My best childhood friend Sarah had a Grandma Florence, so of course, she was also my Grandma Florence.  She called us "Betty and Veronica" because Sarah was blonde and boisterous while I was dark and more quiet- but we were inseparable.  My best friend's mom HJ baked these hamantaschen every Purim.  I remember the soft velvety texture and perfectly subtle sweetness of the cookie.  Years later, HJ got diagnosed with celiac disease and stopped baking Grandma Florence's Hamantaschen because it just wasn't fun for her to watch everyone else eat.  This year, I baked the recipe with London Blend and they were absolutely identical in flavor and texture.  Needless to say, Grandma Florence's legacy lives on!

Grandma Florence’s Easy and Delicious Gluten Free Hamantaschen

Recipe Yields about 20 small or 15 larger hamantaschen.  Recipe may be doubled.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup (150 grams)  white granulated sugar (or a bit less sugar if you prefer a less sweet dough)    
11 tablespoons (150 grams) Crisco (use Crisco for crispier texture) or margarine/butter
1 egg
3 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups (320 grams) Blends by Orly London Blend

Heat: Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F and coat a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Mix: In stand mixer using the paddle attachment, mix sugar, margarine, egg, orange juice and vanilla extract together for 1 minute on low setting until well blended.  Add Blends by Orly London Blend and mix for 1 more minute on medium until a thick dough is formed.  Refrigerate dough for at least 15 minutes to harden.

Shape and Fill: Take an amount of dough and form it into a ball about the size of a golf ball.  On either a floured surface (or to save time, directly on the parchment lined cookie sheet)  use your hand to flatten the dough into a circle.  Fill center of dough circle with a good quality filling such as jam, peanut butter, chocolate chips, halva paste… and fold the dough into a triangle.

Bake: for 15-20 minutes or until dough appears a very light brown in color.

** For a healthier option, try replacing the Crisco shortening with Crisco coconut oil