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 Raspberry and Apricot Jam-Filled Hamantaschen Hey, all! Purim is coming up and that means that it’s time to roll out some hamantaschen. The distinction of Purim being that it’s the one Jewish holiday in which we’re allowed to have fun and celebrate, in other words, not fast, not read a depressing text over a ritualized meal, ruminate on tragedy, spend hours in synagogue and so forth. So yay for Purim! These little cookies are called hamantasch, named after the three-cornered hat of the villain, Haman, described in the Book of Esther, who had a plan to massacre all the Jews of the Persian Empire. Discovered by the Jewish Queen Esther and her uncle Mordecai, Haman was defeated and we’re still here. We’ve got these little jam-filled cookies to show for it, too. (You will notice that even the fun Jewish holidays have the threat of annihilation underpinning them, but whatever.) There is little in the food world that causes me as much anxiety as rolling out dough. Adding gluten-free into the mix, as well as a preference to keep it maple syrup-sweetened (if you want to keep it all sugar-free, use an unsweetened filling and don’t use powdered sugar on top), and I was a little nervous that I could pull it off. I think I did, though! These beauties are light, soft and tasty, a nice mid-day treat. I hope you’ll enjoy them as well. Raspberry and Apricot Jam-Filled Hamantaschen Makes 12 1 1/2 cups gluten-free flour (I use Bob’s Red Mill’s gluten-free all purpose baking flour) 2 T. arrowroot 1 t. baking soda 1 t. baking powder 1/4 t. salt 1/3 cup coconut oil, soft at room temperature (not melted) 1 banana, mashed (or 1/2 cup mashed banana) 1/4 cup pure maple syrup or agave-maple blend 1 T. vanilla 1/4 cup cold, unsweetened almond milk Raspberry and apricot jam or jam of your choice In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, arrowroot, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another medium bowl, mix together the softened coconut oil and banana with a metal spoon, mashing it together until fully mixed. Add the maple syrup and vanilla, mixing together until integrated. Mix this in with the flour and mix until it is fully blended. Add the almond milk, stirring until smooth and sticky. Add more almond milk by the tablespoon if too dry, more flour by the tablespoon if too wet. Refrigerate covered for 45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface using a lightly floured rolling pin to about 1/8-inch thickness. Cut out circular cookies using a round cookie cutter or glass, preferably three-inches wide or more. Any less than this and it will be difficult to fold the cookies properly. (I used a Ball jar, dipping it in flour around the rim, too.) Place one teaspoon of filling into the middle of each cookie. (Don’t overfill or it will ooze out!)   Pull the left side of the cookie toward the center, making a flap. Now, pull the right side towards the center, overlapping the left to create a triangular tip. The lower part of the jam should still be visible. Pull the bottom up, tucking the left side under the left flap and letting the right side of the bottom go over the existing right flap. Fold all the cookies, bake for 11 minutes and enjoy!       © 2013, 2014, Vegan Street |
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