Hamentashen

Happy Purim! Springtime is on its way. The rain is starting to let up, greenery is popping up all around, and the smell of hamentashen baking is wafting through my apartment. I had a lot of fun trying out new fillings for my hamentashen. This year, I tried a more traditional filling (Cinnamon Orange Date) and something more modern - Raspberry White Chocolate. Try these flavours or get creative with your own!

The recipe for this dough was adapted from: https://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/buttery-hamantaschen/ Her blog has excellent photo tutorials of each of the steps - I encourage you to check it out. In order to make it grain-free, you will need to substitute an all-purpose gluten free flour. In order to prevent over-spreading of the dough, use a blend that contains xanthum gum (I used Cup4Cup) or you can add xanthum gum to a blend that does not already contain it. If adding xanthum separately, add according to the package instructions (i.e. Bob's Red Mill has guidelines on their packaging).

You can use any filling of your choice, really. You can save time by using store-bought jams or preserves, or go the extra mile by creating your own concoction! Traditional flavours include prunes and poppy seed. Other popular flavours include strawberry, raspberry, apple, apricot, nutella, etc. Personally, I love a fruit filling because the moisture in the fruits helps to soften the cookie dough slightly. For these hamantaschen, I used two flavours - Cinnamon Orange Date and Raspberry White Chocolate.

*** Low FODMAP Note - for the date filling, one cookie contains ~1/4 of a dried date which is safe for the elimination period of the low FODMAP diet. Eating more than one of the date cookies makes these higher in FODMAPs, so be careful with portion sizes or eat more of the raspberry ones instead! ***

Date Filling:

- 1 cup dried, pitted dates, quartered

- zest of 1 orange

- 1 tsp salt

- 1 tsp cinnamon

- 1 1/2 cups water

- 1 tbsp orange juice

- 1 tbsp butter

Add dates, orange zest, salt, cinnamon, and water to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring and mashing frequently until the mixture is soft and thick. Remove from heat and stir in orange juice and butter. Let cool prior to assembly of hamentaschen.

Raspberry Filling:

- 2 cups fresh raspberries

- 1/4 cup honey

- 1 tbsp lemon juice

- 1/2 cup water

Wash raspberries. Add raspberries and water to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Add in honey and mix to combine. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes until some of the water has evaporated off and the mixture is soft and jammy. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Let cool prior to assembly of hamentaschen.

Hamentaschen:

Ingredients:

- 3/4 cup butter, room temperature

- 2/3 cup granulated sugar

- 1 large egg

- 1 tsp vanilla

- 1 tsp orange zest

- 2 1/4 cups gluten-free all purpose flour** (see notes above about xanthum gum, I used Cup4Cup here with great results)

-1/4 tsp salt

-1 - 5 tbsp cold water

Optional - 6 oz white chocolate

Directions:

1. Cut room temperature butter into small pieces and place in a bowl. Add sugar. Use an electric mixer (hand or standing) to beat the sugar and butter together until fluffy and light.

2. Add the egg, vanilla, and orange zest and beat again until well mixed.

3. Add flour and salt to the mixture and mix until a crumbly mixture forms.

4. Use your hands to knead the dough into a ball, trying not to overwork the dough. If the mixture is too crumbly, add 1 - 5 tbsp cold water. The dough should be tacky but not sticky. Form the dough into a flat disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.

5. In the meantime, prepare whichever fillings you would like to use.

6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly flour a clean surface.

7. Remove the dough from the fridge and place it on the floured surface. Roll out the dough until very thin (1/4 - 1/2 cm). Use a cookie cutter or rim of a glass (at least 3 inches in diameter) to cut out as many circles as possible from the dough.

8. Place a tsp of the desired filling into the centre of the dough circle. Fold the sides of the circle in to make a triangle (see https://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/buttery-hamantaschen/ for detailed instructions).

9. Place the assembled hamentaschen onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes (longer for thicker cookies).

10. After the hamentaschen have cooled, add white chocolate drizzle if desired. Place the white chocolate into a medium bowl. Melt in the microwave in 15 second intervals, mixing between each interval. Use a spoon to drizzle the white chocolate over the cookies.