Creamsicle Hamentaschen Cookies (Printable)
Vanilla-orange hamentaschen with a creamy citrus filling inspired by classic creamsicle flavors.
# What You'll Need:
→ Dough
01 - 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
03 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
04 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
05 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar
06 - 1 large egg
07 - 2 tablespoons orange juice
08 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
09 - 1 teaspoon orange zest
→ Creamsicle Filling
10 - 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
11 - 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
12 - 2 teaspoons orange zest
13 - 2 tablespoons orange marmalade
14 - 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
# Directions:
01 - In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt until evenly combined.
02 - In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, approximately 2 to 3 minutes. Add the egg, orange juice, vanilla extract, and orange zest, then continue mixing until the mixture is smooth and well incorporated.
03 - Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until a soft, cohesive dough forms. Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour until firm.
04 - In a small bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, orange zest, orange marmalade, and vanilla extract. Stir until completely smooth and free of lumps. Set aside.
05 - Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
06 - On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled dough out to an even 1/8-inch thickness. Using a 3-inch round cookie cutter, cut out as many circles as possible. Gather scraps, re-roll, and repeat.
07 - Place approximately 1 teaspoon of the creamsicle filling in the center of each dough circle. Gently fold the edges upward to form a triangle, pinching the three corners firmly to seal and create the traditional hamentaschen shape.
08 - Place the shaped cookies on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1 inch apart to allow for slight spreading.
09 - Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the bottoms and edges are lightly golden. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
# Cooking Tips:
01 -
- The dough has just enough orange zest to perfume the whole cookie without overpowering the creamy center.
- That creamsicle filling tastes like summer packed into a triangle shaped winter holiday cookie.
- They disappear from the tray faster than any traditional filling version I have ever made.
02 -
- Under chilling the dough by even fifteen minutes will make it too soft to fold and your triangles will open up like sad flowers in the oven.
- Do not overfill because that teaspoon looks small but the filling expands and will burst through the seams if you get greedy.
03 -
- Keep a small bowl of flour nearby while cutting and folding because the dough warms quickly in your hands and gets harder to work with.
- Freeze the shaped and filled cookies on the baking sheet for ten minutes before baking and your triangles will hold their shape dramatically better.