Vegan Chocolate-Filled Hamantaschen (Purim Cookies)

Elevate your hamantaschen to the next level using vegan chocolate chip cookie dough and a velvety vegan chocolate filling. This original recipe is a total crowdpleaser for both kids and adults alike, and these cookies are always the first to disappear during Purim when served alongside traditional hamantaschen. These are naturally gluten-free as well!

Hamantaschen is one of the most underrated cookies ever created. It is essentially a cookie and a danish mixed together and the result could not be more delicious. Every Purim I find myself asking why these aren't just as popular as soft-baked chocolate chip cookies, snickerdoodles or oatmeal raisin cookies that are served year-round.

Think about it for a second: cookie dough is irresistible by itself, and then you fold in a fruit jam or chocolate filling... why are we not eating these more often?!

Vegan Hamantaschen vs. Traditional Hamantaschen

Hamantaschen is a triangular cookie with the edges folded together in order to hold whatever filling is being used. Traditional Purim cookies use a fruit or poppy seed filling that is typically made with eggs, milk, butter, refined sugar and honey to achieve a jelly-like texture.

In addition, the traditional dough that holds the filling is often made with eggs, butter, refined sugar and flour as well. These are not exactly the most nutritious ingredients!

This vegan hamantaschen recipe swaps all these out for wholesome, plant-based ingredients that you can feel good about eating, which is great knowing you will definitely be grabbing seconds! These consist of almond flour, oat flour, vegan butter or coconut oil, pure maple syrup and vanilla extract for the dough and chocolate tahini or a blend of hazelnuts, cocoa powder and maple sugar for the filling.

Not only is this vegan version more nutritious, but it also tastes better, the dough won't fall apart and no one would ever suspect it is vegan (and gluten-free). It really is the perfect recipe for Purim! Try my raspberry chia jam hamantaschen as well for a fruit-filled, more traditional vegan option. And, for a fun, easy, no-bake option for your kiddos try my hamantaschen sandwich hack.

What is Purim?

The Jewish holiday of Purim is celebrated on the 14th day of the month of Adar on the Hebrew calendar. Because the Hebrew calendar doesn't align exactly with ours, the date varies each year but typically occurs late winter or early spring (usually March or April, although sometimes February).

Purim is a celebration of the Jewish people being saved in Persia. It is a story about Esther, a woman who became queen by winning a beauty contest after the Persian king dethroned the previous one. Queen Esther hid the fact that she was Jewish.

After her cousin Mordecai informed her that the king's advisor, named Haman, convinced the king to kill all of the Jews, Esther organized a banquet and confronted the king about this evil plan. In doing so, she revealed that she was Jewish and convinced him not to kill the Jews. The king then ordered that the villain Haman be killed instead.

This 4-minute animated video summarizes the story well.

Why Do We Eat Hamantaschen?

The story of Purim is re-told each year by reading the Scroll of Esther, called the Megillah. It is often acted out in plays with costumes and puppets, and kids get in on the fun by dressing up as well and eating hamantaschen.

According to My Jewish Learning, Hamantaschen stems from the word "mohntaschen" which translates to "poppy seed pockets." Poppy seed pastries were a popular treat in the late 18th century. In the early 19th century, German Jews started making these cookies specifically for Purim and called them "hamantaschen," playing off the villain's name Haman. That is why traditional hamantaschen is made with poppy seeds, and it is said that this represented Haman's pockets stuffed with bribes.

The meaning of the traditional triangle shape is actually more legend than known fact. It is said that Haman wore a triangular hat, but another theory is that the Midrash says that Haman's strength immediately weakened when he recognized the merit of the three patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (source).

Ingredients

This recipe has two components: the cookie dough and the filling. The smooth dough is actually made from my vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe, only chilled and rolled flat. The filling can be your choice of homemade Nutella or chocolate tahini (nut-free).

Cookie Dough

• Almond flour
• Oat flour (gluten-free flour if desired)
• Baking soda
• Vegan butter (or coconut oil)
• Maple syrup
• Vanilla extract
• Vegan dark chocolate chips
• Salt

Filling

• Homemade Nutella:
  • Unsalted hazelnuts (raw or roasted)
  • Maple sugar (or coconut sugar)
  • Unsweetened cocoa powder
  • Salt
  • Vanilla extract (optional)

or

• Soom chocolate tahini for a nut-free option (not sponsored)

How to Make Chocolate-Filled Hamantaschen

I have two reels on Instagram showing how I make hamantaschen if you are more of a visual learner: one is for this chocolate version and the other is for my lemon version.

