I've been really into exploring international sweets lately. Well, actually that's not true. I've always been into exploring ethnic treats of all kinds! ;) But recently a I've been experimenting with making all kinds of sweet Mediterranean dishes and I must say there must be something up in the waters there because they seriously have some of the best flavor combinations: think moist cakes, desserts soaked in syrups, rose water, pistachios, almond treats... and then there's a whole lot of semolina, butter, sugar, eggs, and milk -- all of which I'm of course passing on here ;).
These gluten-free vegan hamantaschen cookies with poppy seed filling come to you as a result of this exploration. I have many generous friends who shared their hamantaschen cookies with me over the years and I have to say these little triangle cookies are absolutely scrumptious and addictive! In case you're wondering what hamantaschen are -- they are a sort of shortbread pocket filled with delicious fillings of all kinds {like apricot jam, a prune filling, or a poppy seed filling, etc.}, traditionally made for a holiday called Purim.
Of all the traditional fillings I've ever tried for these cookies, poppy seed has always been my favorite -- something about turning those little seeds into a sweet pasty filling is just amazing! The trouble is it's usually made with eggs and dairy, but not to worry -- I tackled this one for you and made a filling that is not only free of those things, but also requires no cooking {a score on both accounts if I may say so ;) }. And it tasted so good I just wanted to spread it on EVERYTHING {in fact I did do just that... you may want to make extra! :)}.
Seeing as Purim is just around the corner, I thought I'd share a recipe for those looking for a gluten-free, dairy-free, and egg-free {and of course refined sugar-free, as always} variation of these awesome little cookies -- allergy-friendly hamantaschen cookies with my favorite poppy seed filling!
Even if you don't celebrate Purim {it's a kids' holiday after all}, I still think these cookies are totally worth making anytime. They are always the first to go whenever I bake a cookie assortment. I'm sure you'll absolutely love these + look how stunningly bejeweled and sparkly they look! ♥ Totally perfect for serving at a dinner party or enjoy with a nice cuppa in the evenings...
Oh, one word of caution for filling these -- it's VERY important not to put too much of the filling in, or else they'll burst. It's such a common problem that there's even a hashtag for it on Instagram! {Look up #hamantaschenfail}. So here's an example of how much filling to put in:
Now that you know that, onwards to these cookies, then!
Note: this recipe has been recently updated to be made simpler to work with. Another variation with apricot jam and extra tips has been added to the recipes section as well -- if you're curious, apricot hamantaschen recipe is here.
PrintHamantaschen Cookies with Poppy Seed Filling
A gluten-free, vegan, refined sugar-free version of traditional poppyseed hamantaschen cookies.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 13 minutes
- Total Time: 33 minutes
- Yield: 8 cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients
Hamantaschen Cookie:
- ¾ cup white rice flour
- 5 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ½ tsp almond extract (optional; omit for nut-free)
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 13 tbsp sunflower seed butter
- ⅓ - ½ cup water, room temp (or warm)
Poppy Seed Filling:
- 6 tbsp poppy seeds, ground into a meal {I used my magic bullet for this}
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 1½ tbsp non-dairy butter
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp raisins
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Prepare a rolling area with two additional sheets of parchment paper for that, and have your cookie cutter handy {I used a 2½" round cutter here}. Set aside.
- Place all filling ingredients in a food processor and process until combined {I just added everything to my magic bullet after grinding the seeds down and processed it in there}. Set aside.
- To make the cookie base, place rice flour, maple syrup, vanilla, almond extract, salt and 5 tablespoon sunflower seed butter into a food processor and process to combine. Add in another 5 tablespoon sunflower seed butter and process again. Then add the remaining 3 tablespoon and process (this helps the sun butter blend into the dough better than processing all at once). Add ⅓ cup water and process again. At this point you should have a very sticky, stretchy, pliable mixture, but one that can be lumped into a ball. If it seems a little dry still, add a bit more water and process again (I only used ⅓ cup of water with the sun butter for this recipe, but found other nut-butters required a slightly greater amount of water).
