Banana Chocolate Hamantaschen

In a small bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. 

In a medium bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Add in the egg, mixing until it’s incorporated. Using a wooden spoon, mix in the vanilla and banana until you have a smooth mixture.

Gradually add 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. If your dough seems very soft and sticky, add 1 tbsp of flour at a time until you have a firmer dough that holds together in a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour, or up to 24 hours.

While the dough is chilling, make the chocolate ganache filling. Place the chocolate in a medium metal or glass bowl (you don’t want to use a plastic bowl because it will give the ganache a grainy texture).

In a small pot, heat the cream over medium heat until it reaches 110 degrees fahrenheit on a candy thermometer. You don’t want to heat the cream above this temperature because the cream will be too hot and split the ganache when you mix together the cream and chocolate. If you don’t have a thermometer, warm the cream until you’re able to test the temperature of the milk with your finger and not have to remove your finger from the liquid immediately. Pour the warm cream over the chocolate, and let it sit for 2 minutes so that the chocolate softens.

Using a metal spoon, slowly stir the cream and the chocolate until they’re combined, and the chocolate is melted. The ganache will look smooth and glossy. Let the ganache sit at room temperature for 1-1.5 hours until it has cooled and thickened. If you need the ganache to cool more quickly, put the ganache in the fridge for 10 minutes, stirring the ganache halfway through. Note that this will affect the texture of the ganache, making it slightly grainy.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Cut the disk of dough into quarters. Working with one quarter at a time, keep the rest of the dough in the fridge because this is a soft dough, 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 the beaten egg, and place one slightly heaping teaspoon of the chocolate ganache 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. 

Bake for 12-15 minutes until the bottoms of the cookies are golden brown. Remove from the oven, and let cool on baking sheets.

Repeat with remaining dough.

As the hamantaschen are cooling, make the chocolate topping, if using. In a small microwave safe bowl, combine the chocolate, cardamom, and coconut oil. Microwave the mixture in 30 second increments, mixing the chocolate between the increments, until the chocolate is melted. This will take about 1 minute to a minute and a half. If you don’t have a microwave, bring a small saucepan of water to a boil over high heat. Once it reaches a boil, lower the heat  and bring it to a simmer. Place a small heat proof bowl over the pot, making sure it doesn’t touch the water. Add the chocolate and coconut oil to the bowl and stir until melted. This should take about 2-3 minutes.

Dip one side of the cooled hamantaschen in the melted chocolate and sprinkle with chopped nuts.

Store the hamantaschen in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.