HAMENTASCHEN - Cream Cheese Dough and Cherry Filling
  by Amy Rabb-Liu

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Cream Cheese Dough:

 1/2 cup sugar
 1 cup butter
 1 cup cream cheese (tub-- not brick, not whipped)
 1 tsp vanilla
 1/4 tsp salt
 about 2 cups flour, plus more for rolling
 beaten egg 

In electric mixer, cream sugar, butter and cream cheese 
at medium-high speed. Add vanilla and salt and mix a little 
more. Add most of the flour, and mix on low-medium speed 
until dough is formed. Add just enough more flour while 
mixing, if necessary, if dough is too sticky. The result 
should be a very soft, somewhat sticky ball of dough. 

Sprinkle center of plastic wrap with a bit of flour; 
turn dough out onto the floured part of the wrap; 
form into a disk about 1 or 1.5 inches thick. Sprinkle 
top of dough with a bit of flour, fold rest of wrap 
over dough, and put in refrigerator. Chill for an hour 
or use the next day. Flour rolling surface and rolling 
pin well. Sprinkle a bit more flour on top and bottom of 
dough disk. Roll gently (don't press) until very thin. 
Cut rounds, fill, fold into triangles. Scraps can be 
rerolled once, maybe twice. 

Put cookies on parchment lined cookie sheet; brush top 
and sides of cookies (not the filling, just the dough) 
with beaten egg. Bake in preheated 350 oven until golden, 
about 20 minutes. 

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Cherry Filling: 

 Zest of 1 orange
 1/2 cup orange juice
 1/4 cup water
 1/4 cup lemon juice
 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
 sprinkle of cinnamon
 about 1/3 cup sugar
 2 cups dried cherries
 1 cup yellow raisins 

Put everything in saucepan, stir over low heat for 5-10 
minutes to soften and plump fruit. If fruit starts to stick, 
add a bit more water or juice. You are done when the dried 
fruit is soft and most of the liquid is absorbed. Let mixture 
cool for a few minutes. Put everything in a food processor 
and process until a you have a chunky paste. 

This recipe is flexible. If your dried cherries are sweet, 
use less sugar. If you have dried sour cherries, use a little 
more sugar. No fresh orange? Leave out the zest and use extra 
orange juice instead of the water. Think it needs some nuts? 
Try adding a handful of walnuts to the processor. You've got 
the idea! 

Besides putting this in Hamentaschen, try layering it with 
cream cheese as a filling for a turnover (heavenly!). 

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(These recipes are based on an article in the Washington Post from 2/28/96.)