Gluten free, dairy free, and nut free recipes for food allergies
Cooking for kids with food allergies
These days food allergies are rearing their ugly heads more and more, and school parties and bake sales can be hotspots for trouble.
But just because allergens lurk in many of our favorite baked goods, there’s no need to step away from the spatula or purchase a slew of allergy-conscious ingredients.
I’m a professional baker, and to bypass my own nut sensitivities and my friends’ kids’ wheat, dairy and egg allergies, I came up with these delicious allergen-free recipes that, as a bonus, use ingredients you already have in your house.
These treats are sure to be a hit – no warning labels required.
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Chocolate-Coconut Cookies
Gluten- and dairy-free
These delectable cookies are naturally gluten- and dairy-free, however if you don’t have any dairy restrictions to contend with, I highly recommend dipping them in your choice of chocolate: melted milk, dark or white.
Makes about 40 cookies.
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Roasted Pear, Apple and Blueberry Pine-Nut Bars
Nut- and egg-free (not gluten-free)
Using pine nuts is a great way to include “nuts” in a nut-free recipe. While the name may mislead you into thinking they are verboten, pine nuts are actually seeds, so they’re safe. These delicious bars are also egg-free, and the browned butter makes them utterly addictive to kids and parents alike.
Makes about 18-20 bars
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Butterscotch Treats with White Chocolate
Gluten- and nut-free
Be prepared: these sweet, gooey treats fly off the plate, leaving behind a slew of sticky fingers and big smiles.
Makes about 20 servings.
Eeek! Terrible advice on #2. Pine nuts are tested during nut allergy testing. Many people who are allergic to nuts would also be allergic to pine nuts. It would be similar to putting peanuts in and saying it is OK because peanuts are a legume and not a nut. Which is true, but often people who are allergic to nuts are allergic to peanuts, and vice-versa.
http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/healthissues/foodintolerance/foodintolerancetypes/pinenutallergy/
True about the pine nuts (those allergic to nuts can swell up at the sight of pine nuts)
but everything else looks cool! Thanks for the list!
My daughter is highly allergic to dairy, eggs and peanuts, so at first glance, it looked like she couldn’t eat any of these recipes. But with a simple switch to non-dairy margarine in #2, it becomes a non-dairy recipe. I’m not sure if her non-dairy margarine will brown as well as butter, but I’m going to try it …
Also, great link to Food Allergy Mama (Top 50 Food Blogging Moms). She has AWESOME non-dairy, non-egg and non-nut recipes. Baking, mostly.
Thanks so much for your responses. While a pine nut is technically the small, edible seed of a pine tree it is always necessary for those with small ones with food allergies to be aware of whatever is going into their diets.
RKate- Good point!
However, the frequency of concurrent nut/pine “nut” allergies are so frequent that the 2 recipe being otherwise “tree nut free” is nearly irreverent. But still, great line up!
Please , please , please change the labeling on #2. While Pine nuts may be seeds, they are considered tree nuts for allergy purposes. Any packaged food containing pine nuts must be labeled as containing tree nuts according to US law.
The following common nuts are considered tree nuts under U.S. law: almond; Brazil nut; cashew; chestnut; filbert/hazelnut; macadamia nut; pecan; pine nut (pignolia nut); pistachio; walnut. (from: http://www.faiusa.org/?page=treenuts )
I have an allergic kid and I know to read labels, etc. But this is giving misinformation. I can picture someone bringing this to a potluck where they know there will be a nut allergic person, but assuming it will be OK because the recipe is labelled nut free. Or someone offering this to my son as nut free on a playdate, and he is 9 he goes on them by himself. And honestly, if someone told me they made a nut free recipe, it would not occur to me to ask them if there were nuts in it!!
If you have any concerns, please don’t include the pine nuts in the pear/apple/blueberry bars. The recipe doesn’t need to be adjusted in the slightest. It’s perfectly delicious on it’s own, no pine nuts necessary!