Indie Candy to the rescue! The Alabama-based company, which ships to the U.S. and Canada, has created a “Back to School Allergy-Free Bucket” that will please parents, teachers and students alike. (One of Allergic Living’s contributors said she would have given her right arm for this product when her child was in elementary school.) Each box includes cookies, gummies and lollipops, and can be customized for your child’s specific allergies. Click here for more info (and see picture, below).

Indie Candy's "Back to School Allergy Free Bucket"

But what about everyday snacks to send in your allergic child’s lunch box? We’re thrilled to report that allergy-friendly cookies have come a loooong way in recent years. As in, they’re delicious, and in most cases, you really can’t tell that you’re not eating butter, flour, milk, eggs, etc. A few examples:

• Home Free’s delectable little cookies, include chocolate chip, vanilla and oatmeal varieties, all of which are free of peanuts, tree nuts, dairy, eggs. Some flavors are gluten-free, too.

• Our taste-testers give high marks to Dr. Lucy’s selection of cookies. The Sugar Cookies, for example, are made without peanuts, nuts, wheat flour, milk or eggs – but your taste buds won’t be able to tell! (FYI, they do contain soy and oats.)

• Enjoy Life’s Crunchy Cookies. They’re gluten-free, free of the top eight allergens, and also made without casein, potato, sesame and sulfites. Of course, your kids will just like how tasty they are.

• Muffin bars will make your child the envy of the other kids in class. New from Ange-Gardien, free of most top allergens (contain soy), and in dynamic Intense Chocolate, Rasperry and Banana Chocolate flavors.

• We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the cookies by Sweet Alexis. Mmmm, chocolate chip – but free of dairy, egg, tree nut and peanut.

• Also new and impressive for Canadian customers are Tho’z Barz. These are moist and delicious, allergy-friendly snack bars. Organic and farm fresh. They don’t contain wheat, they do have oats.

Makes 12-16 cookies
Free of: All top allergens except wheat.
For gluten-free recipe, click here.

Ingredients

• 1½ cups (360 mL) brown sugar
• 1⁄4 cup (60 mL) vegetable shortening
• 1⁄2 cup (125 mL) vegetable oil
• 2 eggs or 4 tbsp (60 mL) egg replacer [e.g. Bob’s Red Mill or homemade]
• 1 1⁄2 cups (360 mL) all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp (5 mL) pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp (5 mL) cinnamon
• 1 tsp (5 mL) baking soda
• 2 cups (475 mL) rolled oats
• 2 cups (475 mL) raisins [look for sulphite-free brands]

Method

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°F. In a stand mixer, beat together the first four ingredients.
2. Add flour, vanilla, cinnamon and baking soda, stirring until smooth. Mix in oats and raisins until just combined.
3. Spoon large tablespoons of dough onto a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet, spaced 2-3 inches apart.
4. Bake 10-12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack and serve.
   Will keep in an airtight container for up to 10 days.

Recipe by Simon Clarke

Food photography by Chris Gonzaga

First published in Allergic Living magazine.
To order an issue or to subscribe, click here.

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