- Wet your hands a little and lump ½ of the dough into a ball, kneading it lightly. Flatten into a disk and place on a piece of parchment paper (if at this point the ball is cracked all around the edges, you'll need to return it to the processor and add a bit more water and process again -- that's an indication the mixture is too dry. A bit of cracking is normal though). Cover with a second sheet of parchment paper and roll out into an ⅛" thickness. Cut out circles using a round cookie cutter (or a glass rim).
- Transfer the cookies onto the prepared cookie sheet. Place about 1 teaspoon of the filling in the center of each circle. Then lift two edges of the circle up over the filling and pinch to seal a "corner", then life the remaining side of the circle and pinch to seal the other 2 corners. Make sure you seal those corners well, as otherwise the cookies will open up as they bake. Touch up any cracks at this stage.
- Repeat step 3 & 4 with the other half of the dough.
- Bake in a pre-heated oven for 13-15 mins (the longer they bake the crunchier they'll be). Cool on a rack completely and enjoy!
Hannah says
My sunflower seed butter already has sugar and oil in it, will that be okay?
Audrey says
Hi Hannah. I haven't tried baking with that kind, so not 100% sure tbh. I'd say it's worth a try though if you don't mind getting a little experimental :) If you give it a try, do post back on how they turned out in case others are curious about the same.
Sally Grossman says
CanI use a Gluten Free Flour mix instead of rice flour?
Audrey says
Hi Sally, yes that should work fine. You might just need to adjust the dough a little based on its texture (i.e. if it's too dry, add a bit more maple syrup or sunflower seed butter, if too sticky add a bit more flour) as different flour mixes can produce different results.
Jade says
Could I substitute the sunflower butter for coconut oil please? Allergic to nuts, sesame sunflower seeds. Thanks
Audrey says
Hi Jade, I don't think coconut oil on its own will be the best substitute. You can try warmed / softened coconut butter. In my experience it works fine in cookies, though they tend to be more fragile and harder to form into complex shapes. Here's a coconut butter-based recipe you can see as an example for the base: https://www.unconventionalbaker.com/gluten-free-lemon-ginger-cutout-cookies
Alternatively, you can use this recipe for the cookie base instead: https://www.unconventionalbaker.com/simple-gluten-free-vegan-shortbread-cookies/
Sheila says
Can I use MELT instead of the Sunflower Seed Butter?
Is Sunflower Seed Butter the same as Sunflower Butter?
Audrey says
Hi Sheila,
Sunflower seed butter is like peanut butter, but made of sunflower seeds -- it can be found in the nut and seed butter section or in a natural / organic section at grocery stores or health food shops (especially since it's nut-free). A few brands call it just Sunflower Butter. "Melt" is quite different though -- it's a margarine / dairy-butter substitute and has a different texture and properties when baking.
If you're unable to find sunflower seed butter, the best next substitute would be cashew butter.
Rebecca says
Honey is stolen from people (bees, who are in fact very much animals) who lose not only their food (the "honey") they worked supremely hard to gather for and share with the members of their hive, but also they lose loved ones, who are crushed by the reaping machinery in what is imaginably a very traumatizing ordeal. Watch a video of the mechanized violence that underlies the reality of the idealistic deception happy-washing the real exploitation, theft, and carnage that are the processes of human procurement for the substance (produced by the bees, for the bees, within their own bodies, expulsed and taken in time and again; and this after their miraculous flights to accrue tiny quotients of pollen to be used en masse to produce their precious food). Plantbased sweeteners, on the other hand, include: coconut syrup; maple syrup; date paste; applesauce; mashed yellow bananas; various fruit puree; vegan-friendly sugar mixed with water or plantmilk; sweetened plantmilk; Apple juice, kosher grape juice, or any other acceptable fruit juice. Honey is in direct opposition to the moral imperative of veganism.
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Audrey says
Hi Rebecca,
Yes, I’m well aware of the terrible treatment bees receive in the honey industry — from machinery torture, to chemicals, artificial insemination and genetic manipulation, and more. I think it’s terribly sad and I definitely don’t wish to further that kind of treatment. I never use honey in my recipes. This recipe was made with maple syrup.
