Days 3 and 4 of Hamantaschenpalooza

After day 2 of my Hamantaschen bonanza I realized that I didn't really have a plan for which ones I wanted to make. I went over to good old Pinterest and lo and behold they had endless suggestions! After a quick check of my inventory I knew what to do. 

Day 3: Thin Mint Hamantaschen

Any Expat who lives in Israel can tell you that one of the most depressing times of the year is when all of your friends are getting their Girl Scout cookies in America, but alas said cookies never make it over here. Add that to the fact that most Israelis have an aversion to mint and chocolate and you realize that there really is no hope for Thin Mints ever becoming a thing here. So I had to take matters into my own hands and make Thin Mint Hamantaschen. 

It wasn't hard to find a recipe for these, seeing as Americans LOVE mint and chocolate together. It used to be quite difficult to find mint extract here, to the point that I would have to bring it in from America whenever I visited, but in the past few years I haven't had a problem finding it here. I asked the shop owner where I buy it why he started carrying it and he said that French Olim have asked for it quite often, so I guess I have the influx of French Aliya to thank for that. 

Anyways, back to the cookies. I had everything I needed so I made the dough. This is hands down the hardest dough I have ever worked with. I don't know what it was but somehow it was both dry and sticky at the same time. It would crack every time I rolled it out, yet it still stuck to the rolling pin. Maybe I should feel bad for all those poor little Girl Scouts slaving away to make thin mints. 

Big lump of difficult deliciousness

Either way I managed to make a few trays of it before I gave up and threw the remaining dough in the trash. 

I know it looks all easy and manageable from this pic but it's a LIE

Perhaps its only redeeming quality is the fact that it was DELICIOUS. Really tasted like thin mints and the cookie had the same texture as well. Unfortunately my students didn't share my enthusiasm and in true Israeli form turned their noses up at the thought of mint and chocolate. Oh well, just meant more for my friends!

Here's a link to the recipe: Midnight Mint Hamantaschen

Day 4: Homemade Strawberry Jam

Right now we are at the peak of strawberry season here in Israel. Berries in general are hard to come by here. I can't remember the last time I had a fresh blackberry, but strawberry season brings with it an abundance of sweet, juicy strawberries and dropping prices. This week I found myself at the supermarket looking at a mountain of strawberries for a great price so I jumped on it. 

Cute strawberry strainer courtesy of my friend Leora

I've been wanting to try my hand at making jam for a while so I figured this was the perfect opportunity. One small snag, couldn't find pectin. While Israel has come a long way when it comes to hard to find ingredients, it certainly still has a long way to go. I'm sure pectin exists somewhere in this country, but I didn't have the time last week to go on a quest. Luckily jam hasn't always been made with pectin so I found myself a recipe that left it out. This recipe uses only three ingredients: fresh strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice. The jam I made is not so much a jam as a thick sauce, though once baked in the hamantaschen it firms up a bit more. Its runniness led to some trouble when it came to shaping the hamantaschen so in the end I had to form the empty hamantaschen and then drip the "jam" into them.

Please keep the untoward comments to yourself...

Of course it wouldn't be a true hamantaschen baking experience if some of them didn't pop open. I used the same dough I used for the cookie butter hamantaschen because it's easy to work with and delicious. 

I am now left with an abundance of runny jam. Please comment with ideas for what else I can use it for. Seeing as I don't yet have any canning supplies I need to use it up quick. 

Here's a link to the jam recipe: Old Fashioned Strawberry Jam

I know that Purim has come and gone by now but stay tuned for the last 3 hamantaschen!!!