Oats
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
2 Tablespoons Canola Oil
1 Tablespoon Unsweetened Applesauce
1/4 Cup Maple Syrup or honey
1/4 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Mix together dry ingredients first, then add applesauce, oil, vanilla, syrup and peanut butter.
Using a wooden spoon to mash together the mixture works best.
Drop by Tablespoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet about 1-2 inches apart.
Pat each cookie down with the back of a spoon.
Sprinkle with coarse sugar if you like.
Place into oven and bake 10 to 12 minutes or until bottoms are lightly golden.
After they are baked let them cool for at least 15 minutes. They will be soft out of the oven but
will become more crisp and chewy when they cool.

Tips: If using honey, cookies may stick to wax paper. To prevent this, either use maple syrup or bake cookies on metal non stick cookie sheet.

~ Recipe submitted by Kseniya of “The Midnight Baker”

Be the hostess with the mostest by owning a copy of “The Kosher Baker!” The Kosher Baker: Over 160 Dairy-free Recipes from Traditional to Trendy

I have a sweet tooth. Ok, that is putting it lightly. I am a sugar junkie, craving all things doughy and sweet – cupcakes filled with custards and jellies, topped with a thick layer of
rich frosting. There is nothing more satisfying than ending a meal with a slice of moist rich chocolate cake. I am the girl who makes chocolate chip cookies just to eat the raw dough. Brownie batter? That’s my drug of choice when I need an instant mood lift. When going out to eat, I would often choose a restaurant based on their dessert selection – naturally, my husband and I often found ourselves at dairy places! You can imagine my dismay when my doctor recently told me to avoid all things dairy while nursing my son. I can easily give up my pizza and Greek salad, but what about dessert?

Good news! Just in time for my non-dairy diet, I found “The Kosher Baker”, by Paula Shoyer, which contains over 160 dairy-free recipes! When I saw the photo on the cover of an Orange Tea Cake being drizzled with white icing, I knew I had found the bible of dessert cook books. I spent an entire Shabbat looking through all of the recipes, eagerly turning each page in search of my next favorite treat.

Not only is every imaginable dessert listed, but Paula has organized them into sections, such as “Quick and Elegant Desserts,” “Two Step Desserts,” and “Multiple Step Desserts and Breads.” This makes it a breeze to sort both by preparation time and how much you want to impress your guests.

Enjoy this tasty sampler for “Summer Fruit Galette” from “The Kosher Baker:”

* click to view recipe ->

“Summer Fruit Galette”

Serves 8
Storage: Store covered in plastic in the refrigerator for up to four days.

A galette is a free-form, rustic-looking French tart. You roll out the dough into a large circle, place the fruit in the middle and then fold up the sides of the dough to partially cover the fruit. You can combine any types of fruits you like that add up to 3 cups total to create your own signature dessert. This is a good way to use up some soft fruit you have around. I made three different flavor tarts when I spent Shabbat at my friend Elena Neuman Lefkowitz’s beautiful, brand-new house in Westhampton Beach, New York. She had not yet fully outfitted her kitchen with equipment so I rolled out the dough using a wine bottle. It worked surprisingly well.

Dough
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold parve margarine, frozen for at least 30 minutes and cut into 6 pieces
1 large egg, separated
3 tablespoons ice water, divided 

Filling 
3 cups fresh fruit: berries, or plums, peaches or apricots cut into 1/2-inch pieces, or peeled and thinly sliced apples or pears 3 tablespoons sugar 
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon sugar, to sprinkle on top of galette

1. To make the dough: Place the flour, salt, and margarine into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse 10 times or cut the margarine into the flour and salt by hand using two knives or a pastry cutter.
2. Add the egg yolk (reserve the white) and 1 tablespoon of the ice water. Pulse 5 times or mix gently by hand. Add another tablespoon of the ice water and pulse another 5 times or mix again. Add the last tablespoon of water, a little at a time, pulsing or lightly mixing the dough for 10 to 15 seconds until it looks like clumps of couscous; the dough does not have to come completely together. Gather the dough into a ball.
3. Take a large piece of plastic wrap and sprinkle some flour on top. Place the dough on the floured plastic, wrap the plastic around it, and then flatten. Place the dough in the freezer for 20 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 425ºF and place a rack on the lowest shelf of your oven.
5. Take a large piece of parchment and sprinkle it with some flour. Remove the dough from the plastic wrap and place it on top of the parchment. Sprinkle some flour on the dough and then place a second piece of parchment on top. Roll out the dough until it is about 12 to 13 inches wide, trying your best to keep the shape round. Peel back the top parchment and sprinkle some more flour once or twice while you are rolling.
6. To make the filling: Place the fruit in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together the sugar and cornstarch. Sprinkle on top of the fruit and mix gently. Place the fruit in the center of the dough circle and spread it outward, leaving a 2 to 3-inch border on the outside. Take one small section of the dough border, about 2 inches, and fold it over the fruit, leaving the fruit-filled center open. Pick up another 2-inch section of the border and repeat, pressing one section into the next to seal it, so you end up with dough pleats.
7. Beat the reserved egg white and brush all over the dough. Sprinkle with the teaspoon of sugar. Bake for 30 minutes. Move the galette to a middle rack in the oven and bake another 10 minutes. Let cool for 20 minutes.

Click here to get the bible of all dessert cookbooks and start impressing your guests! The Kosher Baker: Over 160 Dairy-free Recipes from Traditional to Trendy (Hbi Series on Jewish Women)

~ Review written by Nina Safar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Melt the margarine. Add in egg and vanilla extract. Mix well. In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients up until and including the salt. Next, add in the liquid mixture and mix well. Next, stir in Rice Krispies and chocolate chips. Scoop out about a tablespoon sized mound of cookie dough and place them on a cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes. Makes about 30 cookies. These cookies freeze well; you can freeze them in an airtight container with layers separated by wax paper.

~ Recipe submitted by S.K.

They taste like regular choc chip cookies, they are Amazing!! (Please note the following recipe is gebrokts)

Ingredients:
1 cup cake meal
2 Tbsp potato starch
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Mix all ingredients except for chocolate chips by hand (kneading it). Then knead in
chocolate chips.
Roll the dough into small walnut sized balls and place on a cookie sheet. Then, flatten the
balls with the palm of your hand.
Bake on 375 for about 12 minutes or until golden brown.
Makes 30 small cookies.

~ Recipe submitted by S.K.