These easy and delicious gluten free Hamantaschen cookies are the perfect lightly sweetened cookie for your Purim celebrations! They are made with 9 simple ingredients, require little prep time and have endless filling options.
Hamantaschen are the classic cookie baked and served on Purim by Jewish people around the world, and this gluten free recipe is an excellent way to feed included in eating these beloved cookies!
I spent many years testing and perfecting this Hamantaschen dough so it would taste nearly as perfect as the classic non-gluten free recipe. What is the best type of gluten free flour? Is there a perfect way to roll the dough? I thought through all these questions when creating this recipe, so I think you'll love it!
Why you'll love this recipe
- Endless filling options - You can fill your Hamantaschen cookies with any filling you love or try something new.
- Only 9 ingredients (plus filling) - For a cookie recipe, I'd say 9 ingredients is pretty good. You most likely have many of them in your pantry already.
- Great for the Purim holiday - These cookies make a beautiful gift to bring to friends or family, or even pack in the Purim Mishloach Manot (gift baskets).
- Gluten free - All the gluten free foodies can finally enjoy an equally delicious cookie.
Jump to:
Ingredients
- Gluten Free Baking Flour - I love to use the 1 to 1 Gluten Free Bob's Red Mill Baking Flour in his recipe, but feel free to use any gluten free flour blend (that already includes xanthan gum) you like.
- Almond Flour - Almond flour is wonderful in providing cookies stability and a slightly chewy, soft texture.
- Tapioca Starch - Tapioca starch helps keep gluten free cookies together and gives them a real cookie-like texture.
- Baking Powder - It encourages the dough to spread up & outward.
- Salt - Helps to balance out the sweet flavors.
- Unsalted butter - You can use dairy butter or a vegan butter stick option. I like to make this recipe dairy free using Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks. If your butter has any salt in it, omit the salt in the recipe.
- Granulated Sugar - Sugar provides a soft texture and adds sweetness of the cookie.
- Vanilla Extract - Pure vanilla extract is important in nearly all cookie recipes.
- Egg - It binds the cookie dough together.
How to Make Gluten Free Hamantaschen Cookie Dough
Step one: Whisk together the gluten free flour, tapioca starch, almond flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl until well combined and few clumps remain.
Step two: Beat the butter and sugar in a bowl of an electric mixer for about 5 minutes until super fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Step three: Add the egg and vanilla extract, mixing for about 30 seconds just until combined. The mixture will look a bit funny and clumpy and that is ok.
Step four: Add the dry ingredient mixture into the butter mixture and mix until a dough forms.
Step five: Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour so the dough will easily roll out.
Step six: Prepare the chocolate filling for the Hamantaschen by mixing butter, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, vanilla extract and an egg white together. Refrigerate until ready to use!
Step seven: Place a piece of plastic wrap onto a cutting board and sprinkle with gluten free flour. Place the dough on top and sprinkle with flour again. Set a second piece of plastic wrap wrap on top of the dough and wrap it around the cutting board.
Step eight: Roll the dough between the two pieces of plastic wrap. Then, remove the top piece of plastic wrap and use a round cookie cutter to cut circles of dough. Repeat with remaining dough.
Step nine: Place the cut-out dough onto a parchment lined pan. Scoop 1 teaspoon of filling into the center of each cookie. Brush the edges of the dough with egg wash, and then pinch to seal into a triangle shape.
Step ten: Once all the cookies are formed, make sure they're about 2 inches apart from each other. Bake until lightly golden!
Recipe substitutions
- Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour - You can use any gluten free baking flour.
- Unsalted butter - I like to use the Earth Balance brand of Vegan Butter Sticks to make this recipe dairy free (or parve).
- Chocolate Filling - Use a store bought chocolate spread or Nutella instead of making a homemade filling recipe.
Cookie Filling Ideas & Variations
- Jam/Preserves - Use a good quality brand of Jam or fruit preserves, such as Bonne Maman brand. I like to use apricot jam or raspberry preserves!
- Chocolate Chips - This is a classic go-to for many people, and if it's nostalgic to you, go for it! Add 4-8 chocolate chips per cookie. Drizzle or dip the baked cookie using melted chocolate too.
- Date Spread - You can buy a thick date spreads at the grocery store and this can make a great filling option.
