Rainbow Tahini Cheesecake Hamantaschen
An irresistibly short, crumbly cookie with creamy tahini cheesecake filling in whimsical colors made possible by vibrant superfoods (beet, spirulina, ube, etc.).
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp Tahini
- 8 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 stick + 1½ tsp unsalted butter (the best quality you can get, because it will flavor your shortbread cookie base), at room temperature, cubed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ⅛ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 egg yolks
- 2¼ cups flour, sifted
- 2 dashes kosher salt
- 2 Tbsp milk, to brush onto the sides before baking
- 1 tsp pink pitaya (dragonfruit) powder, sifted through a sieve
- 1 tsp carrot powder, sifted through a sieve
- ¼ tsp beet powder, sifted through a sieve
- ⅛ tsp turmeric
- 1 small bunch parsley (3-4 stems with leaves)
- ½ cup water
- ⅛ tsp blue spirulina powder
- ½ tsp ube (purple sweet potato) powder
Instructions
- Add the egg yolks, stick of butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar to a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer on medium for about 30 seconds to a minute. Add the flour and a dash of kosher salt and combine using a spatula until it forms a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap or beeswax cloths and place in the refrigerator for an hour (or up to 5 days) to chill.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, remaining butter, granular sugar, and a dash of salt on medium-low until combined. Add the tahini and beat again until combined. Portion the filling mixture into 6 small bowls.
- In a blender, blend the parsley with the water until pureed. Pour into a small bowl. Add the pink pitaya powder to one of the filling bowls and stir until combined to a pretty pink. Take the next small filling bowl and add the carrot and beet powders, and stir well to make the orange filling. Repeat this with the turmeric, blue spirulina, and ube (or purple sweet potato) powders to make the yellow, blue, and purple fillings. Take the last small filling bowl, and add a small amount of the pureed parsley using a toothpick. Stir well, and add more if you want more pigment. Repeat this process little by little until you reach your desired shade of green.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the cookie dough from the refrigerator. Section the dough ball into 4 pieces and roll one out using a rolling pin. Using a 2½-3" round cookie cutter, cut out round pieces of dough. Repeat this with the rest of the dough.
- Add ½ tsp of one filling to the middle of each cookie and then lift up 3 sides and pinch the corners, forming the hamantaschen. Repeat this process using all of the fillings and cookies.
- Arrange your hamantaschen onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet (they will only expand slightly, so while you don't want to crowd them, you also don't need to give them tons of wiggle room). Brush milk onto cookie sides and corners. Bake for 8 minutes, or until the corners begin to turn golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes before serving.