Purim Hamantaschen (Stuffed Pastry Dough With Filling)

COOKIE DOUGH:

Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a large bowl.

Work in butter using a pastry blender or two forks, one held in each hand.

Add the eggs, mixing in with the pastry blender.

Add the lemon peel.

Form the dough into a ball and wrap in wax paper, and refrigerate for atleast 1 hour.

YEAST DOUGH:

Sprinkle the yeast over 1/4 cup lukewarm water (105u00b0F); add a pinch of sugar, and set aside until foamy.

Put 2 cups flour in a large bowl and add the yeast, milk, salt, and remaining sugar.

Beat in the eggs, one at a time.

Add the butter and enough flour to produce a dough that is moist and pliable.

Knead for 5 minutes.

Form the dough into a ball and place in a large greased bowl.

Cover with a dish towel and set aside to rise, 1-1 1/2 hours until doubled in bulk.

MOHN FILLING:

Combine the poppy seeds, honey, and milk in a small saucepan. Simmer for about 10minutes, stirring constantly; the mixture should thicken.

Stir in lemon juice, lemon peel, and raisins.

Set aside to cool.

PRUNE FILLING.

Cover the prunes with 1 cup water in a small saucepan.

Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes -1 hour, until tender.

Add the lemon juice and honey, and simmer slowly for about 10 minutes.

Stir in the nuts (if using) and let the filling cool.

LEKVAR FILLING:

Combine all ingredients.

NOTE:

All fillings can be made in advance and stored (covered) in the refrigerator.

ASSEMBLY:

Preheat the oven to 350u00b0F You will need 1 recipe dough, 1 recipe filling, and 1 egg, beaten with 1 tbsp water.

Divide whichever dough you choose into portions you can easily roll out.

On a floured board, roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch. The cookie dough rolls out best if rolled out between two sheets of wax paper.

Cut the dough into 3-4 inch circles, using the top of a glass or cookie cutter. Fill each circle with a heaping teaspoon of filling and pinch the dough around it into a triangular shape.

Brush the dough with the egg wash and bake on a greased cookie sheet for 20-30minutes (the cookie dough will bake faster than the yeast dough).

When the cookies are done, they will look appealingly brown. Taste one if in doubt!