Dough

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, salt, baking powder and baking soda.

In another medium sized bowl, add the sugar and orange zest and use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar until thoroughly combined. To the sugar mixture, add one egg, olive oil, orange juice, and vanilla and whisk until thoroughly combined.

Add the wet mixture into the flour mixture to form a dough. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to combine before kneading the dough with your hands. It will come together easily. It may be a bit wet - that's ok. Form the dough into two balls, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least a half hour or even overnight.

Prep Fillings

While the dough is chilling and resting, prepare your cookie sheet with parchment or a silicone liner. Prepare your fillings and wash. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Form and Bake

Take out one half of the dough at a time from the refrigerator and roll it out between parchment paper or on a well-floured work surface to about ⅛ inch thick - really as thin as you can roll it without it falling apart. It doesn't have to be perfectly shaped as you roll it, just fairly even in thickness.

Use a 3" or 2.5" round cookie cutter to cut out as many circles as you can and place them on a parchment-lined cookie sheets. Using a pastry brush, brush each circle with egg wash and then place a scant teaspoon of filling in the center. Cinch up the dough to form a triangle and be sure to close each corner firmly.

After your have filled and formed each one, refrigerate the tray for about half an hour. This ensures they stay closed while baking. While the cookies are chilling, preheat the oven to 350°F.

Remove the tray, egg wash each cookie and sprinkle a bit of sugar on each (egg wash and sugar are optional). Bake at 350 degrees for 18 minutes (check at 15). Remove and place on a cooling rack. Enjoy with a cup of coffee or tea or deliver to your friends in a festive Mishloach Manot basket.

For more info visit https://omgyummy.com/orange-olive-oil-hamantaschen-purim/

In the bowl of an electric mixer using a paddle attachment mix the butter, sugar, and lemon zest until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.. Alternately, use a bowl and a rubber spatula. Add in the egg and vanilla; mix until combined. Stir in the flour until just combined. Place the dough on a lightly floured piece of parchment, lightly flour the surface and roll the dough between ⅛ - ¼ inch thick. Place the dough in the refrigerator to chill.

Meanwhile make the filling.

In the bowl of an electric mixer using a paddle attachment mix the cream cheese and sugar until combined. Alternately, use a bowl and a rubber spatula. Add in the egg and vanilla and mix until combined.

Refrigerate until ready to use.

Heat the oven to 350F

Using a 3 or 4 inch cookie cutter, cut the dough into rounds.

Place about 1 ½ teaspoons of the cheesecake filling on the dough. Fold the doughto form a triangle. Place a cherry on top of the filling.

Place in the oven and bake for about 10-12 minutes or until the edges of the dough are lightly golden and the dough is firm. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Grind the poppy seeds, with a coffee grinder or a high speed blender such as a Vitamix. Or put the poppy seeds in a plastic bag and use a heavy rolling pin to grind them down or even a mortar and pestle.

Place the poppy seeds, almond milk, sugar, lemon juice and zest, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil on medium heat.

Turn down to medium low to maintain a low boil. Let it cook for 10 - 15 minutes. It will thicken up but still be loose enough to slide easily off the spoon.

Taste your filling for sweetness and flavor and adjust if necessary. Then take it off the heat to cool. It will seem a little too loose at first, but once it cools down, the texture will be just right. Place it in the refrigerator until ready to use. This recipe makes 1 cup of filling.

Optional mix-ins: Before you fill your hamantaschen dough or other poppy seed pastry, experiment with some of the other mix-ins, if you want. Start by taking just a small amount of the filling and just a bit of the mix-in (such as cinnamon, unsweetened cocoa powder, almond or vanilla extract, raspberry jam, or chopped walnuts) and mix together. If you like the flavor combination, then you can divide the filling up and make different combinations or add one mix-in to the whole batch. Start with just a little, you can always add more. For example: ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon for ½ cup of poppy seed filling, as a starting point.

More info at https://omgyummy.com/poppy-seed-filling/