This is an older recipe, and when I first started this blog many years ago I wasn’t fully aware of all the issues surrounding the honey industry. I was never a big fan of the flavor or idea of it anyways, so didn't really have the need / reason to look into this product and the ethics surrounding it too much back then. Yet while I didn’t personally use it I sometimes listed it as an alternative since I get a lot of questions about the use of honey instead of maple syrup (which is my preferred sweetener) from people following this blog. Over the years, as I became aware of the state of affairs with commercial honey I’ve stopped listing it even as an option because I don’t want to actively promote that industry. I removed it as an option from all my recipes. I must have missed this one, so just edited the suggested option out here as well after seeing your comment.
All that said though, going to step outside of the more traditional vegan zone for a moment and share a few alternative perspectives, as I don't think it's as clear cut an issue as your comment makes it appear:
The suggestions you’ve made are also not by default cruelty-free. Yes, I feel sorry for the bees, and no, I don’t want to see any creature treated the way they are treated by the big honey corporations. BUT, some things to likewise consider about the options you listed:
— coconut sugar: did you know that a vast number of coconut products are harvested by enslaved monkeys? Born and raised solely for the purpose of collecting coconuts. Yes coconut is a wonderful plant-based option — one I use plenty, but just because it’s plant-derived doesn’t mean it’s cruelty-free and you have to consider the brands you are supporting. http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/10/19/448960760/monkeys-pick-coconuts-in-thailand-are-they-abused-or-working-animals
— bananas: did you know that the majority of the banana supply in North America comes from a background of slavery, human torture, abuse, massacre, and chemical pollution? http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/banana-land-blood-bullets-poison/ If you recommend bananas as a true cruelty-free option, they should be fair-trade bananas or ones grown in countries where human slavery and poisoning aren't the standard in the industry.
— sugar, vegan or not: is also an industry rife with some of the worst human abuse, slavery, maiming, torture, and corruption. Just because it’s not processed through animal bones doesn’t automatically make it cruelty-free. Here’s a good documentary to get a glimpse into the sugar industry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tp_EkCesIp8
— then there are other issues to consider, such as for instance the widespread use of pesticides on apples, grapes, and other fruits and the massive amounts of insects, bees included, it kills regularly. Yes, the visible end result is “vegan”, but the process to get there frequently poisons insects, birds, and other wildlife, and the soil and water. So unless organic, responsibly grown, things like fresh fruit or fruit purees are also contributing to a mass problem.
— Another issue is packaging and transportation — to get exotic items like dates, coconuts, bananas, and more over to many places requires a massive amount of plastic and fuel: a mass amount of oil drained and depleted from the veins of the earth, as well as polluting our water supply, and sometimes even leading to other environmental disasters that kill animals en masse.
In contrast, I have had experience with some local bee-keeping many years ago. They were not my hives, but I was renting a property where the owner had a set of personal bee hives on a portion of her acreage and I got a glimpse into those bees' lives. She was doing it largely as a hobby out of what she felt was a concern for the dying bee population — she established hives and colonies to help bees thrive in her area. Her hives were all hand maintained by her and her mentor, her bees free to roam acres and acres of organic forest and wildflower fields. Yes, she took some of the honey and sold/consumed it. Yes, I am aware that that can be seen as a form of slavery. But none of the atrocities I’ve seen in the mass-produced honey industry were present otherwise. Yes, people consuming local honey are contributing to a form of animal slavery you could say, but by doing so they are also NOT contributing to the horrible human slavery and environmental abuse (as per examples above) by using many other options.
The question this raises for me is: which is worse? cruelty towards bees or cruelty towards humans? the planet? or cruelty towards animals, humans, and the planet — but one that is not visible when we shop so we don’t feel so bad about it? Which is the lesser evil?
Personally, while I understand and share your concern about the abuse of bees, I also share a much wider concern. Our food chain is rife with animal cruelty, human cruelty, and abuse of nature. I don’t use honey and don’t wish to promote the industry, but I also think that if you take upon yourself the responsibility to educate others about alternatives you need to understand the alternatives more fully.
Personally I think it's a big responsibility, which also naturally involves ongoing learning and an openness to seek the truth in things. This is why I simply share vegan recipes and leave the product decisions up to people. I think everyone needs to come to their own conclusions, do their own research, and pick their own lesser evils. Unless you responsibly grow your own food, I doubt there is a "perfect" way to go about it in a true cruelty-free fashion given the products available to us, so it often comes down to choices. Given the considerations I outlined above, if someone chooses to use locally-sourced honey from a good hive keeper in a recipe, I would personally understand their decision even if I choose not to use it myself.
