Basic Hamentaschen Recipe

3 large eggs

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil

1 teaspoon orange juice

2 teaspoons baking powder

3 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting parchment and dough

1 cup filling

1.  In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, sugar, oil, and orange juice, and mix well. Add the baking powder and flour and mix until the dough comes together. Cover the dough and place in the fridge for 30 minutes, which makes the dough easier to roll and with less flour.  

2.  Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment. Divide the dough in half.  Take another two pieces of parchment and sprinkle flour on one, place one dough half on top, and then sprinkle a little more flour on top of the dough. Place the second piece of parchment on top of the dough and roll on top of the parchment until the dough is about 1/4-inch thick. Every few rolls, peel back the top parchment and sprinkle a little more flour on the dough.

3.  Use a glass or round cookie cutter about 2 to 3 inches in diameter to cut the dough into circles. Place a teaspoon of the filling in the center and then fold in 3 sides to form a triangle, leaving a small opening in the center. Pinch the 3 sides very tightly. Place on the prepared cookie sheets. Repeat with the rest of the dough and re-roll and cut any dough scraps you have.

4.  Bake for 12 to 16 minutes, or until the bottoms are lightly browned. The baking time often depends of the type of cookie sheet used: cookies on darker sheets bake faster. Just watch the cookies until they look done—you do not want them to be brown on top because then they will be too hard. Slide the parchment onto racks to cool the cookies.