It is that time of year when families get to practice their folding skills and make hamantaschen cookies. These delicious triangle-shaped cookies are one of our favorite parts about Purim. I knew I needed to create the perfect gluten free hamantaschen recipe for our family.
I include a special treat for anyone whose birthday falls over Purim, keep reading for a colorful surprise, my most unique hamantaschen!
If you love cookies as much as we do, you will want to check out all of my best gluten free cookie recipes on the blog.
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When we first went gluten free, we skipped making hamantaschen. It isn't that I felt intimidated...it was more I truly didn't believe a gluten free version could turn out very well. Way back when...there weren't the gluten free products out there that you see now. We couldn't buy a loaf of bread in stores!
After a few years of attending Purim carnivals and not eating hamantaschen, I realized my family really missed these triangle-shaped cookies. We hope you love this gluten free hamantaschen recipe as much as we do!
I tasked my daughter to help me create this recipe. Our first attempts were a bit of a mess."
Pinch or fold?
Do you pinch or fold the corners when making your hamantaschen? This has been debated for many years. I have tried both and I find we tend to pinch more than fold.
If you look at the photo above, you can see a few of the birthday hamantaschen opened up. I am not sure if it is because we left them unfilled because none of the jam-filled hamantaschen opened.
What is a hamantaschen cookie?
A hamantaschen cookie is a Jewish cookie that is made during Purim to celebrate the Jewish people breaking free from Haman, who was planning to kill the Jews in his kingdom.
Why are the hamantaschen triangle-shaped?
Hamantaschen are triangle-shaped to mimic the hat that the evil villain Haman wore.
Are you ready to make these delicious Purim cookies?
Instructions:
In a bowl, add your dry ingredients and whisk to blend. Add the wet ingredients to a smaller bowl and mix well.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well.
Mix the dough with your hands to make sure it is fully blended.
Roll out your hamantaschen dough to ¼ inch thickness. Use a biscuit cutter, or glass to cut out circles in the dough.
Fold up your sides. Slightly fold the sides over each other and don't pinch hard. For this flavor of the cookie, I am baking it plain so I can fill it with frosting. If you are baking jam or another filling in, add the filling now before baking.
How long do these cookies bake?
Bake on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet at 350 degrees F for 10-12 minutes.
What can you fill hamantaschen with?
- Poppyseed filling
- Homemade jam
- Jelly
- Nutella (okay, this isn't traditional but it is so good!)
- Lemon curd
More fun recipes for Purim:
- These gluten free cheese blintzes make a great breakfast for Purim morning.
- The whole family will love this gluten free matzo ball soup with dinner.
- If you need a great side dish, these brown sugar carrots are a huge hit with our family.
Unique hamantaschen idea!
Why not make funfetti hamantaschen? If you love funfetti, or if your birthday falls over Purim, you will have to make these birthday hamentaschen!! They are absolutely delicious filled with vanilla frosting!
This cute idea is courtesy of my daughter, who is always thinking outside of the box. She made these darling Gluten Free Funfetti Hamantaschen!
Why do you only make these on Purim?
These cookies are usually only made at Purim because they are part of the special celebration. They are a Purim tradition...that being said, go ahead and make them any time you like :-).
📖 Recipe
Gluten Free Hamantaschen
Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten free flour blend * see note
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- dash salt
- 1 large egg
- ¾ cup butter softened to room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 cup jam
- optional frosting and funfetti
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add your dry ingredients and whisk to blend. If you are making funfetti hamantaschen, add your sprinkles now.
- In a smaller bowl, add the wet ingredients and mix well.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350º F.
- Remove your dough and place it on wax paper.
- Roll your dough to ¼ inch thickness.
- Use a biscuit cookie cutter or glass to cut out circles in the dough.
- Pull each corner up to form a triangle-shaped cookie. Either fold or pinch the corners and add jam to the open center of each triangle-shaped cookie.
- If you are making birthday cake hamantaschen, don't add the frosting until the cookies are baked.
- Bake the cookies on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes until done.
Notes
- I have tested this recipe with King Arthur Measure for Measure GF, Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 GF blend, and Authentic Foods Multi Blend in this recipe. That doesn't mean others will not work, I just have not tested other flours.
- Make sure your butter is softened to room temperature.
- If your gluten free flour blend doesn't contain xanthan gum, be sure to add 1 teaspoon to your dry ingredients.
- To make this recipe dairy-free, substitute the butter for vegan butter.
- These cookies will keep up to 4 days in an air-tight container, or up to 4 months in the freezer.
Nutrition
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