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1
In a bowl with a pastry blender or in a food processor blend or pulse flour, sugar, and salt to combine and add butter and cream cheese, blending or pulsing until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
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2
In a small bowl stir together yolk and vanilla and add to flour mixture, blending or pulsing just until mixture begins to come together (do not overmix).
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3
Gather dough into a ball and flatten into a disk.
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4
Chill dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.
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5
Preheat oven to 375 F.
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6
Halve dough.
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7
On a lightly floured cool surface knead half of dough (keeping other half wrapped and chilled) 2 or 3 times to make it less crumbly.
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8
Roll out dough 1/4 inch thick and with a 3-inch cutter cut out as many rounds as possible.
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9
Transfer rounds with a metal spatula to a large baking sheet, arranging about 1/2 inch apart.
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10
Reroll scraps and cut out more rounds.
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11
Put 1 teaspoon filling in center of each round and fold up edges to form triangular cookies resembling a tricornered hat, pinching corners together and leaving filling exposed.
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12
(Pinch dough tightly enough so seams are no longer visible and sides are taut enough to prevent cookies from leaking filling as they bake.)
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13
Bake hamantaschen in middle of oven 20 minutes, or until pale golden.
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14
Cool hamantaschen on baking sheet 5 minutes and transfer to racks to cool completely.
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15
Make more hamantaschen with remaining dough and filling in same manner.
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16
Hamantaschen keep in an airtight container at room temperature 5 days.
