Gluten Free Hamantaschen (Haman’s Hat/Haman’s Pocket, pronounced hah-men-tasch-en) cookies are certainly unique and symbolic at Purim, but are also so good you should add them to your recipe box for any time of year.

These soft, shortbread cookies cradled around your favorite jam are another take on thumbprint cookies … only with some pretty yummy history.

The History of Hamantaschen Cookies

I first learned of these delicious cookies when I was reading one of my reader’s accounts of how heavenly this cookie could be when made with my gfJules Gluten Free Flour!

Haman was a villainous character in the Book of Esther (Esther was a hero, of course!), and some say these cookies resemble his hat, pocket, or even his ears which may, or may not, have been cut off at the end of this tale.

I won’t get too far into the story of Haman and how these cookies came to be, since most scholars seem to think that the story is largely fiction, but I do like the idea of naming a pastry after someone “wicked” in order to turn it into something “sweet.” 

The Hamantaschen cookie itself has a long history including yeast incarnations and more cookie-like versions, the latter of which has always sounded more intriguing to me.

I mean, what’s not to like about a buttery shortbread cookie with sweet fruit filling?

So, I dove into the food history further, read reams of recipes and decided to give this seasonal sweet a try.

I love that Purim traditions include sending gifts of food to friends, and of course, a Purim feast! (These cookies would be wonderful for either!)

These gluten free Hamantaschen are very easy to make with my gfJules Flour, since my flour provides stretch where other gluten free flours in rolled doughs often do not.

Whether you concoct a homemade poppyseed filling, or just use your favorite preserve, jam, chutney or paste (like quince) — you choose. It is not even necessary to chill this dough before rolling, so it’s quick, too! (EVEN QUICKER: just use my gfJules Gluten Free Cut Out Sugar Cookie Mix!)

Just roll out the dough, cut out with a sharp round cutter (like a biscuit cutter), brush lightly with milk and honey and fill the center with a dollop of your favorite jam or poppyseed filling.

Fold the corners over each other 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 so that they overlap, or alternatively, pinch the edges together well, dabbing the dough with water first to keep them from separating. Some folks prefer one method over the other — see which works best for you!

After the cookies are formed, sprinkle with sugar and bake! In under 10 minutes you’ll have gluten free Hamantaschen cookies you’ll love but hate to have to share!

Search no further for a great way to celebrate this Purim, or just this wintry weekend – take your pick! (And don’t forget to check out my Challah recipe if you are in need of more yummy recipes for Purim!).

And here’s another reader’s experiment with my gfJules Flour versus my gfJules Gluten Free Cut Out Cookie Mix and my gluten free Hamantaschen recipe. I love a good (edible!) experiment!

Gluten Free Hamantaschen Cookie Recipe 

Gluten Free Hamantaschen Cookies

Gluten free Hamantaschen Cookies (also known as Haman's Corners and Hamantash) are a fun way to celebrate Purim, but they're delicious anytime!

4.36 from 57 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Desserts

Cuisine: Dessert

Prep Time: 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes minutes

Total Time: 57 minutes minutes

Author: Jules Shepard

Ingredients

  

Cookie Dough

• 1 gfJules Gluten Free Cut Out Sugar Cookie Mix -- follow directions to make dough from mix

OR

• 1/2 cup palm shortening recommended or solid coconut oil shortening
• 1/4 cup butter or non-dairy alternative e.g. Earth Balance® Buttery Sticks
• 1/2 cup granulated cane sugar
• 2 large eggs or Ener-G® gluten free egg replacer works well here
• 2 Tbs milk of choice
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 3 cups (405 grams) gfJules® Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 Tbs. baking powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. citrus peel or zest it makes all the difference!

Filling

• preserves chutney or jam for filling (I often use Bonne Maman® Preserves)
• or Pistachio Cream or vegan Pistachio Spread pictured

Topping

• 1 egg or 4 Tbs. milk of choice
• 1 tsp. honey or agave nectar
• 2 tsp. water omit if using milk in place of egg
• demerera or coarse sugar optional
• shopped pistachios or other nuts optional

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375° F (static).
• To prepare the dough, cream shortening, butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs (or substitute), 1 tablespoon milk and vanilla.
• Whisk together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then gradually stir in with the wet mixture until fully incorporated. A smooth dough should be formed at this point – not sticky or dry. If it is crumbly, stir in more milk, one tablespoon at a time until the dough holds together easily.
• Prepare a clean surface or pastry mat by dusting lightly with gfJules® Gluten Free All Purpose Flour (don’t use gritty rice flour to roll the dough!). Roll dough to 1/8-1/4 inch thickness and cut 2 1/2 – 3 inch circles using a sharp round cookie cutter.
• Place a teaspoon-sized dollop of filling in the center of each circle. Fillings can include any fruit preserve, jam, chutney or paste, such as quince. They should not, however, be watery.
• Brush edges of each circle lightly with water, then fold into one point (use the 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 method pictured above), then bring the bottom rim of the circle up to form the bottom of a triangle.
• Pinch each of the three corners firmly, brushing again with water if necessary to keep the corners stuck together during baking.
• Gently transfer to a parchment-lined cookie sheet.
• Stir these toppings together: egg (or 4 tablespoons milk of choice), honey and water. Brush lightly on tops of each exposed portion of the cookie. Sprinkle with the demerara sugar, if desired.
• Bake in preheated oven for approximately 11 minutes. Cookies should be lightly browned. Dust with confectioner’s sugar, if desired. If cookies are very crumbly when eating, they were slightly overcooked.

Video

** Please keep in mind that nutrition information provided is per serving, which may vary. While we have taken care to provide you with the most accurate nutritional values possible, please note that this information may differ significantly depending on the exact ingredients and brands that you choose to use to make this recipe. Additionally, where options are given for ingredients, the resulting calculation may include all ingredient options instead of only one per line, skewing the totals significantly.

Recommended Products

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• 

  Earth Balance Buttery Sticks

• 

  gfJules Gluten Free All Purpose Flour

Make these yummy cookies any time you’re in the mood for delicious shortbread cookies and jam!

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Summary

Recipe Name

Gluten Free Hamantaschen

Published On

2025-03-13

Average Rating

3.5 Based on 34 Review(s)