Hamantaschen With Chocolate Dough

Cut the butter into small chunks and place in a large bowl with the sugars. Using a stand mixer or handheld electric beaters, cream together the butter and sugars.

Add the egg and vanilla and continue beating until light and fluffy - about 1 minute more. Set aside.

In another bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt.

Add the flour to the butter mixture and beat on low until the ingredients are well-mixed and the dough begins to gather into a ball.

With clean, dry hands, knead the dough briefly in the bowl, then form into a disk. Wrap the dough in plastic or parchment and chill for at least 15 minutes.

While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 350 F/180 C. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Divide the dough into quarters. Shape 1 piece into a flat disk, and place it between 2 pieces of parchment or wax paper on a hard, flat work surface. Roll out the dough until it is about 1/8-inch thick. Remove the top sheet of parchment and set aside to use when rolling out the rest of the dough.

Using a demitasse cup or small round cutter, cut out as many dough circles as possible, and transfer them to the parchment-lined baking sheets. Repeat with the remaining dough, gathering and re-rolling any scraps to yield as many circles as possible.

Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon of your favorite filling onto the center of each round (more if you cut larger dough circles).

Gently fold up the sides of the dough to partially cover the filling and form a triangle shape. Pinch the corners of the dough together to seal.

Bake the hamantaschen in the preheated oven until firm, about 10 to 12 minutes.

Remove from the oven and transfer the hamantaschen to a wire rack to cool.

Serve and enjoy!