Elaine’s Hamantashen (Hamantaschen)

Preparation

1 Cream shortening, butter and sugar together. Add the eggs and blend until smooth.
2 Stir in the orange juice and vanilla. Fold in the flour, salt and baking powder. Mix to make a firm but soft dough. Pat dough into a smooth disc, cover and let it rest for 10 minutes.
3 Preheat over to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Divide the dough into 2 or 3 flattened discs and work with one portion at a time.
4 Roll out the dough on a lightly floured board to a thickness of 1/8 “. Us a 3″ cookie cutter and cut as many rounds as you can. Brush the rounds with egg wash (1 egg plus 1 egg yolk whisked with 1-2 T water and a pinch of sugar).
5 Fill with a generous teaspoonful of filling. Draw the 3 sides together. Brush with additional egg wash.
6 Bake in the center of the preheated overn for 18 to 25 min. until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets.
7 Note: You can make the dough ahead of time and refrigerate, wrapped in plastic, for up to 2 days or frozen (either in the dough form or the finished cookies) for a couple of months. If refrigerating, allow the dough to warm up before rolling out.

Special instructions

I got this a few years ago from a friend who said they usually work well and they do.