Anon says
I love this thoughtful response about the complicated ethics surrounding all our food choices. Well done!
KD says
I arrived at your page looking for a vegan hamantaschen recipe (it looks delicious and I plan to try it), and found your well thought-out response on honey/alternative ingredients/animal-human-earth cruelty. Just wanted to let you know i found it very informative and balanced. Thank you!
Audrey says
Thank you Anon and KD. I forgot this comment was even here. It's probably the only time in the entire history of this website that I wrote something like this (I usually just stick to the recipes, and leave food choices and decisions up to others). I'm glad it resonates. I think about these issues a lot, and am rather concerned about our food chain. Definitely lots of food for thought on this topic...
Nechama says
Your recipe looks great. Will give it a try. However, could I use Cashew Butter or Walnut Butter in place of the SunButter? I don’t particularly like it.
★★★★★
Audrey says
Hi Nechama. Yes, cashew butter would work great here.
Sarah says
Dear Audrey,
Do you think it is possible to sub the rice flour with almond meal or oat flour or a bit of coconut flour or mixture of these flours ? I am afraid that's all I have on hand...
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Audrey says
Hmmm... I somehow don't think it will work unfortunately. Coconut flour is a completely different kind of flour to work with, so I'd never just substitute it in a recipe one for one. It's extremely absorbent and dries out the dough, so without actually developing a recipe like this with it to begin with, I'd say that's a no. I'm afraid the almond meal would be too coarse / not absorbent enough. You could try some almond meal with tapioca or with a bit of coconut flour, but I really have no idea how pliable the dough will turn out without trying myself... Sorry I couldn't be more helpful.
Yael @ Nosherium says
Hi Audrey! I included your beautiful recipe in my round-up of vegan Purim recipes. Thank you for the inspiration!
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Audrey says
Aw, thank you Yael -- I just had a look -- beautiful round up. Hope you had a happy Purim! :)
Yael @ Nosherium says
Purim was lovely! I hope yours was too!
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Connie says
The filling is amazing! The dough, not so much yet anyway. Mine was very dry and I ended up adding almost another 1/4 cup maple syrup. The dough was workable up to the point of pinching them. It cracked and is not pretty. I'll see how they taste once they are cooled. In the meantime do you have any suggestions? I thought I might do this again and make them one at a time. Cut and fill one at a time instead of cutting them all at once. It seemed they had time to dry out before I pinched them.
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Audrey says
Connie,
Gosh, I'm so sorry, I have no idea how I missed your comment here! I just came to update the recipe and noticed you've gone unanswered :S
I am super happy you like the filling. It's my favorite :) About the dough, I actually came here to update the recipe with a new version I like much more. Give the new recipe a try if you like -- this dough is more than workable ;) And see notes on the new apricot version of this recipe for extra tips on making these work:
https://www.unconventionalbaker.com/gluten-free-apricot-hamantaschen/
Let me know if you have any questions or run into any snags. I hope you can enjoy some with Purim being just around the corner :)
Sharon @ What The Fork Food Blog says
I had never heard of these cookies before but I've been seeing recipes all over the place for them recently. Yours look so delicious!
Audrey says
Thanks Sharon. Yeah, I know these are everywhere this time of year -- and people can get really creative with the fillings and flavors. Really fun cookies to play around with -- I'd love to see your take on them sometime ;)
Raia says
I can't get away from featuring these at Savoring Saturdays this weekend. :D Thanks so much for sharing them with us, Audrey. ;)
Audrey says
Aw, thanks Raia! That's sweet of you :) Can't wait to see the other features. I can't believe it's Saturday already!
Laura@ Baking in Pyjamas says
I've seen these cookies everywhere recently, your version with the poppy seed filling looks great. Thanks for linking up to Sweet and Savoury Sunday, stop by and link up again. Have a great day!!
Audrey says
Makes sense to see these everywhere this time of year -- they're traditionally made for a March holiday. They're really good though. I hope you get to make some sometime -- I'd love to see your creative "jazzed up" take on them ;)
Rachel Edington says
These are really neat cookies! Thank you for sharing!
