Hamantaschens

Photo Credit: Saraizel Senderovits

Purim is coming, and — following our age-old tradition — we will be eating hamantaschen.

Now, while hamantaschen have not gone out of style, prune and poppy filling just may have. Today you can find hamantaschen in more flavors than Baskin-Robbins’ ice cream! If there’s a flavor you can dream of, you can make it.

Every successful hamantasch starts with a great cookie dough base. What’s so great about this one is that all it needs is a bowl and spoon. For your fillings — use your imagination! See below for a few ideas.

Caramel Cheesecake Hamantaschen

YIELDS APPROXIMATELY 25 HAMANTASCHEN

• 2 eggs
• ⅔ cup sugar
• ⅓ cup oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2¼ cup flour
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 2 3-oz (85-g) pkgs J&J creamy cheese snacks (or any simple cheesecake filling)
• prepared caramel sauce

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla. Add flour and baking powder and mix until incorporated. Turn the dough onto your workspace and knead until nice and smooth.