Matcha Hamantaschen with Ganache Filling and Colorful Sprinkles

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Ganache

1. 1
   Put the chopped chocolate in a bowl.

   Bowl
2. 2
   Heat the cream until just about to boil and pour over the chocolate and the cocoa. Wait a minute without touching.

   StoveSmall saucepan
3. 3
   Stir gently from the center outward, until you get a smooth, glossy cream.

   💡Stir gently from the center outward: vigorous stirring beats in air, and the ganache loses its shine.
4. 4
   Cool in the fridge about 40 minutes, until the ganache is as thick as a spread.

To assemble

1. 5
   Preheat the oven to 175°C (345°F) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

   ⚙ Preheating the OvenOven

   💡Put things in the oven only once it's reached temperature, after the heating light has gone off: an oven that hasn't reached temperature changes baking times, and the bake burns outside or stays underbaked.
2. 6
   Pulse the flour, powdered sugar and salt in a food processor with the cold butter cubes, to a sandy mixture.

   Food processor

   💡In the food processor the butter stays cold and breaks up into the flour without melting: the dough comes out crumbly, and you chill it before rolling.
3. 7
   Add the egg, yolk, vanilla and milk and pulse briefly, until a ball of dough forms.

   Food processor
4. 8
   Divide the dough in two and knead the matcha powder into one half by hand, until the color is even with no streaks.
5. 9
   Wrap each dough in plastic wrap until it holds together and chill 30 minutes.

   ⚙ Wrapping and Chilling the DoughPlastic wrapRefrigerator

   💡Chilling firms the butter and relaxes the gluten: the dough rolls out easily, doesn't stick to the counter and doesn't shrink in the oven.
6. 10
   Roll out the dough on a floured surface to 3 millimeters thick, cut out rounds 7 cm across and arrange on the baking sheet, spaced apart.

   ⚙ Rolling Out DoughRolling pinCookie cutterBaking pan

   💡Roll from the center outward and give the dough a quarter turn between rolls: this keeps it even in thickness and stops it sticking to the counter. If it springs back, cover for 10–15 minutes and try again.
7. 11
   Place a heaping teaspoon of ganache in the center of each circle, fold three sides toward the center, leaving a small opening, and pinch the corners firmly.
8. 12
   Sprinkle a little of the sprinkles over the exposed filling.
9. 13
   Bake 12–14 minutes, until the bottom turns lightly golden.

   ⚙ BakingOvenBaking pan

   💡Take the cookies out while they still look soft: they firm up as they cool, and long baking dries them out.

   💡Check by the cue (until…), not just the clock: every oven bakes a little differently.
10. 14
    Cool 10 minutes on the pan and transfer to a rack: the cookies firm up as they cool.

    Cooling rack