Here is a traditional Hamantasch recipe in honor of our upcoming Holiday of Purim.

Gluten-Free Dairy-Free Hamantaschen

Every year My family and I look forward to baking these special jam filled cookies.  We have turned the whole process of dough preparation into a fun and absorbing family event.  First, someone rolls out the dough (we used a can last time for the rolling) A second person cuts out the circle shapes with the opening of a glass cup, while a third person puts in the center a dab of jelly (or chocolate chips). Lastly, a fourth person shapes the dough into a beautiful three cornered cookie. 

Afterwards, we hold our breath as the Hamantaschen bake in the oven and we  hope that the corners stayed down and the jelly stayed in place. Right, I should mention that after all of this, we do some very important taste testing 🙂

The original hamantasch recipe can be found in Beni’s Family Cookbook for the Jewish Holidays (on page 54). https://www.amazon.com/Benis-Family-Cookbook-Jewish-Holidays/dp/0805037357

This book was inherited from my Grandfather who was a bread baking blue ribbon champion.  I can feel some of his loving presence keeping me company as I peruse the whimsical pages and read the recipes.

Each recipe begins with a cute little narrative about the imaginary bear family and their extended relatives.  There’s the Mama and the Papa and a collection of Aunts and Uncles and cousins all of whom have a favorite recipe to share.

I have substituted the wheat for Trader Joe’s gluten free flour mix as well as some almond flour. As for the cream cheese that is called for, I took a risk and used daiya dairy free cream cheese.  Instead of margarine I substituted with filtered coconut oil (filtering takes away most of the coconut flavor). I used almond milk instead of the regular milk, and I added freshly grated lemon zest and squeezed lemon juice to the mix to brighten up and counteract the sweetness.

Ah, yes, speaking of sweetness; I will probably cut back next time a bit on the sugar as well.  I think that since we already have a sweet filling, the dough should have a bit of a different flavor profile to compliment the sweetness. Don’t get me wrong. It was still delicious and tasty and had a good texture in the end, but for those who like to have a more subtle layer of flavor and have less of a sweet tooth, I definitely think a bit less sugar is the way to go!

After all is said and done, you probably wouldn’t be able to recognize the original recipe at all, but I have to give credit to the original inspiration which served as a solid base to work off of.

Ingredients

• 2 cups gluten free flour blend (Trader Joe’s)
• 1 cup blanched almond flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ⅔ cup sugar
• ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ cup Daiya cream cheese
• ½ cup coconut oil triple filtered
• 2 tablespoons almond milk
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1 medium egg
• ½ cup filling (I like raspberry jam, and the kids also like chocolate chips.  Other classic choices are the poppyseed jam, and apricot jam)

Directions

1. Mix together the flours, baking soda and baking powder.  Mix in salt, sugar, and cinnamon.
2. In a separate medium pot, melt the coconut oil and beat into the oil using electric beaters the Daiya cream cheese.
3. Zest and squeeze a large lemon.  Organic is recommended since you will be using the peel.
4. Add the zest, lemon juice, and beaten egg to the oil and cream cheese and mix well with the electric beaters.
5. Slowly pour the liquid into the flour mixture until a soft dough develops
6. Place the dough into the fridge for at least an hour.
7. Remove from fridge and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
8. Roll out dough on a clean flat surface that is lightly floured.  Dough should be about ⅛ inch thick, Keep extra flour on hand to help with any stickiness.
9. Cut circle shapes using an upside down glass
10. Drop into each center of each circle a ½ teaspoon of filling
11. Pinch the corners of the circle to form the shape of a neat triangle.
12. Place the formed hamantaschen onto a greased baking sheet or parchment paper.
13. Bake for 10 minutes or till light brown color appears.
14. Wait for the cookies to cool down before attempting to move.  They are crumbly and delicate when warm, but will harden as they get cooler.  Feel free to double or triple this recipe and freeze your extras. Don’t forget to share with family and friend and…Enjoy!!