½teaspoonbaking powder (use 1 teaspoon for pouffier softer cookies)
½teaspoonsalt
For filling:
1½cupManischewitz
6ozcream cheese, at room temperature
2½cupspowdered sugar
Instructions
In a large bowl with a hand or stand mixer, blend together sugar and butter together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Then add in 1 egg, orange zest and Manischewitz and combine. Then add in flour, baking powder and salt. Combine with hands or spoon until the ingredients are just combined and the dough is a uniform color. Dough will be slightly sticky.
Cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill it in the refrigerator overnight. You can also freeze it at this point for future use for up to 2 months.
To make filling, pour 1.5 cups Manischewitz in a small saucepan and simmer over medium high heat until it reduces down to about 3 tablespoons, about 10 minutes. Let cool, syrup will thicken as it cools.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a medium bowl, mix together cream cheese, powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon Manischewitz syrup with a hand mixer or spoon until combined. The filling should be thick. If it is dry, add a little more syrup.
Roll out dough to about 1/4 - 1/8 inch thin on a very lightly floured surface and cut into circles using a 3 or 3 1/2-inch cookie cutter. Add a heaping teaspoon of the filling to the center of each hamantaschen. Fold in 3 corners to form a triangle and overlap the edges to seal. Don’t overstuff, or your hamantaschen may leak.
Place hamantaschen on a parchment lined cookie sheet and freeze for 30 minutes to help seal the cookie so it won’t leak. Whisk the remaining egg with a tablespoon of water and brush over hamantaschen.
Bake 12-15 minutes until lightly browned on the bottom. Cool, and drizzle with remaining Manischewitz syrup.