Lime and Coconut Hamantaschen
For our last in-person cooking class before the pandemic hit, we hosted a hamantaschen making class – we’re counting down the days until we can be in the kitchen with you again. We spent the evening mixing and matching flavours of doughs and fillings to make a kaleidoscope of different combinations. One of our favourite were these lime and coconut hamantaschen!
The rich butter dough is flecked with lime zest, and its bright flavour is the perfect match for the sweet coconut filling. One bite, and you’ll feel like you’re on a tropical vacation!
Ingredients
Lime Dough
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon lime zest, from about 3 limes
3 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
Coconut Filling
100 grams unsweetened desiccated coconut
175 grams condensed milk
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
directions
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. In a medium bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add in the eggs one at a time, mixing until they’re combined and scraping down the bowl between additions. Using a wooden spoon, mix in the lime zest, making sure it’s incorporated throughout the dough.
Gradually add in the dry ingredients into the butter mixture until it’s well incorporated and you have a smooth dough. If the dough isn’t coming together and seems dry, add in a teaspoon of milk (dairy or non-dairy) until you have a dough that’s smooth and holds together. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour, or up to 24 hours.
While the dough is resting, make the coconut filling by mixing together the coconut, condensed milk, vanilla extract, and salt in a small bowl. Keep at room temperature if using right away or refrigerate until ready to use.
Before starting to roll out your disk of dough, let it sit at room temperature for about 30 – 45 minutes, until it’s slightly softened. This is important because if the dough is too cold, it will crack when you try to roll it out.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Lightly dust your work surface with flour to keep the dough from sticking, and roll it out until it’s about ¼ inch thick. Using a 3.5 inch round cookie cutter or glass, cut dough, and, using an offset spatula, place rounds on the prepared baking sheets. Gather the scraps of dough, reroll, and cut out more rounds.
Working three at a time, brush the edges of the rounds with egg, and place one slightly heaping teaspoon of coconut filling into the center of each round. Fold the rounds into triangles, pinching the corners to seal, leaving some of the filling exposed in the center of the cookie.
Fill one baking tray with hamantaschen and place the hamantaschen in the freezer for 10-15 minutes. This will prevent them from splitting open as they’re baking.
Repeat with remaining dough.
Bake for 12-15 minutes until the bottoms of the cookies are golden brown. Remove from the oven, and let cool on baking sheets. Store the hamantaschen in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