- Caramel - Take a caramel square and place it in the center of each cookie! Drizzle the baked Hamantaschen with extra caramel for a beautiful design.
- Blackberry Compote - Make this easy homemade compote recipe and spoon 1 teaspoon into each cookie for a perfect tart berry filling.
- Poppyseed filling - Many kosher grocery stores sell delicious poppy seed filling for Hamantaschen or you can make a homemade recipe.
- Fig Jam - Buy your favorite brand of fig jam.
- Lemon Curd - Lemon curd is such a delicious filling. Drizzle the cookie with a lemon icing too for added zing!
- Apple Butter - Easily find in stores or search for a simple homemade recipe online.
See all my cookies recipes on IRF!
Storage
These Purim Hamantaschen cookies store great in an airtight container on the counter for 5 days. They can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
Expert Tip
- Chill the raw cookie dough before rolling so it is easy to use.
- Save yourself a mess and dough sticking everywhere by rolling cookie dough between two pieces of plastic wrap. I like to tuck the plastic wrap until a cutting board to prevent it from moving around when rolling out the dough.
- Chill the baked cookies overnight before enjoying for optimal slightly soft cookies. These may be the best gluten free cookies you try!
- Make a double batch since these cookies will be eaten quickly.
Recipe FAQs
Hamantaschen are a traditional cookie eaten on the Jewish holiday Purim to symbolize defeating our enemy "Haman" from the Purim story.
Hamantaschen have three corners to represent Haman's three-cornered hat.
More cookie recipes
Did you try these hamantaschen cookies? If you did, then please leave a rating and comment below. I can't wait to hear if you liked them!
Gluten Free Hamantaschen Cookies
Ingredients
Tools
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Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour, almond flour, tapioca starch, baking powder & salt. Set aside.
- In a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or using a hand mixer with a new large bowl, beat together the vegan butter and sugar for 5 minutes.
- Next, beat in the egg & vanilla extract. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for 1 minute, just until incorporated.
- With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture until just combined. Beat on medium for 30-60 seconds until a dough forms.
- Transfer the dough to a large piece of plastic wrap and shape into a square. Wrap in the plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- How to roll the dough: Place a piece of plastic wrap onto your counter or around a cutting board and sprinkle gluten free flour onto it. Break off ¼ of the refrigerated dough and place onto the surface and press down the dough with your palm so it’s a bit flatter. Sprinkle with more gluten free flour. Place a second piece of plastic wrap on top of the dough and tuck under the cutting board. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough between the two pieces of plastic wrap until it is about ¼ “ thick. Remove the top piece of plastic wrap and use a cookie cutter to cut out 3” circles for your hamantaschen.
- Re-roll the dough scraps as previously directed to make more cookie cutouts. Continue to roll each quarter of dough until all are cut into circles.
- Once ready to fill and shape hamantaschen, spoon 1 teaspoon filling into each circle of dough.
- Whisk together the egg wash ingredients in a bowl (egg & water).
- Brush egg wash along the perimeter of one of the circles of dough. This will help the dough hold it’s shape. Pinch the edges of the circle of dough together to form three corners. Place back onto the baking sheet.
- Repeat step 11 until all the hamantaschen are shaped.
- Chill shaped hamantaschen in the freezer for 30 minutes or in the fridge for 1 hour.
- Bake for 20-23 minutes or until lightly golden.
- Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix until well combined.
- Place bowl of chocolate filling in the freezer for 15 minutes or refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or until ready to use.
Test Kitchen Notes
- You can use an alternative filling instead of the chocolate filling recipe provided. Feel free to use any jam or preserve flavor you like (raspberry or apricot works well), chocolate chips, cookie butter spread, or any other filling.
- These cookies will stay fresh in a ziplock bag on the counter for 4 days or you can freeze for up to 3 months.
- This cookie dough can also be used to make gluten free sugar cookies!
Candace Kahan says
love the hamantaschen! Would like to make sugar cookies with this recipe. should I roll and cut the cookie or drop from a spoon?
Dalya Rubin says
You can definitely roll them out to make sugar cookies! Yum!
Lori says
I would like to make these. Just a quick clarification question on the flour. My bag of Bob's Redmill 1:1 flour says 1/4 cup is 37 grams. That would make 1 and 1/2 cups 222 grams. The recipe weight says 375 grams, which would be about 2 and 1/2 cups. Thank you for your help.