Smoked Jerk Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese Hamantaschen
Ingredients
3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature [1 for egg wash]
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
2 & 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups butternut squash
1/2 cup yellow onion, minced
1/2 teaspoon smoked chipotle seasoning
1/4 teaspoon jerk seasoning
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1 sprig fresh thyme leaves
Salt & pepper to taste
1 small block of plain goat cheese
2 tablespoons tuxedo sesame seeds
Prep time: 3 hours
Cook time: 30 minutes
Total time: 3 hours & 30 minutes
Servings: 30 Hamantaschen
*Hamantaschen will last up to 4 days covered in the fridge.
Steps
Let egg & butter come to room temperature. Once at room temperature, cube butter into small pieces & cream together with sugar using a hand or stand mixer.
Once butter & sugar mixture is light & fluffy, add one egg, vanilla extract & orange zest & mix together.
Slowly mix in salt & flour until a crumbly dough forms.
On a lightly floured surface, knead dough until it is firm yet still slightly sticky to the touch. Form into a thick disc, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit in the fridge for 2 hours or until completely firm. You can also leave the dough overnight if you are making it in advance, making sure to let it thaw a bit on the counter the next day prior to rolling out.
While dough is chilling, make your butternut squash filling. You can use frozen, pre-chopped butternut squash or a fresh one. If using a fresh squash, peal the skin off & chop into small pieces. Steam butternut squash until cooked through & very soft.
While squash is cooking, finely mince yellow onion.
In a bowl, mash up butternut squash until it turns into a puree. Add minced onion, smoked chipotle seasoning, jerk seasoning, garlic powder, paprika, cinnamon, fresh thyme & salt & pepper to taste.
Once puree is mixed together, cover with plastic wrap & let chill in the fridge until your dough is rolled out & cut.
Pre-heat oven to 350 [F] degrees.
Take dough out of fridge & re-flour a flat surface. You may need to hit the dough disc a few times with a rolling pin to soften it. Roll out dough until it is about 1/4 inch thick. If the edges of the dough crack, gently reform it back together with your fingers.
Using a 3-inch round cookie cutter or glass cup, cut out dough discs for your Hamantaschen. You may need to re-form a dough disc a couple of times & roll it out to cut out more Hamantaschen.
Place about 1/4 of a teaspoon of goat cheese in the middle of each small dough disc.
Then put 1 teaspoon of butternut squash filling directly over the goat cheese, gently pinch the dough together in three corners, making a triangular cookie with the filling slightly poking out in the middle. You may need to smooth out the edges with your fingers to keep the filling from seeping out while baking. Continue this until all Hamantaschen are filled & folded.
Mix 1 egg & some warm water together to create an egg wash. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush egg wash on to all sides of Hamantaschen & then sprinkle the sides with tuxedo sesame seeds.
Bake Hamantaschen on a parchment paper-lined baking tray for 30 minutes or until cookies are golden brown. Turn baking tray halfway through baking.
Let Hamantaschen cool on a baking rack & then enjoy! Cookies will last up to 4 days covered in the fridge.