Making Allergy-Friendly Candies

Making your own is a great way to come up with allergy-friendly candy – for the holidays and beyond. And it’s creative. The following recipes are free of the Top 9 allergens, and I avoid using corn syrup.

Free of: gluten and all top allergens

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Ingredients for Allergy-Friendly Candies

Sunflower Cups

  • 1 cup (250 mL) sunflower seed butter (I used Sunbutter)
  • 1 cup (250 mL) icing sugar
  • 1/2 cup (120 mL) allergy-safe chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life)

Raspberry Lollipops

Tools: You’ll need a large, heavy pot (for instance cast iron); a candy thermometer; a pastry brush; a wooden spoon; a long-handled ladle; food-grade silicon molds (I used Lekue molds); lollipop sticks; and parchment paper (to pour the candy on and wrap finished candy).

Syrup

  • 1 cup (250 mL) frozen raspberries (or other berry)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • zest of one lemon

Lollipops

  • 2 cups (475 mL) sugar
  • 1 cup (250 mL) water
  • 1/4 cup (60 mL) concentrated raspberry syrup

Caramels

  • 2 cups (475 mL) water
  • 1 7 oz (200 gram) box of creamed coconut (I used Let’s Do‚ĶOrganic brand)
  • 1 1/2 cups (350 mL) brown sugar
  • 1 1 /2 cups (350 mL) sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Toffee

  • 1 cup (250 mL) coconut oil
  • 1 1/2 cups (350 mL) sugar
  • 1 tbsp rice syrup (I used Lundberg brand)
  • 1 tbsp water

Recipe Tips

For boiled candies:

• Work with a glass of iced water beside you, and stay at the stove while sugar is heating. As the mixture boils, dampen a pastry brush and run it around the inside of the pot to stop sugar crystals forming.

• Heat the mixture slowly until the heat is high enough to keep the temperature going up - but low enough that the sugar doesn’t burn. The finished mixture will be extremely hot.

• Before you start, pour a few inches of warm water into your sink and prepare your molds. Plan your steps while waiting for the sugar to boil.

Instructions for Allergy-Friendly Candies

Sunflower Cups

  1. Mix the sunflower seed butter and icing sugar together to form a thick paste. Set aside.
  2. Using a candy thermometer, in a double boiler temper the chocolate chips by melting until the temperature is 125 degrees F, then cooling to 84 degrees. This results in a glossy finish and a snap when cooled. (If you melt the chocolate without tempering, it won’t look as good.)
  3. Spoon the chocolate into molds, making sure to cover, not just the bottom, but also the sides with chocolate.
  4. Let chocolate set (become solid), then spoon in the sunflower mixture.
  5. Spoon on the top layer of chocolate. Leave in the mold until ready to eat.

Raspberry Lollipops

  1. For syrup: over medium heat, stir together frozen raspberries (or another berry) and sugar. Cook until a thick syrup forms, then strain to remove seeds.
  2. Stir in zest of one lemon.
  3. For lollipops: dissolve the sugar in water at low temperature, then increase heat to medium, making sure the temperature is high enough that your candy thermometer level is increasing, but low enough that the sugar won’t burn (this takes at least 20 minutes).
  4. Now boil until the temperature reaches “Hard Crack” – 290 degrees F (143 degrees C). Remove the mixture from the heat, and carefully place the pot into the warm water in your sink. This stops the cooking.
  5. Make sure your molds are handy (I place them on parchment paper so spills are easy to clean), then ladle the boiling hot mixture into silicon molds.

Caramels

  1. Mix together all ingredients except vanilla, and heat until mixture reaches “Firm Ball” stage – 242 degrees F. This takes at least 20 minutes.
  2. Remove from heat, and place your pot into a sink with warm water to stop the cooking. Add vanilla, and mix thoroughly.
  3. Pour into parchment paper-lined 9 x 13-inch pan while still warm. Use the back of a knife to score into 1-inch square pieces.
  4. Let cool completely overnight and break into pieces. Caramels can be wrapped in parchment paper or cellophane.

Toffee

  1. Mix all ingredients and heat until temperature reaches Hard Crack stage – 290 degrees F. This takes at least 20 minutes.
  2. Remove the mixture from heat, and carefully place pot into a sink of warm water to stop the cooking.
  3. Pour into parchment paper-lined 9 x 13-inch (23 x 33 cm) pan, then score with a knife into 1-inch pieces, and let harden. It should break into pieces easily.