Muffintaschen

Ok, I'm about to share a very unpopular opinion. Are you ready? 

I don't really like hamantaschen.

I’m ok with eating a well-made one that's slightly crisp around the edges tender on the inside, and a thin dough with a not crazy sweet filling. But honestly, I would just rather a soft chocolate chip cookie with some flakey salt on top (ok now that's what I really want to eat right now). 

Instead of making traditional hamantaschen this year, I thought why not combine the concept of hamantaschen with #MuffinMonday? The result is a delicious muffin that is perfect for Purim and will make a great addition to your Mishloach Manot and muffins are the perfect treat for a brunch seuda!

I took the idea that I had Chanukah time with Muffganiyot, a soft and fluffy vanilla-flavored muffin with a jelly filling to make these Muffintaschen all that had to be done was change the shape!

Just like regular hamantaschen these muffintaschen are triangular and have a hidden filling inside.  

These muffintaschen look very plain and simple on the outside, but as we should always remember it's what's on the inside that counts. And just like the story of Purim where the name of Hashem isn't mentioned and He is hidden, but still taking care of everything from behind the scenes, these muffins have a hidden treat inside. There are times that you might think that Hashem isn't there and that He isn't listening to you. It's important to remember that Hashem is always there if you just look a little deeper and look past whatever hardships you're going through and you will see that He has been there all along. Even during difficult times, He is there caring for and watching over each and every one of us.

Muffintaschen 

2 1/2 cups flour 

1 Tbsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt 

1 cup milk of your choice

1/4 cup oil 

2 eggs 

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup sugar  

1/4 cup filling of your choice - jelly, jam, caramel, chocolate spread, poppyseed...

Preheat your oven to 375°F/190°C 

There are triangular silicon muffin cups out there, but you can easily make your own triangle muffin cups with disposable aluminum muffin cups just bend them into a triangle. If you don't have either of these just make regular-shaped muffins which are still just as delicious. 

Coat 16 triangle aluminum muffin cups or a standard-size 12 cavity muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray or line with paper liners. 

In a large bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt. 

In a liquid measuring cup mix together the milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients along with the sugar. Mix until just combined. Make sure not to overmix your batter or else your muffins will be dense and chewy. 

The batter is quite thick, but don't worry you'll have a fluffy result. 

Fill each muffin cup about halfway with 1 1/2 tablespoons of batter place a small dollop, about 1/2 tsp, of filling in the center of each muffin cup then cover with the remaining batter. 

Bake for 15-18 minutes.

Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the muffin tin before popping out and cooling on a rack. 

To make these muffintaschen extra fun for Purim fold some colorful sprinkles into the batter. 

Yield: 16 triangle muffintaschen or 12 standard-size muffins