Hamentaschen

1. Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer.
2. Add the sugar.
3. Cream the butter and sugar together for 3 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy.
4. Add the egg, vanilla and orange zest. Beat again for 2 minutes until obtaining a creamy consistency.
5. Add the flour and salt, and, using the flat beater, mix on low speed until a dough forms.
6. The kneading time should not be long; knead only until the dough has a good consistency and is smooth.
7. If the mixture seems too dry to form a smooth dough, add more water slowly, 1 teaspoon at a time, using your hands to knead the liquid into the dough.
8. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough into an ⅛ inch (3 mm) thick flat disc between two sheets of parchment paper and wrap everything with plastic wrap. Lightly flour the rolling pin from time to time to prevent it from sticking.
9. Place the dough thus rolled in the refrigerator for 8 hours.
10. Before starting to form the hamantaschen, choose and prepare the filling. It must be ready to use.
11. Preheat the oven to 350 F (180˚C).
12. Lightly flour a very smooth work surface.
13. Unpack the dough and place it on the floured surface. The dough should be very firm.
14. Use a round cookie cutter of about 2½ inches (6 cm) in diameter (or the edge of a glass) to cut circles in the dough.
15. Gather the remaining dough and roll it out again. Cut circles again.
16. Use the same process until the dough is used up.
17. Place a teaspoon of filling in the center of each circle. Do not use too much so as not to run the risk that the filling overflows from the hamantaschen during cooking.
18. Cover unused circles with a slightly damp cloth to prevent them from drying out during filling and forming the others.
19. Assemble the hamantaschen in three steps:
20. 1/ First, grab the left side of the circle and fold it towards the center to make a flap that covers the left third of the circle.
21. 2/ Pick the right side of the circle and fold it towards the center, overlapping the upper part of the flap on the left side to create a triangular point at the top of the circle. A small filling triangle should always be visible in the center
22. 3/ Pick the lower part of the circle and fold it upwards to create a third part and finish the triangle.
23. Pinch each corner of the triangle gently but firmly to maintain the shape. If cracks form in the places where the dough is crumpled, use the heat of the fingers to smooth them out.
24. Repeat this process for the remaining circles of dough.
25. When all the hamantaschen have been filled, place them on a baking sheet lightly greased or lined with parchment paper, and space them out.
26. Bake for 10 to 20 minutes or until the cookies are fully baked and light brown.
27. Start checking them after 10 minutes of cooking because the cooking time varies depending on the thickness of the dough.
28. Cool the hamantaschen on a rack.
29. When the cookies are warm, sprinkle with icing sugar (optional).
30. Store them in a metal box.

Poppy seed filling (mohn)

1. Grind the poppy seeds 3 times in a coffee grinder or spice grinder for about 20 seconds per batch, until they are fully ground and powdery.
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in milk, sugar, honey and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and the honey melts.
3. Add the eggs into the bowl of a stand mixer. Gradually add ¾ cup (200 ml) of hot milk to the eggs, whisking vigorously and constantly until all the hot liquid is integrated into the eggs.
4. Do not pour too quickly, otherwise the eggs will be scrambled. It should take about a minute.
5. Slowly pour the heated egg mixture into the remaining hot milk in the pan, whisking constantly.
6. Continue to whisk and cook for 4 more minutes over low to medium heat until the mixture thickens and turns light yellow. It is ready when it thickly covers the back of a spoon.
7. Remove the pan from the heat. Whisk the ground poppy seeds in the liquid mixture and mix well to combine all the ingredients.
8. Allow to cool to room temperature before use.

Prune filling (levkar)

1. Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan except the brown sugar. Stir and bring to a boil for a minute. Reduce the heat to low to medium so that the mixture simmers slowly and constantly. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring every 3 minutes.
2. Remove the cover. Simmer the prunes for an additional 4 minutes, stirring frequently, until most of the liquid has evaporated.
3. Stir well to make sure the prunes do not burn.
4. When the equivalent of about 3 tablespoons of liquid remains in the pan, remove from the heat.
5. Add the brown sugar to the prune mixture until the brown sugar melts and dissolves.
6. Mash the prune mixture with a potato masher until a smooth purée is obtained.
7. If necessary, mash the mixture with a fork to break up the pieces if they remain, or use a food processor.
8. Allow to cool to room temperature before use.

Chocolate ganache filling

1. In a non-stick pan, heat the cream without boiling it.
2. Turn off the heat and leave the pan on it.
3. Add the chocolate cut into small pieces in the cream and mix until the chocolate has completely melted.
4. Pour the mixture into a bowl and allow to cool at room temperature for about 3 hours, stirring every 15 minutes until a spreadable cream forms.