This cherry filling was our absolute favorite for the hamentashen! A cornstarch-based pie filling has a thicker consistency than a regular cherry sauce, meaning your filling has a lower chance of leaking in the oven. The last thing we want is a soggy bottom. This recipe comes from My Baking Addiction, which you should absolutely check out!
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Here's my version, which I cut in half, but kept the original amount of almond extract. It's totally optional, but adds a nice zing! If you have leftovers, this cherry pie filling is delicious on toast and ice cream.
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Ingredients
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1 - 1 1/2 pounds of fresh or cherries, pitted
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1/4 cup water
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1 tablespoon lemon juice
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1/3 cup granulated sugar
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2 tablespoon cornstarch
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1/4 teaspoon almond extract - optional but excellent
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Instructions
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Combine all ingredients in small or medium saucepan.
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Set on medium-high heat and bring to a slight boil, whisking constanty for 10-15 minutes, or until the liquid has reduced slightly and has thickened.
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Cool slightly, then pour into jars and store in the fridge until using it. They can last up to 2 weeks in the fridge, but as with most delicious things, they likely won't last that long.
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These are the recipes I used for the hamentashen dough and the cherry filling! I will be providing written recipes here, but I will also be attatching links to the recipes that I used, as neither of them are originally mine. I highly encourage you to check them out!
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The cookie dough comes from Tori's Kitchen. It's perfect as written, and you should definitely try it!
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This dough is buttery, sweet, and can be filled with anything from the traditional poppy seed filling to sweet chocolate hazelnut spread!
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Indredients
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3/4 cup or 1 1/2 sticks room temperature butter (salted or unsalted - I prefer salted)
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2/3 cups granulated sugar
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1 room temperature egg
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1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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1 teaspoon fresh grated orange zest - optional
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2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
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1/4 teaspoon salt
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Instructions
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Preheat oven 350 degrees Fahrenheit, or about 177 degrees Celcius.
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Using a spoon, electric mixer, or stand mixer, beat the softened butter until creamy. Add the sugar and beat again until soft and fluffy.
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Add the egg, vanilla, and, if using, the orange zest. Beat until incorporated.
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Add the flour and salt and beat until a crumbly dough starts to form. Knead with your hands until a sticky, homogenous dough forms.
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Wrap in plastic wrap and store in the fridge at least three hours and up to overnight. Take the dough out at least twenty minutes before rolling, or it will fall apart and crack easily.
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Roll the dough out about 1/8 of an inch thick. Use a round cookie cutter about 4 inches in diameter to cut out cookies.
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To fold: place no more than a teaspoon of the filling of your choice (I like cherry pie filling best!), and fold a third of the dough over the filling, from the left to the right. Get another third of the dough and fold it over towards the middle, this time from the right to the left. The top of the fold should cover the top of the first fold. Finally, take the bottom open flap of dough and fold it up, tucking its left corner under the first fold and its right corner over the second. Pinch the edges lightly to keep the filling from leaking. There should a triangle of filling in the middle that can still be seen.
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Place on parchment lined baking sheets and bake for 10-20 minutes, flipping and rotating the sheets (if using two) halfway through.
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Let cookies cool, then eat and enjoy! Store once completely cooled in an airtight conatiner for up to a week (but they probably won't last that long - my family ate them in two days).
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