Audrey says
Thanks, Rachel! :)
Kristen says
I have always wanted to try hamantashen, but have been a little afraid of that #hamantashenfail! I am famous for overfilling things because I get impatient to be done. Your cookies look perfect!
Audrey says
It's really not so scary, Kristen. Though I must admit I learned the hard way -- I'm a totally over-filler too :S -- once you make these you'll view the world differently ;) It's really, really easy, and you end up with a really good cookie in the end. I guarantee you that even the #fail ones will be gobbled up -- I've never had a hamantaschen go to waste ;)
Shirley @ gfe & All Gluten-Free Desserts says
I totally love the poppy seed filling in these treats, Audrey! Thanks for all the education, too. I have to confess that every time I see your photos of these I think of tri-cornered hats. More history, if not exactly applicable. ;-)
Shirley
Audrey says
Haha :) They certainly do look like a {very delicious} tri-cornered hat ;)
Vanessa @ VeganFamilyRecipes.com says
These look so neat. I was expected a long list of ingredients and 500 steps but it's actually not that complicated to make. I'll definitely have to try them out :)
Audrey says
Thanks so much, Vanessa! Yes, these are not complicated in the least and can be made quite quickly. Hope you get to try them out -- enjoy!
Alyssa @ Simply Quinoa says
I've always wanted to make these cookies but a) couldn't pronounce or type the name and b) had no idea how to make them gluten-free. Well you've solved both problems for me, so now I have no excuse. Pinning and can't wait to try!
Audrey says
Hehe -- you're not the only one, Alyssa! :) It's pronounced something like haa--maan--ta--shen, with an emphasis on the first syllable. But you're welcome to just call them poppy seed cookies ;) Happy baking!
Gingi says
WOW, those look so yummy!!!! I want!! - http://www.domesticgeekgirl.com
Audrey says
Thanks Gingi! :)
genevieve @ gratitude & greens says
I've only had hamantaschen once, when one of my friends made a huge batch of them, but I loved them and have no idea why I haven't made my own yet! And I agree: Mediterranean flavours and all the combinations are incredible! I could just gorge on Mediterranean food all day. Can't wait to whip up a batch!
Audrey says
Thanks Genevieve. These cookies are so addictive. I suppose any cookie with a filling is, but something about these little filled triangles makes them hard to put down :) I hope you get a chance to make some sometime!
Hilary says
I love the look of these cookies-- very pretty! :)
Audrey says
Thanks very much, Hilary! :)
Rachel (teacher-chef) says
STUNNING - love Poppy Seed filling too, this are just mouthwateringly beautiful!
Audrey says
Thank you so much, Rachel!
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
I've never tried hamantaschen cookies before but have been seeing them around alot lately and have been dying to try a recipe out. I love your poppy seed take on them - and definitely will be making the recipe!
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Audrey says
Thanks Thalia! I love the poppy seed filling here too -- it makes an unexpectedly glamorous-looking cookie...
Terje says
I love the special shape of these, they look awesome. The first thought when looking at the photos was that the filling was made with blackcurrants. I wonder if a thick blackcurrant jam would work for these as well? Sounds like a fun idea to try. But for now... I guess it's time to go and find poppy seeds somewhere :)
Audrey says
Thanks Terje! :) Actually apparently some people make this traditionally with a prune filling too. There are many variations. I love the poppy seed filling though -- it's so good! I'd make it any day just to spread it on things :)
Terje says
Ooh, prune filling sounds great as well! I do love poppy seeds, but only when I don't eat stuff with them in public / right before going out. Picking the seeds out from between your teeth is just too damn annoying.
Audrey says
Haha. Well, you grind the poppy seeds in this so you don't have that problem to the same extent. It becomes almost more like a paste.
But the traditional prune filling is quite good also. It's called Lekvar. Here's one recipe for it to give you an idea of what's involved: http://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/2010/02/hamantaschen-prune-filling/
Terje says
Hm, poppy paste does sound good. Lekvar as well! I want both fillings now. Damn, might have to make some biscuits next week :D
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Audrey says
Great, glad I got you hooked ;)