Allergy friendly Christmas cookies

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christmas cookies

What is Christmas without a few Christmas cookies?  Yes, I am a personal trainer advocating the Christmas cookie.  I am a firm believer in moderation and that one shouldn’t be deprived a little treat now and then.  My kids wanted to make cookies for Santa and who am I to deny the big guy his cookie.  However, if Santa is like the people in my house he cannot have dairy, soy, wheat, or eggs.  After searching high and low, I found this recipe at AllergyCookie.com.  Thanks to these creative people we were able to have our treat and stay away from our food sensitivities.

Ingredients

Directions

  1. Mix dry ingredients and set aside.
  2. Cream Earth Balance and sugar.
  3. Add cultured coconut milk, milk alternative, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla.
  4. Using a paddle or dough hook, slowly add dry ingredients.
  5. Mix on low until well blended.
  6. Roll into ball and refrigerate 30 to 60 minutes (or place in freezer for 15 minutes).
  7. On a lightly floured surface, roll to desired thickness (about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick).
  8. Cut into shapes and place on greased cookie sheet.
  9. Bake at 375 for 8 to 10 minutes.
  10. Remove from pan and cool completely on cooling rack.
  11. Frost and serve same day or flash freeze until ready to use.

* We did not frost the cookies, we decorated the cookies with sugar sprinkles prior to baking.

Lisa’s Goodness Bars Recipe

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I love Goodness Knows snack bars, but my daughter has a few nut allergies, and I am trying to stay away from packaged foods.  So, I decided to experiment with recipes to create a bar that we love to eat, is nutritious, and can be customized to individual tastes.

This is the result!

Lisa Goodness Bars

Lisa’s Goodness Bars

Ingredients:

3 cups nut/seed mix (I used 1/4 cup chia seeds, 1/4 cup hemp hearts, 1 cup chopped brazil nuts, 1 cup pecans, 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds)***

1/2 cup honey

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 cup chocolate chips (I use enjoy life dark chocolate since they are dairy and soy free)

1 tsp vegan shortening or coconut oil

***Get creative with your nut and seed mix.  Some ingredients to consider using are…sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, pecans, cashews, brazil nuts, walnuts, pistachios, dried fruit (although I would keep the fruit limited to 1/2 cup so there is enough “crunch”)

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  • Melt shortening or coconut oil in the microwave
  • In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients, except for the chocolate chips
  • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
  • Pour nut mixture onto prepared baking sheet, spread it out evenly, staying away from the edges by 1 1/2 inches
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes
  • Remove from oven, while mix is still a bit warm, cut into squares with a pizza cutter.
  • Once the nut mix is completely cool, melt the chocolate chips in the microwave and drizzle chocolate over the squares. (You can adjust the amount of chocolate to your personal taste.)