A Gluten-Free Purim

This year Purim begins the evening of Saturday, March 15, and ends in the evening of Sunday, March 16. If you celebrate the holiday, why not make hamantashen that just so happen to be gluten-free? If you don’t, you should still make these hamantaschen!

From Nosh on This: Gluten-Free Baking from a Jewish-American Kitchen by Lisa Stander-Horel and Tim Horel:

In the old family slides there’s a photo of my mother baking in the kitchen—making hamantashen, from the look of the dough. Those photos were taken before I was born, but those hamantashen sure look good. Purim is the Jewish holiday that celebrates the victory of Queen Esther and her Uncle Mordecai over that of bully, Haman; thus, we eat a replica of his hat filled with anything from poppy seeds to chocolate.

Makes 30 to 35 HamantashenHamantash
Chilling time: 4 to 24 hours
Baking time: 15 to 18 minutes

confectioners’ sugar, sifted
  140 grams | 11⁄4 cups
brown rice flour
  130 grams | 1 cup
white rice flour
  65 grams | 1/2 cup
tapioca starch
  65 grams | 1/2 cup
kosher salt
  1⁄2 teaspoon
cold unsalted butter
  60 grams | 4 tablespoons or 1⁄4 cup
cold cream cheese
  58 grams | 4 tablespoons or 1⁄4 cup
egg
  60 grams | 1 extra-large
lemon zest, freshly grated
  5 grams | 1 tablespoon
tapioca starch
  32 grams | 1⁄4 cup
egg, for brushing
  60 grams | 1 extra-large

FILLING OPTIONS
GF poppy-seed filling, Love’n Bake preferred
  312 grams | 11 ounces
Nutella
  750 grams | one 261⁄2-ounce jar | 21⁄2 cups
caramel butterscotch sauce, Mrs. Richardson’s preferred
  480 grams | one 17-ounce jar
fig preserves, Bonne Maman preferred
  370 grams | one 13-ounce jar
blueberry preserves, Bonne Maman preferred
  370 grams | one 13-ounce jar

  1. In the bowl of a food processor, mix together 110 grams (1 cup) of the confectioners’ sugar and the flour and salt. Cut the butter and cream cheese into 1-inch cubes. Add to the processor bowl. Pulse until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Add one egg and the lemon zest. Pulse until the dough forms a ragged ball.
  2. Transfer the dough ball to plastic wrap. Knead the dough with the heel of your hand until it comes together and is smooth. Divide into two balls and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
  3. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  4. Mix the tapioca starch and remaining 30 grams (1⁄4 cup) of sifted confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl. Sandwich one dough ball between two sheets of plastic wrap dusted with the tapioca starch mixture. Roll out the dough until it is between 1⁄8 and 1⁄4 inch thick. Remove the top piece of plastic wrap, place the bottom piece with the dough on a baking sheet, and refrigerate or freeze for 10 minutes. Using a round 21⁄2-inch cookie cutter, cut as many circles as possible and place them on the prepared baking sheets.
  5. Repeat steps 2 through 4 with the other ball of dough.
  6. Beat the remaining egg. Brush each circle with beaten egg. Place a teaspoon of the filling of your choice in the
    center of each cutout.
  7. Pinch the edges of the circles up to form a triangle. Think of the circles as a clock. Pinch the dough between your thumb and index finger at three points: twelve o’clock, four o’clock, and eight o’clock. It should look like a little pirate hat with the filling in the center of the hat.
  8. Brush the whole thing with more egg wash. Refrigerate the pans for 15 minutes.
  9. Bake for 10 minutes and rotate the pans for even baking. Bake for 5 to 8 minutes more, or until the hats are just golden brown and look set—the filling should be bubbling. Let cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. They are exceptionally fragile while hot and warm. Using an offset spatula to move them to the rack is helpful.

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