Make this gluten free Hamantaschen recipe for a delicious, crisp cookie for Purim this year. This is a super simple, jam-filled recipe that has special meaning because of the story that goes with it. The kids will love both!
More Special Holiday Treats
Paleo Winnie the Pooh Day Cake
Sourdough Colomba Pasquale (Italian Easter Dove Bread)
Best Flour & Jam Gluten for Free Hamantaschen Recipe
You can make this same recipe with organic white flour, but the gluten free flour makes the edges crispy and the cookies light.
The absolute best gluten free flour in my experience is Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1, which you can replace in a regular flour recipe at a 1-to-1 ratio. Hence the name of the flour.
- If you’d prefer to make your own gluten free flour mix, try this one from Little House Living that includes brown rice flour.
We iterate this later so you don’t forget, but it’s important to use very firm jam for any jam-filled cookies like Hamantaschen. Homemade jams are great because you get to craft the flavors yourself.
However, store-bought jam will work wonderfully, too.
Hamantaschen Story for Purim
My family isn’t Jewish but we have a great time celebrating Purim every year. We tell the story of Esther while the kids listen for Haman’s name to boo and hiss. Munching on these gluten free Hamantaschen cookies makes the celebration even more fun.
What’s the story of Purim? Here’s a snippet from our book, Homestead Holidays, to explain:
Purim, or the Feast of Lots, is a celebration based on a story that begins clear back in 4th century Persia (modern-day Iran). King Ahasuerus had just rid himself of his wife, Queen Vashti, for refusing to come to him when called.
“So, this rather mercurial, newly single king decided to host a kind of beauty pageant to find his next bride. A Jewish lady named Esther caught his eye because of her fair face and kind manner.
“So, he ‘invited’ her to come to be his queen. Her uncle, a Jewish steward in the king’s house named Mordecai, counseled Esther to keep her religion hidden for fear the king might be displeased.”
The ensuing story involves a bitter disbute between mordecai and the king’s wicked servant named Haman. It gets so bad that Haman manipulates the king into exterminating all the Jews (Esther’s own people).
To make a long story shorter, Esther uses her wits and faith to trap Haman with his own snare, her people are saved, and the wicked Haman is dispatched.
How to Use the Story
From Homestead Holidays again,
In our times, Jews celebrate Purim in a myriad of ways. The most basic is to listen to the reading of the Book of Esther, called the Megillah (me-GEE-la).
“During the reading, it’s customary to make a lot of noise to drown out the evil Haman’s name whenever it comes up. The audience can either holler and hiss or use noisemakers to show their displeasure at hearing his name.
“…Any time we can mimic Esther’s resourcefulness and heroism, we are also celebrating Purim in our own way. In fact, one of the reasons we love Purim is because it celebrates the strength and resilience of the human spirit even when under the direst of circumstances.”
Grab your own copy of the book below for help with holiday celebrations or homeschool unit studies. The book is available electronically here at Homestead Lady or a print version can be found on Amazon.
Gluten Free Hamantaschen Recipe
Make these light and delicious gluten free Hamantaschen cookies for Purim this year. Even if you’re not Jewish, this is a delightful holiday to experience with your family.
- Tell the exciting story of Esther and the evil Haman while munching this homemade holiday treat.
Gluten Free Hamantaschen Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Butter, Softened
- 3/4 Cup Raw Sugar
- 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
- 2 Eggs, Room Temperature
- 3 Cups Bob's 1-to-1 Gluten Free Flour
- 2 tsp. Baking Powder
- 1 tsp. Sea Salt
- 1 pint Thick Jam
Instructions
Mix the Dough
- Preheat your oven to 350F/177C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Beat the 1 cup of butter and 3/4 cups of sugar until light and fluffy. Add the 2 eggs and 1 tsp. of vanilla extract. Mix until incorporated.
- In a separate bowl, mix the 3 cups of gluten free flour, 2 tsps. baking powder, and 1 tsp. salt.
- Add the dry mixture in one cup increments into the butter mixture until well combined. It will look like a typical, thick cookie dough.
Shape the Cookies
- Roll out the dough on a floured surface until it is about an 1/8” - 1/4” thick. (.3cm - .6 cm). Using a biscuit cutter or the rim of a wide mouth jar, cut out circles from the dough. Remove any excess dough and set aside to roll out and cut from again.
- Place 1 tsp. of your favorite jam in the middle of each cut circle. You can also use hazelnut spread, peanut butter, or even a piece of candy. Just be sure to not use jelly or any other sweetener that has a high water content or the filling will leak out all over the pan and burn.
- Fold up each side into a triangle around the filling by pinching to create three “corners”. Pinch firmly, especially at the top of the inside corner (nearest the jam).
- Place onto a cookie sheet with at least a 1/2” of space between - they’ll expand a little in the oven.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until slightly golden and crispy on the edges.
- Carefully slide the parchment paper off the baking sheet and place it onto a baking rack to cool and set up. The filling will thicken further as it reaches room temperature.
Notes
- The wheat flour version is more like a shortbread cookie in texture.
Gluten Free Hamantaschen Recipe Notes
Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Cream butter and sugar together, then add eggs and vanilla.
Because the dough has so much butter, it will feel a lot like shortbread dough.
Roll out the dough on a floured surface until it is about an 1/8” – 1/4” thick. (.3cm – .6 cm). Using a biscuit cutter or the rim of a wide mouth jar, cut out circles from the dough.
Remove any excess dough and set aside to roll out and cut from again.
Place 1 tsp. of your favorite jam in the middle of each cut circle. You can also use hazelnut spread, peanut butter or even a piece of candy.
- Just be sure to not use jelly or any other sweetener that has a high water content or the filling will leak out all over the pan and burn. Bleh.
Fold each side into a triangle around the filling by pinching to create three “corners”. Pinch the corners VERY firmly.
Place onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper with at least a 1/2” of space between – they’ll expand a little in the oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until slightly golden.
Carefully slide the parchment paper onto a baking rack to cool and set the cookies. The filling will thicken as it reaches room temperature.
Keep Them From Collapsing
Gluten free flour doesn’t have the strength of wheat flour, so be sure to pinch at that inside corner really well to combine the two sides of the dough into one structure. They’ll be less likely to collapse if you firmly set those corners.
- You may have some cookies collapse, but they’re still tasty, so no worries!
A Note About Texture
The gluten free version of Hamanstaschen has a slightly biscuit-type texture. This makes them flaky and crispy, which I love.
The wheat flour version is more like a shortbread cookie in texture.
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