<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>> This post includes two sections: "general advice" and "recipes". There are seven pieces of advice and four recipes. Any recipe sent to me which did not use GF ingredients does not appear here. Thanks to all who sent hamentashen recipes and advice. Some who sent us recipes may not want their addresses published here. To err on the side of their privacy I am posting these recipes without attribution, unless the original source was already published. Anyone who wishes to take credit can do so. Note that in searching the archives for these and later posts, keep in mind that spelling varies. We've seen "hamenstaschen", "hamenstashen", "hamentaschen" and "hamenstashen". For those of you who aren't Jewish, hamenstashen are three-cornered cookies with a sweet filling served on the Purim holiday. GENERAL ADVICE 1. Use your old recipe and substitute a GF flour. Some suggested GF flours: a. 1 1/2c rice flour and 1/2c sweet rice flour for every 2c of wheat flour, then use rice flour to get the right consistency, if needed. b. Soy flour c. Bette Hagen "Gluten Free Gourmet Cooks Fast and Healthy" cookbook's combination flour: 1 part bean flour, 1 part corn starch, 1 part tapioca flour, 1/2 part rice flour. d. GF Flour Mix (used in Recipe #3) 1 c. brown rice flour 2/3 c. tapioca flour 2 tsp. xanthan gum 1 c. white rice flour 1/3 c. corn starch 3/4 c. sweet rice flour 1/4 c. potato starch e. 1 C each of brown rice, white rice sweet rice flour plus 1/2 C potato starch. (used in Recipe #5) 2. There is a site exclusively for hamenstashen recipes. THESE RECIPES ARE NOT GLUTEN-FREE, but experimentation with GF flours may transform one of these forbidden recipes into a GF classic. The site may be found at: http://www.eskimo.com/~jefffree/recipes/hamindex.htm 3. One respondent suggests using a GF sugar cookie recipe and shape them like triangles and put GF preserves in the middle, or maybe a pie crust recipe. Note that it's important to have a dough which will hold its shape when folded into the triangle. 4. For fillings, consult a Jewish cookbook---many filling recipes are already GF or easily made so. Fruit preserves work as a filling and save any cooking at all. 5. "Cake" recipes adapt to GF flours more readily than "Raised" recipes, says one respondent. 6. When using a GF flour for hamentaschen recipes, make sure to add 1 tsp xanthum gum per cup of flour. Otherwise the dough will lack the necessary "play", one respondent says. 7. "find the *best* baker at your shul, plead ignorance, invoke "pikuach nefesh" and ask for help. The reason that you want help is that you may have to "play" with the flour/liquid proportions - if the dough "looks" right, it'll bake up just fine - but you need someone who knows how the dough is supposed to look." RECIPES RECIPE #1 After rolling GF dough to about 1/4" thickness (or a little thicker; don't make it too thin or it will break over the filling), cut out 3" circles. Put a teaspoonful of filling in the center of the circle, then fold up three sides leaving some exposed filling. Pinch the corners with water-moistened fingers to seal them shut. Bake in 350 degree oven until golden brown. RECIPE #2 Preheat oven to 350. Bowl: 2 1/4 cups tapioca flour 1 tsp. salt 1/3 cup sugar 1/2 tsp. guar/xanthan gum (omit for piecrust) Blender or Food Processor: 1 cup Filberts/Macadamias 1/4 cup water 1/2 cup canola oil 1 tsp. vanilla Grind the nuts very fine. Add contents of food processor to bowl and mix. Roll into balls and flatten. Bake on greased cookie sheet at 350 for 10 - 15 (?) minutes or until they begin to turn golden-brown. I like them a bit golden - they're crispier. I highly recommend investing in an Airbake cookie sheet so as not to burn your GF cookies. Makes 2 1/2 dozen cookies. This dough rolls out on a potato-starch-floured board quite successfully to make cookie-cutter cookies (dinos are a big hit around here.) It also makes an excellent pie crust - flaky and delicious. Cover the edges with foil and pre- bake for 15 minutes before filling. I always use macadamias - very inexpensive at my warehouse store. I admit, when I'm in a hurry I just start with the nuts in the food processor, then add the other wet then dry ingredients one at a time until I have my cookie dough. It works ok for me, but you may prefer not to cheat, depending on your food processor. Rolling it out, then flouring and folding several times, then rolling quite thick and cutting with fluted circles would probably result in something like an English scone, texture-wise. A few raisins, some clotted cream & jam... RECIPE #3: GF Flour Mix: 1 c. brown rice flour 2/3 c. tapioca flour 2 tsp. xanthan gum 1 c. white rice flour 1/3 c. corn starch 3/4 c. sweet rice flour 1/4 c. potato starch Make a mix of this and use 2 cups of it (save the rest for something else - waffles, cones, cookies) in the recipe: Honey Dough: 2 c. sifted GF flour 1/4 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1/4 shortening, softened 2 eggs 1/2 c. honey Sift flour, salt and baking powder in a bowl. Make a well in the center and place shortening, eggs and honey in it. Work together until a dough is formed. Roll out on a GF floured surface and cut into 4" circles. Place a heaping tablespoon of filling on each and fold into a triangle shape, sealing the edges with wettened fingers. Bake at 350 deg. for 20 min or until browned. Makes about 1 1/2 dozen. Fillings: *Poppy Seed*: 1 c. poppy seeds 1/2 c. milk 1/3 c. honey 1/2 tsp. grated lemon rind Grind poppy seeds or put through food chopper. Combine with milk and honey. Cook all over low heat, stirring frequently until thick. Stir in the lemon rind and cool the mixture. Cool and fill the dough. *Nut & Honey*: 1 lb. (1/2kg) ground walnuts 1/2kg (1lb) honey 1/4 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 c. sugar drop of lemon juice Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Let cool. RECIPE #4 (posted to list last year by Ellen Switkes and recommended by several respondents) 4 eggs 1 C oil 1/4 t salt 4 1/2 c flour mixture* or more if needed 1 t vanilla 1 1/2 C sugar 2 t xantham gum (this is in the recipe, but I always omit it) 4 t baking powder *flour mixture is 1 C each of brown rice, white rice sweet rice flour plus 1/2 C potato starch. Mix all ingredients. Add extra flour if needed. Dough is oily. Roll walnut sized circles, place on greased sheet. Flatten, put jelly or other filling in center, fold up to a 3 sided triangle, pinch corners and bake 350 degrees for 10 to 15 min. Don't wait until Purim.