Apricot Hamantaschen

Buttery, citrus-scented cookie triangles folded around a tangy apricot filling. Chew a few Richberry halves first and the tart apricot tastes even sweeter.

Total time: 9 hr 30 min
Servings: 30
Difficulty: Medium

Apricot hamantaschen — Sweet moments, naturally.

Ingredients

Apricot filling

1 ¼ cups (7 oz) dried apricots, preferably Turkish
2 tbsp honey

Dough

2 cups (262 g) all-purpose flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter or margarine, chilled
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1 tsp finely grated orange zest
1 large egg, lightly beaten
¾ cup (156 g) sugar

Directions

Make the apricot filling.
Cover the apricots with water in a small saucepan, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Purée them with 1 tbsp of the cooking water (up to 3 tbsp if needed) until very smooth. Cool, cover and refrigerate overnight or up to 3 days.
Make the dough.
Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt, grate in the cold butter, add both zests and rub together until it looks like coarse cornmeal. Knead in the egg for 1 to 2 minutes until smooth. Press into a flat rectangle, wrap tightly and chill overnight or up to 3 days.
Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C).
Set racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and line 2 baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats. Let the dough sit out for 10 minutes.
Roll and cut the rounds.
On a lightly floured surface, roll half the dough to an even ⅛ inch, brush off excess flour and cut 3-inch rounds; chill each full sheet while you work. Repeat with the rest, then re-roll the scraps for 26 to 36 rounds in all.
Fill and fold.
Pipe about 1 ½ tsp filling onto the centre of each round. Fold up three sides, overlapping the corners, to form a triangle; there's no need to pinch the edges.
Bake and cool.
Space the cookies 2 inches apart and bake for 6 minutes, then rotate the sheets and bake 5 to 10 minutes more, until the edges are golden. Cool on the sheets for 2 minutes, then move to a rack.

Best at room temperature. Crispest on baking day; they keep up to 3 days in a sealed container.

Before you indulge

Use Miracle Berry

Just before eating, take 2–3 freeze-dried halves. Chew gently and let them linger for about 30 seconds.

Discard any pit if necessary.

Calorie savings

2 tbsp honey + ¾ cup (156 g) sugar = 709 calories

Good to know

Miraculin, the natural protein in miracle berry, can make sour foods like lemon taste sweet without adding sugar. For the best results, take 1–2 halves and follow the directions on your pack.

Tangy turns sweet. More possibilities.