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. If using homemade Nutella as the filling, prepare this first following these instructions.

2. Add the dry ingredients (almond flour, oat flour, baking soda and salt) to a medium-sized mixing bowl and whisk to fully combine.

3. Add the wet ingredients (softened butter or coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla extract) and combine using a hand mixer.

4. Fold in the chocolate chips.

5. Freeze the dough for 3 minutes before rolling. This is important so that the cookies retain their shape when folding.

6. Place a sheet of parchment paper both underneath and above the dough and use a rolling pin to flatten it until it is about ¼ inch thick. I like to keep the dough on the thicker side to make it easier to work with when folding.

7. Use a circle cookie cutter or the rim of a glass to cut the dough into circles.

8. Place the circles of dough onto a baking sheet. Add a teaspoon of filling (homemade Nutella or chocolate tahini) on top of each cookie, then pinch or fold in the edges to form a triangle. Do not overfill the cookies as they will overflow when baking.

9. Place the entire baking sheet into the freezer for 10-15 minutes to ensure that the hamantaschen hold their shape.

10. Bake the hamantaschen cookies for 8 minutes.

11. Drizzle melted chocolate overtop the cookies (optional).

12. Transfer the baking sheet directly to the freezer for 10 minutes or allow them to cool to room temperature (about 30 minutes) to ensure that the cookies retain their shape.

I hope you enjoy these savory hamantaschen cookies at your next Purim celebration! Please leave a comment or rating, or tag me on Instagram with photos of your creations so I can see them!

Vegan Chocolate-Filled Hamantaschen (Purim Cookies)

---

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 1 review

• Author: Elaine Gordon
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 12 1x
• Diet: Vegan

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

Description

Elevate your hamantaschen to the next level using vegan chocolate chip cookie dough and a velvety vegan chocolate filling. This original recipe is a total crowdpleaser for both kids and adults alike, and these cookies are always the first to disappear during Purim when served alongside traditional hamantaschen. These are naturally gluten-free as well!

---

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

For the dough:

• 1 cup super-fine blanched almond flour (not almond meal)
• ¾ cup gluten-free oat flour
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ cup vegan, soy-free butter, slightly softened (I love Miyoko vegan butter or you can sub coconut oil)
• ¼ cup pure maple syrup
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• ⅓ cup vegan and refined sugar-free dark chocolate chips
  

For the filling:

• Homemade Nutella or chocolate tahini

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

---

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. If using homemade Nutella as the filling, prepare this first following these instructions.
2. Add the dry ingredients (almond flour, oat flour, baking soda and salt) to a medium-sized mixing bowl and whisk to fully combine.
3. Add the wet ingredients (softened butter or coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla extract) and combine using a hand mixer.
4. Fold in the chocolate chips.
5. Freeze the dough for 3 minutes before rolling. This is important so that the cookies retain their shape when folding.
6. Place a sheet of parchment paper both underneath and above the dough and use a rolling pin to flatten it until it is about ¼ inch thick. I like to keep the dough on the thicker side to make it easier to work with when folding.
7. Use a circle cookie cutter or the rim of a glass to cut the dough into circles.
8. Place the circles of dough onto a baking sheet. Add a teaspoon of filling (homemade Nutella or chocolate tahini) on top of each cookie, then pinch or fold in the edges to form a triangle. Do not overfill the cookies as they will overflow when baking.
9. Place the entire baking sheet into the freezer for 10-15 minutes to ensure that the hamantaschen hold their shape.
10. Bake the hamantaschen cookies for 8 minutes.
11. Drizzle melted chocolate overtop the cookies (optional).
12. Transfer the baking sheet directly to the freezer for 10 minutes or allow them to cool to room temperature (about 30 minutes) to ensure that the cookies retain their shape.

• Prep Time: 10
• Cook Time: 35
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Oven

• Almond
• Almond Flour
• Chocolate
• Oat Flour
• Oats
• Tahini
• Gluten-Free
• Refined Sugar-Free
• Vegan
• Oven-Baked
• Easy
• Kid-Friendly