A hamantaschen that can wake me up in the morning??? Yes please! Sure, you can make these hamantaschen inspired by my favorite coffee drink with decaf instant coffee but why would you go ahead and do a thing like that?!? Instead, turn those beautiful layers of milk, vanilla syrup, espresso and caramel sauce into this glorious cookie. The soft and chewy hamantaschen dough, with loads of instant espresso powder, is filled with white chocolate ganache and drizzled with silky caramel just like a traditional caramel macchiato. So drink up!
I love those flecks of espresso granules in the dough. So pretty and they smell amazing! The perfect pick-me-up before you even bake the hamantaschen. I recommend drinking a caramel macchiato while you work in the kitchen to really drive home the theme.
This is my favorite basic hamantaschen dough recipe because it is flexible, rolls out easily on a lightly floured surface (so nothing sticks) and holds together while it bakes. You can add any fun flavors you want to the dough and the filling options are endless. Clearly today’s adaption has espresso powder in the dough and white chocolate ganache for the filling.
You can certainly use store-bought caramel drizzle and I promise I won’t judge you but I always go homemade when I have the time. I also make big batches of the caramel and freeze in small containers to use whenever I feel like adorning my desserts with this golden nectar.
Caramel Macchiato Hamantaschen
- Yield: makes 3-4 dozen hamantaschen 1x
Ingredients
Espresso Dough
- 4 sticks (2 cups) unsalted vegan butter or margarine, room temperature
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 cup dairy free whipping cream (such as Rich Whip)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 6 cups flour
- 2 Tbsp instant espresso powder
White Chocolate Filling
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup dairy free whipping cream (such as Rich Whip)
Caramel Drizzle
- Use store bought caramel drizzle or follow the “Artisan Caramels (NO CORN SYRUP)” recipe on busyinbrooklyn.com
Instructions
Espresso Dough
- In a stand mixer with the beater attachment, beat together the margarine and sugar on medium speed until smooth and fluffy then turn the mixer to low, slowly add the un-whipped whipping cream and vanilla extract. Raise the mixer to medium speed and continue beating until smooth.
- With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour and instant espresso powder until the mixture is completely combined and no flour can be seen. The dough should be very thick.
- Divide the dough in half, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Dough can be refrigerated for 3-4 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
White Chocolate Filling
- Place the white chocolate chips in a mixing bowl. Separately, warm the whipping cream in a small saucepan until steam begins to form on the surface but the cream isn’t boiling. Pour the warm cream over the chocolate chips and stir until a smooth white chocolate ganache is formed. Refrigerate the ganache to thicken.
Caramel Drizzle
- If preparing homemade caramel drizzle, follow the “Artisan Caramels (NO CORN SYRUP)” recipe on busyinbrooklyn.com then allow to cool slightly while baking the hamantaschen. If you have already prepared the caramel, warm in the microwave for 15 seconds to drizzle.
- To Bake:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Take the dough out of the fridge and let it sit on the counter for 10 minutes, just to warm it up a bit so it will be easier to roll. Lightly flour the counter and roll out the dough to around 1/4 inch thick. Don’t make the dough too thin or it won’t hold together while it bakes. Cut out rounds of dough using a 3 or 3 1/2 inch cookie cutter. You can pretty much use whatever size cookie cutter you want based on the size of the hamantaschen you are looking for!
- Transfer the dough rounds to a parchment lined cookie sheet, brush the edges with water then add a half teaspoon of the white chocolate filling and pinch the edges together to create a triangle. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until lightly golden brown. Transfer the baked hamantaschen to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Place foil or parchment paper under the cooling rack then drizzle the caramel over the tops of the hamantaschen. Allow to set before serving.
- These Caramel Macchiato Hamantaschen can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for 2-3 days. If you would like to freeze the hamantaschen in advance, don’t drizzle the caramel until they have defrosted and you are ready to serve.
