Tahini in pastries was all the hype back in 2017/2018 but recently became a favorite of mine. I wanted to incorporate tahini paste not just in the filling, but in the dough itself. Turns out swapping tahini paste for oil does the trick, and brilliant none the less. And halva cream and honey nut filling is my new jam!
Happy Purim!
Tahini Hamentaschen With Halva and Honey Nut Filling
2020-03-07 12:30:10
Serves 50
Ingredients
- Tahini dough
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- 1/3 cup unflavored tahini paste
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 1/3 cup sugar
- 4 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Honey Nut Filling
- 2 cups walnuts (or pecans)
- ¾ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons honey
- Pinch of kosher salt
- halva cream/spread
Instructions
- In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix orange juice, oil, tahini paste, sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract until combined. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add flour mixture to wet mixture until just combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl when necessary. The dough should resemble creamy cookie dough. Divide dough into 2 flat discs. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 3 hours or overnight. If refrigerating dough overnight, allow to soften slightly, about 10 minutes, before proceeding. To speed up the chilling process, place dough in the freezer for 1 hour.
- Prepare the honey nut filling. In the bowl of a food processor, add walnuts, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract, honey and kosher salt. Pulse mixture three or four times, until walnuts are coarsely chopped and mixture is combined.
- Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Remove half of the dough from the refrigerator. On a lightly floured surface (too much flour will make your hamentaschen dry and flour coated), roll dough to a 1/8-inch thick. Using a 3-inch fluted * (makes for a fun and unique twist, although a plain round one works just fine) round cutter or glass, cut out as many circles as possible, and place on a prepared baking sheet, leaving a ½ inch between them. Re-roll scraps and cut out additional circles. If dough becomes too warm and difficult to work with, return to refrigerator until firm.
- Place 1 teaspoon of halva cream in the center of each circle, then add a teaspoon of honey nut filling on top. Using your finger, brush the edges of each circle with cold water (this will act as glue to help the corners stay shut). Fold the left side over on an angle, followed by the ride side and then the bottom, forming a triangle-shaped pocket. Press the seams firmly to seal. Repeat this process with the remaining dough and filling. Place prepared hamentaschen in the freezer to firm up for 10 minutes.
- Heat oven to 350°F.
- Bake hamentaschen in the center rack of the oven until lightly browned, approximately 15-16 minutes. Cool cookies on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- For a nut-free or additional option, swap nut filling for jam flavor of your choice.
- Swapping oil for tahini paste creates a slightly drier hamentaschen dough. For a cakier texture, feel free to swap the tahini paste for oil or butter/margarine. If using butter/ margarine, be sure to cream with sugar before adding other wet ingredients.
Notes
- I found a single 3” fluted round cutter at my local hardware and cake supply store. If you don’t want to order a set, check your local store to see if you have luck fining one!
KosherGuru - Bringing Anything and Everything Kosher to the Masses https://thekosherguru.com/
A graduate of CKCA, Sara Chana is a busy personal chef preparing gourmet kosher food. Sarah Chana has been featured in the Ami magazine, as well as a frequent contributor on betweencarpools.com You can see her work on her site www.shecooksthat.com on Instagram @she_cooks_that or contact her at shecooksthat@gmail.com
