RECIPE OF THE WEEK - COOKIES FOR ALLERGIC KIDS

Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe: Egg Free and Dairy Free

If you have a food allergic child you know how difficult it can be to find allergy friendly and safe recipes. Here’s a quick and easy chocolate chip cookie recipe that everyone will love!

In all fairness this recipe is not free of the top 8 major allergens; but it is free of peanut, tree nut*, egg, sesame, soy (depending on your allergy level), and dairy.

And you have the benefit of knowing you made it yourself. No cross contamination!

Here’s what you will need:

1/2 cup of shortening
(we use Spectrum brand made with 100% organic palm oil-alternatively 1/2 cup of safflower or canola oil would work as well)

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
(you can also replace 1/2 cup of flour with oats or wheat flour)

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 tablespoons vegetable oil (omit if using oil instead of shortening)

1-2 tablespoons water (if needed)

1/2 cup shredded coconut
*(optional-FDA now considers coconut a tree nut and while rare, some individuals are allergic)

6 ounce package of dark chocolate or dairy free chips of your choice
(Enjoy Life makes a dairy free chip, Vermont Nut Free also make a dark chocolate skipper which is an M&M replacement.) (Keep in mind that many chips contain soy lecithin though many individuals are not allergic.)

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Combine shortening and/or oil, sugars, and vanilla and stir until mixed. Combine flour and baking soda in a separate bowl then add to wet mixture. Add optional coconut and stir. At this point mixture should be slightly moist, not dry or crumbly; add a small amount of water as necessary. Add chips and combine.

Drop by teaspoonfuls on ungreased cookie sheets spaced 2 inches apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes until cookies appear to be just barely set in the middle. These cookies will not brown like traditional cookies so be careful not to overcook.

Cool cookies on pan for 3 minutes then transfer to wire racks to cool further. Yields approximately 2 dozen cookies.

Because they are preservative free, they are best eaten within the first few days of baking. These cookies go fast in our house so we make a double batch, wrap in pairs when cooled, and freeze. Makes for a perfect lunch box snack!

Enjoy These Great Food Allergy Friendly Products!

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