Hamantaschen

Method

• step 1

  To make the dough, mix all the ingredients together with your hands to form a dough. Cut it in half and form into two discs. Wrap the discs and chill for about 1 hr.

• step 2

  To make the halva filling, mix the tahini and honey in a small bowl with a pinch of sea salt. If it’s very thick, add a little water – take care not to add too much or it will become too liquid.

• step 3

  Roll out one of the pieces of dough on a lightly floured surface until it's about 2-3mm thick. It’s important to keep it thin or the hamantaschen will be too chunky once folded. Cut out circles of the dough using a 6 or 7cm pastry cutter – the smaller the cutter, the more hamantaschen you will have.

• step 4

  Smear about ½ tsp of the halva filling on each circle, and top with about ¼ tsp jam – you don't want any more than about a teaspoon of the two combined, or it will be awkward to fold and the filling will ooze out when baking.

• step 5

  To assemble the hamantaschen, paint the outer edge of a circle very lightly with egg wash. Take the lower left edge of the circle (if it was a clock face, it would be from 5 to 8 o'clock) and fold it at an angle towards the centre to make a flap that covers the left third of the circle. Next, take the opposite side of the circle (7 to 3 o’clock) and fold it up towards the centre, slightly overlapping the left side flap to create a triangular tip at the bottom of the circle. You should be able to see the filling in the middle. Finally, fold the top part of the circle downwards to create a third flap and complete the triangle — a small triangle of filling should be visible in the centre. Gently press the points of the triangle together to make them really stick. Ideally, you want the edges to be over the next one on one side and under on the other to create a pinwheel effect. Place the hamantaschen on a baking tray lined with baking parchment and chill for 20-30 mins to firm up. Repeat with the remaining circles, then with the second disc of dough and the remaining filling.

• step 6

  Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Bake for about 20 mins until golden brown – check after 15 mins that they’re not getting too dark. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.