Whether you have an egg allergy in the family or are looking for alternatives during the current egg shortages, this recipe is for you.

Ingredients

  • ½ cup butter or non-dairy alternative
  • ½ cup confectioners sugar
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1-2 tbsp water
  • Filling of your choice, such as strawberry or apricot preserves, prune filling or poppy seed paste

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
  2. Cream the butter (or non-dairy alternative) with the powdered sugar. Scrape down the sides of your mixing bowl, add vanilla, flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix briefly until dough begins to form. It will likely be crumbly at this point. Add the water slowly to help the dough come together in a ball. Dough should be soft but not sticky.
  3. Spread out a piece of parchment paper and roll the dough out. You can place a second piece of parchment paper over the dough, and roll it out between the two, to prevent it sticking to your rolling pin.
  4. Cut circles using a round cookie cutter (I used a 3” circle) or a wide glass.
  5. Note: without eggs, the dough is more fragile and needs to be handled more carefully.
  6. Place a small spoonful of filling in the center of each circle. Gently fold the sides and pinch closed almost completely—the center will open a little as it bakes.
  7. Carefully transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  8. Bake for 10 minutes at 350°F (180°C). Allow the hamantaschen to cool before removing from the pan. When they first come out of the oven, they will be very soft, but they will firm up as they cool.

Yields: 15 hamantaschen