Purim is one of my favorite Jewish holidays (and there are so many to choose from). You get dressed up, get wine-drunk, and tell stories about how a very oppressed group of people were saved buy a smart, courageous and beautiful woman named Esther. Talk about girl-power! But some of the tastiest elements of this celebration are also not very kind to the body. Hamantaschen represent the 3-pointed hat pf the evil oppressor, Haman, who wanted to completely obliterate the Jewish people (a plan that was foiled by the above mentioned Queen Esther). They’re usually made from white flour, vegetable oil, sickly sweet jams, and lots of refined sugar. But, as you’re already well aware, one of my missions is to find healthier alternatives to traditional treats and comfort-food faves. The following hamantaschen recipe has been whole-happied by subbing the gluten-filled refined flour with almond, buckwheat, and coconut flour, swapping out the vegetable oil for coconut oil, and switching the refined sugar for raw honey and a more wholesome filling. As always, I encourage you to experiment here. Try different dried fruits for the filling, or give chopped nuts and seeds a try. Even organic dark chocolate chips is a worthwhile contender for a rich and decadent treat! I guarantee you, even if you don’t celebrate Purim, you’ll be making these delightful pockets of deliciousness all year round.

Ingredients

1 ½ cups of almond flour
½ cup buckwheat flour
¼ tsp of fine sea salt
¼ cup of coconut oil
1 free-range egg
¼ cup of raw honey
1 tsp of vanilla extract
6 tbsp of coconut flour
½ cup of favorite fruit preserve (see recipe below)

Directions

Preheat oven to 300F.
In a medium-sized bowl whisk together the egg, honey, coconut oil, and vanilla extract.
In a separate bowl, combine the almond flour, buckwheat flour, and sea salt.
In an electric mixer or food processor, combine the wet and dry ingredients, leaving out the coconut flour and fruit preserve.
While the mixer or food processor is on low, slowly add some of the coconut flour, 1 tbsp at a time until the dough forms into a ball. *You may also need to transfer the dough to a bowl and start adding the coconut flour while kneading the dough until you get a playdough-like consistency.
Put the dough between 2 pieces of parchment paper and flatten the dough with a rolling-pin.
Make circles using a cookie cutter or the top of a glass, and spoon in a small amount of fruit preserve in the centre of each circle.
Fold three edges of the circles, pinching them together to create three points in the shape of a triangle, with some of the preserve peeking out (kind of like a little cookie packet).
Evenly space the packets on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until they start to turn light golden.
Remove from the oven, and allow the cookies to sit for 3-4 minutes, then carefully transfer them to a cooling rack to fully cool before servings.