Vegan & Gluten Free Hamantaschen

It's Purim again. I love this holiday because everybody is happy and having a great time. As much as I love the holiday, I am not looking forward to my kids eating too many sweets and unhealthy foods. So, here I am, creating another yummy yet healthy version of the traditional Hamantaschen cookies. They are not only vegan but gluten free too! And they're good!

For the filling I used chestnuts (the ones that you buy that are already peeled and cooked--Trader Joes has them), good quality marzipan, and cocoa powder. You can certainly use chocolate chips or your favorite jam.

The dough is not very sweet, but the filling is, so when you sprinkle the cookies with powdered sugar, you create the perfect balance of sweetness.

Keep the cookies in an airtight container for freshness.

Yield: about 33-34 Hamantaschen cookies

Ingredients

1 cup rice flour

1 1/2 cup gluten free oat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1 package of vegan cream cheese 8 oz / 227 g

2 flax eggs - ( 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal with 6 tablespoons water- let it sit for about 10 minutes)

Filling:

1 vacuum sealed package of peeled and cooked chestnuts 6.5 oz / 184 g

3/4 cup marzipan

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

Mix all the filling ingredients in the food processor.

Directions:

Heat oven to 375° F.

To the food processor add: rice flour, oat flour, baking powder. Pulse a couple of times. Then, add pure maple syrup, vegan cream cheese and flax eggs. Pulse until a dough is formed. Dust your working surface with flour, and then place the dough on it. Roll the dough into a thin layer, but not too thin, between 1/8 and 1/4 of an inch thick. Then take a round cookie cutter or use a cup, (I used 2 5/8" diameter or 68 mm) and cut out circles. Take a spoon and scoop some of the filling, rolling a little ball with your hands, and place in the center of each cookie. Start assembling the cookies, by pinching together the edges, to create 3 corners of a triangle shape--see pictures.

Take a large cookie sheet, lined with a parchment paper, and place the cookies on it. Cook for about 10-15 minutes at 375°. Let them cool down, sprinkle with powdered sugar, and serve.