Whether it is your own food allergy or your friends, baking to accommodate allergies can be a pain. But it doesn’t have to be. If you are thinking of giving a gift for a belated holiday party, you can give baked goods without setting off allergies. So whether your dearly beloveds are gluten-free, nut free, or everything-under-the-sun free, you can give them a gift they’ll appreciate.
For the nut-free: This is a fairly easy allergy to accommodate, but remember to use only clean tools and surfaces. Just because you can’t see any nuts doesn’t mean it didn’t touch a nut. To serve a little holiday cheer to your nut-free friends, I’d definitely go with the Red Velvet Crinkle cookie from CookingClassy.com. Just bask in its delicious glory.
For the gluten-free: Though a little trickier to avoid than a nut allergy, it’s not impossible to find a recipe that’s still yummy. For the gluten-free gals, I chose this Chewy Chocolate Chip recipe from Alton Brown. And because it’s Alton, you know it’s guaranteed to please even those who aren’t on a restricted diet.
For the vegan among us: Now this is a little more difficult, but still manageable. I found a Simple Vegan Cookie recipe. For this recipe it recommends that you use a food processor but if you have limited supplies, chopping up the dates extremely fine works too. You will however need a mixer to blend in the bananas and whatnot. However, it is only five ingredients so it’s fairly simple to follow. Unless your friends have a deep seeded hatred for dates or something, these cookies should be a hit.
For the “I’m allergic to everything, please don’t feel like you have to bake to accommodate me”: CHALLENGE ACCEPTED. My particular case of this friend happens to be gluten, egg and dairy free. However, substitutions are the spice of life, so I found a perfect recipe for this difficult individual: Vanilla and Chocolate Sugar Cookies. These babies are gluten free, as well as grain, egg and dairy free. They are considered worthy for those who are “clean eating.” Oh and did I mention they’re only six ingredients and 77 calories each cookie? Because they are.
Good luck! Remember to keep your ingredients uncontaminated and your materials clean.