Pineapple Hamantaschen

Directions

1. For the Pineapple Jam
2. Peel, core, and dice the pineapple into 1/2” chunks. Add the chunks to a small sauce pot with the water, sugar, optional rum and fresh lime juice
3. Bring the mixture to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. Allow to simmer over medium heat until the liquid reduces to a syrup, about 45 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature before using.

1. For the Cookie Dough
2. While the jam cools, make the dough. In the bowl of a standing mixer with the paddle attachment cream the butter with the sugar, egg, vanilla, zest and salt until amalgamated.
3. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the baking powder and flour. Mix until there are no streaks of flour left. It’s ok if the dough looks slightly crumbly, as long as it holds together when you squeeze a clump of it.
4. Dump the flour into a work surface and bring it together into a ball with your hands. Pat it down into a disc and wrap in plastic. Allow the dough to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before using.
5. After the dough has rested, cut the disk in half. Keep the unused half in the refrigerator while you roll out the remaining dough.
6. Roll out the dough between two pieces of parchment paper sprinkled lightly with flour until it reaches a thickness of 1/8”. Using a 3” round cutter, cut as many circles as you can. Transfer to a cookie sheet lined with parchment, and re-roll the dough around punch out as many circles as you can. I was able to cut 30 total from the dough, about 15 from each half piece of dough.
7. Preheat your oven to 375. Dollop a heaping teaspoon of your cooled pineapple jam in the center of each round. Pinch one corner of the dough together, pressing lightly to adhere. Fold up the side opposite to the corner you just made, and pinch together the two other sides. You should have a triangular shaped cookie with the jam in the center.
8. After you’ve formed all your hamantaschen, bake your trays of cookies, one at a time on a rack in the center of the oven for 8-10 mins. The tops of the cookies should be golden brown, the sides may be slightly lighter in color, and that’s ok.
9. The cookies are delicious warm or cooled and are best eaten the day they’re made. They will, however, keep for up to 2 days in an airtight container. If your jam was cooked down properly it should not sog out the dough too badly.
10. Let me know if you baked and loved these in the comments!