Ingredients:
2 cups of flour
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup of white sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
2 sticks of room temp margarine
1 egg
1/2 cup of cocoa powder
Directions:
Cream sugar and margarine together. Add eggs, vanilla extract, baking powder, flour and cocoa powder. Mix together. Place dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour. Roll out dough and cut out circles using cookie cutter or rim of a glass jar or cup. Fill with 1 tsp. peanut butter. (I added some chocolate spread to some of them and it tasted great!) then pinch the corners together, forming a triangle. Bake on 350′ for 8-10 minutes. I kept them in for about 15 minutes, and overcooked them and they got really crunchy, but I like them softer so careful not to over bake them!
* Tips/Tricks: I originally had a difficult time shaping them since the dough was sticky. I kept it in the fridge for several hours and used extra flour when rolling it out. This made it easier to work with!
These came about by accident, as I had leftover taco meat from dinner and decided to use them along with some ravioli dough that I had in the freezer. I have used both ravioli dough as well as wonton dough for this recipe and both came out great. The dough gets nice and crispy in the oven which makes these taste like real tacos!
Ingredients:
1/2 pound ground beef
1 package of taco seasoning
I package of frozen ravioli dough pre-cut into circles, defrosted OR 1 package of wonton wrappers
Directions:
Brown beef, then add taco seasoning. Cook for an additional 10-15. While the meat cooks, cut out circles of dough if using wonton wrappers and place onto slightly greased baking sheet. (If you are using ravioli dough that is pre cut into circles, place them on a slightly greased baking sheet.) Wet the dough with some water then place 1 tsp. of taco meat filling in center of each ravioli circle. Pinch the sides together, forming a triangle. If it won’t stick together, wet it again, this helps it stick together. Bake in oven on 350′ for 10 to 15 minutes until golden and slightly crispy. Serve them with all of your favorite taco toppings such as guacamole, salsa and shredded cabbage.
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.
Caramelized onions, tomato, basil and goat cheese make these the perfect appetizer to serve this holiday. I had to resist eating all of them long enough to take the photo!
Ingredients:
1 sheet of puff pastry
2 tomatoes diced
1/2 onion diced
1/2 cup of crumbled goat cheese
1/4 cup of fresh basil diced
Directions:
Cut out circles of puff pastry using a cookie cutter or the rim of a glass cup. Saute the onions until tender. Add the tomatoes and cook for several minutes. Wet the circles of dough with an egg wash, which is 1 egg + 1 tablespoon of water. Then, place 1 tsp of tomato onion filling in center of each circle. Top with some goat cheese and basil. Pinch the sides together, forming a triangle. You might need to wet it with some of the egg wash to get it to stick. I had to sort of fold the edges over slightly, to keep it from opening up. Bake in oven on 375′ for 15 to 20 minutes until golden and slightly crispy.
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!
I adore Purim. Any holiday that encourages dressing up, eating large amounts of candy and drinking alcohol gets a thumbs up from me. I don’t like to eat Hamantaschen though. The three cornered pastry is a holiday treat and is traditionally filled with poppy seeds and various jams. Devouring it is symbolic of overcoming evil.(more on that HERE) I do like to engage in all the festivities and since I run a food blog, I felt it was necessary for me to bake some. I like chocolate and savory foods, so I came up with the following three versions that were in the spirit of the holiday but tastier than the usual selection.
