My siblings and I are different in almost every way: interests, appearances, professions, worldviews, you name it.
But there has always been one thing that we all agree on: our mom makes the best cheesecake! My siblings and I have all been living out of the house for quite some time now. So whenever we fly home, my mom makes it, no matter what. It’s the first thing we eat when we get home from the airport, day or night. And I really mean whatever time. I have gotten to LA at 2 in the morning and there was a cheesecake waiting for me in the dark kitchen.
The reason why we all love it so much is it starts with the perfect base, a doughy crust that never fully cooks. Then comes a perfectly creamy cheese mixture, covered in a golden layer of whipped egg whites. Once it’s baked, sweet sugar spots shine through the golden surface. I figured this would be a great dish to experiment turning into hamantaschen because it already has the right layers, just in a different form. In fact, I kept completely true to the original recipe, and I am glad I did! Though the dough opened up a bit more than intended, it tasted exactly like I imagined. To add my own personal touch I made a strawberry drizzle that adds a little pop of color and tastes great with this delicious Purim-themed dessert!
Print Recipe
Ima's Oven Cheesecake Hamantaschen
Instructions
Mix the vanilla sugar, sugar, orange juice, margarine, baking powder and 2 cups flour together and knead. Add the remaining 1/2 cup flour until dough comes together and you form a ball. Wrap tightly in Saran wrap and put into the fridge for 1 hour to overnight.
Mix all the cheese ingredients, adding more or less sugar depending on your taste. If the cheese mixture seems to runny add in a little more flour.
Remove the dough from the fridge and let sit 15-20 minutes at room temperature, so it will be easier to roll out. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Roll out the dough on a floured surface until it is around 1/4 inch thick, making sure not to let it get to thin. Flour the rim of your round cookie cutter or drinking glass (at least 3 inch) and cut circles from the dough. Gather the scraps, re-roll and cut.
Place the rounds on the baking sheet. Spoon 1 teaspoon of the cheese mixture into the center of the circle. Pinch the edges together to create a triangle, using a little water to seal the dough, making sure to really seal the edges well because this dough opens a little.
*If there is leftover cheese pour into a round tin for a crustless cheesecake or use a pie crust/Ghram cracker crust pie for a quick cheesecake.
Bake the hamentaschen and your extra pie at 325 F for half an hour until it is a little brown on top, checking on it often.
While the hamantaschen are baking, take the egg whites and a sprinkle of salt and whisk it using a hand mixer. Slowly mix in the sugar until it gets thick and forms soft peaks. Take the hamantaschen out of the oven and using a spoon or pastry brush, add the whipped eggs to the top of each hamantaschen. Put back into the oven for 10-15 minutes, until the eggs have become golden and sugar spots appear. Turn off the oven and leave the hamantaschen in for 15 minutes.
To make the strawberry drizzle, add the strawberries and sugar to the bowl of a food processor and purée until smooth. Transfer the strawberry sauce to a squeeze bottle or ziplock bag. When ready to serve, cut off the corner of the bag and squeeze some sauce on each hamantaschen.
