Tis the season for sweets and treats. Many times, these treats hold special meaning
due to tradition, heritage, or just because they are our favorite things. Living with food allergies can be a barrier
to enjoying the delights of the season.
It is my life’s quest to provide my children with the same
opportunities, tastes, and experiences as others, so I tackled homemade
caramels this season with delicious results.
I referred to a master of the art of cooking, Martha Stewart, and
adapted a recipe of hers titled Classic Caramel Candies. I did not use the
exact amounts of ingredients as described in her original recipe, but it was at
least a starting point. I substituted full fat coconut milk for the heavy cream
and Crisco for the butter. My other
attempts at these caramels used a butter substitute, but those did not have
same tasty results.
Coconut Caramels
1 cup of full fat, canned coconut milk
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons Crisco
½ cup light corn syrup
½ teaspoon vanilla
¼ teaspoon salt (optional)
Lightly
brush bottom and sides of an
8x8 inch rimmed baking dish
with oil. Line with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on long sides; lightly
brush parchment with oil.
Bring
coconut cream, sugar, Crisco, and corn syrup to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat, stirring until sugar
dissolves. Reduce heat to medium-high; cook, stirring occasionally, until
caramel reaches 248 degrees on a candy thermometer,
about 15 minutes.
Immediately
remove caramel from heat, and stir in salt and vanilla. Pour caramel onto baking
sheet, and let stand, uncovered, at room temperature at least 8 hours and up to
1 day.
Lifting
by parchment overhang, transfer caramel to a large cutting board. Cut into bite
sized pieces; wrap each piece in waxed paper or cellophane.
A Christmas tradition that I enjoyed as a child was making
Spritz cookies with my mother and sister.
The Spritzer was originally my grandmothers and my mom passed it along
to me. After 60+ years, this marvel of
a cookie press still works and these cookies continue to be a favorite with the
young and for those who remember the original cookie press.
My mother’s recipes for spritz cookies all contained egg,
so I did a google search for a recipe that was egg free. I finally determined to try the following recipe
because it was egg free, and I felt like it would be a good recipe when using a
wheat/gluten alternative because it contained cornstarch. The cornstarch helps to
lighten the texture of gluten free flour. Here is the link for the original recipe.
Vegan Spritz Cookies
1/2 cup Crisco, softened at room temperature
1/2 cup + 3 Tbsp. powdered sugar.
1/4 cup + 3 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons milk alternative
1 cup + 3 tablespoons flour
Sprinkles, for decorating
Preheat your oven to
375 degrees.
In a large bowl, beat
together the Crisco, powdered sugar, and corn starch, using an electric mixer, on low
speed until well mixed.
Add in the vanilla extract
and salt and beat on medium speed for 5 minutes, until light and fluffy.
Gradually beat in the
milk alternative.
Fold the flour in 1/2
cup at a time until a dough forms.
Spoon the dough into
the cookie press and press cookies onto 2 ungreased cookie sheets, decorating
with sprinkles if desired.
Bake until just lightly
golden brown, about 11-12 minutes.
Another tradition of ours is to make chocolate covered
pretzels. Two years ago, I introduced a
recipe for making gluten-free and dairy-free chocolate covered pretzels. I wanted my son to be able to enjoy this
special treat just like everyone else.
This year, we made both milk chocolate and dairy free chocolate pretzels. To be able to determine the difference
between the two types, I used two different types of pretzels. Here is the LINK to the recipe.
