Gluten-Free Hamantaschen Cookies

I love making homemade gluten-free hamantaschen for Purim. I also love to give them away in my Shalach Manot bags for Purim (and, of course, I don’t mind eating a few myself!). In this post, you’ll learn how to easily make gluten-free hamantaschen cookies at home. This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosures.

The Jewish holiday of Purim is celebrated with delicious hamantaschen cookies. While the cookie is delicious and filled with symbolism, people with celiac disease, non-celiac gluten sensitivities, gluten intolerance, and wheat allergies were left out of the cookie fun.

I got to work creating a tasty gluten-free hamantaschen cookie recipe. And boy, did I ever! I came up with a delicious recipe that rivals any gluten-full cookie around. My mother-in-law says my cookies are better than the regular hamantaschen she buys every year. How is that possible?

What is Hamantaschen?

Hamantaschen is a traditional symbolic cookie eaten during the Jewish holiday of Purim. The cookie is shaped like a triangle to mimic the look of Haman’s hat, the villain of the Purim story. It is then filled with preserves or sweet filling.

The cookie is symbolic because the filling is “hidden” from sight. The story of Purim is full of hidden symbolism.

• The root word for Esther is “hester,” which means “hidden.”
• Esther is the only story in the Jewish Tanakh (the Hebrew Bible, which is also referred to as the Christian Old Testament) where G-d’s name is never explicitly mentioned, even though G-d’s presence is felt throughout the story.
• Further evidence of the symbolism of the word “hidden” is also found in the idea that Esther kept her identity as a Jew “hidden” from King Ahasuerus.

As you can see, a cookie with a hidden filling is quite apropos for a holiday with so much hidden meaning. 

How to Make Gluten-Free Hamantaschen Cookies

The key to a good gluten-free hamantachen cookie is a good gluten-free flour blend. The blend should contain a mixture of different flours, starches, and xanthan gum.

I’ve tested this recipe with several flour blends. They all taste slightly different, but they all work nicely. The biggest issue is that people use way too much flour. You must measure your flour by weight or spoon and level the flour in the measuring cup. DO NOT PACK THE FLOUR IN THE MEASURING CUP.

This recipe has been tested with the following flours, and all worked well. The choice is yours. Again, make sure you don’t use too much flour. You’ve been warned.

• Hand + Heart All-Purpose Gluten-Free Flour
• GF Jules All Purpose Flour
• Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Flour Blend
• Better Batter Gluten-Free Flour

Step #1: Make the Cookie Dough

Combine the eggs, sugar, oil, cream cheese, and vanilla in the bowl of a large standing mixer. Mix until combined. Then, slowly add the flour and baking powder and mix on low until the flour is mostly incorporated into the mixture. Set the mixer to mix medium-high for two minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl and use your hands to shape it into a ball.

Step #2: Chill the Dough

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for about 30 minutes (or longer) while you prepare your workspace. The longer you allow the dough to chill, the better. You could even prepare the dough the day ahead of baking

A chilled dough is less sticky and easier to work with, and chilling gives the flour time to absorb the wet ingredients fully. This article explains more about working with gluten-free flour and dough.

Step #3: Roll and Shape the Dough

Lightly flour a clean, flat surface or countertop, then roll out the dough. You can roll it out all at once or divide the dough in half and work in batches. I divide the dough in half to work in batches.

Alternatively, I have discovered that placing a silpat mat on my counter with a bit of flour makes less of a mess. Use it if you have it!

You’ll want to roll out the dough so it’s about 1/4 inch thick, then use a round cookie cutter (or even the top of a glass) to cut out circles.

Tip: You can roll the leftover dough to make more cookies. The dough is very forgiving!

Step #4: Add Jam and Shape Cookies

Now, it’s time to add a dollop of preserves, Nutella, or another filling to the center of each circle. You can use any flavor you desire.

I love filling cookies with apricot jam, raspberry jam, and/or Nutella, but many people also love fig and poppy seed filling. Use whatever you like; you can’t go wrong.

Fold the cookie into a triangle. To do this, cup the dough circle with your fingers so it forms into three edges, then pinch the edges together so they stay connected when baking.

Watch this video to get a sense of how to fold hamantaschen.

Here’s what my hamantaschen looked like once I added a dollop of filling in the center of each circle. Remember, if you put too much jam in the middle, it might leak out or be more challenging to pinch into a triangle. If you use too little, the cookie will be dry. I use about 1/2 tablespoon and generally don’t have any issues.

Step #5: Bake the Hamantaschen

Once you fold all the cookies, place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake them for 10-12 minutes until lightly browned. Here’s how these beautiful cookies look when baked and cooled.

Troubleshooting

You’ll notice that the dough is relatively easy to work with. It rolls out well and holds together at the three edges as long as you gently pinch the edges together well. You may, however, run into one or more of these issues:

Cracking: The dough may crack a bit when handling or baking. This could mean you used too much flour. Do not pack the flour in the measuring cup. Always spoon and level it. Also, don’t use too much flour when rolling out the dough. This is adding more flour back into the dough, which will dry it out.

Cookies Opening: Some of the cookies may open when baking. This happens to me all the time. Be sure to pinch the edges gently but firmly before baking. Any cookies that open during baking are samples to be eaten immediately – lucky you!

Jam Leakage: Some of the fillings may leak out of the cookie, which could be because the cookies weren’t sealed well or overfilled.

Dry Cookies: The cookies may taste a bit dry the first day you make them, mainly if you accidentally use too much flour. Put them in a zip-top baggie in your fridge, then taste them the next day. The dough will absorb moisture from the jam filling and soften each day. The hamantashen tastes great on Days 2, 3, and 4. They don’t last longer than that!

Vegan + Dairy-Free + Gluten-Free Hamantaschen

I have a friend who eats gluten-free, as well as dairy, egg, corn, and soy-free. I always like to make her my gluten-free hamantaschen cookies, but she can’t eat them because of the dairy and egg. This is why I’ve created a vegan, gluten-free, and just as tasty hamantaschen cookie recipe. 

You’ll also notice I halved my regular gluten-free hamantaschen recipe to make a small batch for my vegan friend. 

Here’s what you need:

• 2 3/4 cups gluten-free flour + more for flouring the surface
• 1 tsp baking soda (I use baking soda instead of baking powder because baking soda is corn-free)
• 2 flax eggs (mix 2 tablespoons of flaxseed meal + 6 tablespoons of warm water and allow it five minutes to gel)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup avocado or other vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup applesauce

Mix all the ingredients together and follow the rest of the instructions to make your dough and fold your cookies.

You can use any jam as the filling, but my friend made a special request for chocolate hamantaschen, so I stuffed them with chocolate chunks from Enjoy Life.

How Do They Taste?

Both of my gluten-free hamantaschen recipes taste incredible. You’ll end up with a flaky, tender, slightly dry cookie filled with delicious jam, chocolate, or your choice of filling. Remember, the cookies will moisten with time as they soak up the moisture from the jam filling, so it’s okay to make them a day or two ahead of time.

And I wish all my Jewish friends a very happy Purim! I hope you enjoy the taste and symbolism of these beautiful gluten-free hamantaschen cookies.

For more symbolic foods for Purim, read my article, 6 Symbolic Gluten-Free Foods for Purim.