Healthy Hamentashen: A nutritious take on the traditional Purim cookie

The most well-known food of the Jewish holiday, Purim, is the Hamentashen: a three-cornered cookie made with a variety of sweet fillings. Typically, a hamentashen is made with white flour and filled with a sugary poppy seed, cherry, apricot or prune filling. This healthier version is made with whole grain spelt and brown rice flours and naturally sweet fillings that contain no added sugar.

These photos are from last Purim. It was my boys' first time making hamentashen. As you can see, they are not all perfect triangles, but they did create something new of their own...the hamen-taco!

Hamentashen

Yield: 2-3 dozen

1/4 cup EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

1/2 cup CHILLED MAPLE SYRUP

2 EGGS

1/2 cup UNSWEETENED APPLE SAUCE

1/2 tsp. PURE VANILLA EXTRACT

1 Tbsp. LEMON ZEST (1 Lemon)

1/2 tsp. SEA SALT

1 tsp. BAKING POWDER

1 1⁄2 cups BROWN RICE FLOUR

2 1⁄2 cups WHOLE SPELT FLOUR

(Plus 1/2 cup WHOLE SPELT FLOUR for rolling out the dough)

Filling*

1 cup UNSULPHURED DRIED APRICOTS

1 cup PRUNES

2 cups HOT WATER

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 325°F.
To prepare filling, place each dried fruit in a separate glass bowl or measuring cup. Add hot water to cover (approximately 1 cup each) and let soak for 10 minutes.
Drain and reserve the liquid. Place one of the dried fruits into a food processor with 1 Tbsp. reserve liquid. Process until a paste has formed, adding more reserve liquid as needed. Remove and set aside. Repeat procedure with other dried fruit.
In a large bowl, whisk together the oil and maple syrup. Add eggs, apple sauce, vanilla and lemon zest and continue whisking until smooth.
In a medium bowl, combine remaining dry ingredients. Slowly pour dry ingredients into the bowl of wet ingredients and mix well until a ball of dough is formed.
Taking 1/4 of the dough at a time, use a rolling pin and roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of approximately 1/8". Use the rim of glass or mug to cut circles in the dough. Dough scraps can be combined and rolled out to make more hamentashen.
Fill each circle with 1 1⁄2 tsp. of filling and press into three-cornered cookies. (Press two sides together and pinch the corner that is formed. Then fold the third side over and pinch together the other two corners.)
Place hamentashen on 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper and bake for approximately 15 minutes. Remove and let cool completely.

Notes

* Apricot and prune can be substituted with other dried fruits, according to preference.