Oil-based Hamantashen Dough

A commenter asked me for an oil-based hamantashen recipe. Any kind of cooky-cutter dough can can work well for hamantashen. This one is from Marcy Goldman’s Jewish Holiday Baking, p. 249. Virtually all of the pareve recipes in this book are oil-based.

Bubbie’s Orange-and-Oil Hamantashen

1 cup sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup orange juice
Zest of 1 orange, minced very fine
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
Approximately 4 cups all-purpose flour*
1 tablespoon cornstarch (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

I’m summarizing the method; Goldman is more detailed.

Blend sugar and oil, mix in juice, zest, vanilla, and eggs. Fold in the dry ingredients to make a soft but firm dough. Cover with a clean tea towel and let rest for 15-20 minutes; you can refrigerate it for 2-3 days but warm it up before rolling.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees (180 C). Line baking sheets with parchments paper.

Work with half the dough (keeping the rest covered) and roll to 1/8 inch thick. Use a top of a tuna or soup can or a cookie cutter to cut out 3-inch circles. Fill with a generous teaspoon of filling, and bring the three sides or flaps together to form a triangle.

Bake until lightly golden (18-25 minutes).

Note: Israeli flour is lighter than American, so two cups flour in the US is about 2-1/4 cups in Israel.

I highly recommend this cookbook both for and experienced bakers.