What is Safe for Us?
James is allergic to tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soy. He can eat soy lecithin and soybean oil. He has oral allergy syndrome (OAS) to tomatoes and melon. He avoids legumes.
I avoid dairy, as I've recently discovered it affects my sinuses.
Disclaimer:
When I mention a brand, it is because I am comfortable with the allergen policy and with using that brand for my family. It is not an endorsement or a suggestion that you use the same brand without doing your own research. Everyone's allergies and comfort levels vary. That said, I have no sponsors and all my opinions are flatly my own.
Molded Chocolate Eggs
Made from Chocoley Bada Bing Bada Boom Modeling Chocolate
Free of: peanuts, tree nuts, wheat/gluten, eggs, sesame, fish, crustaceans
Contains: Soy lecithin and dairy
You can find the allergen statement here.I have one failed attempt at making a chocolate bunny when James was a toddler (it bloomed). Darren was interested in trying to make chocolates again and, while I was a competent aide, he was definitely the chocolatier.
Since I had a bad experience, we chose the chocolate which required no tempering. We did order samples of the gourmet couverture chocolate (free with order) to sample. Darren followed the directions on their website and, easily enough, we had chocolate eggs.
Sunbutter Eggs
Chocoley Version: Same allergy information as above
Enjoy Life Version: Free from wheat, dairy, tree nuts, peanuts, eggs, fish, and shellfish.
Cross Contamination: Sunbutter is made on the same equipment as soy.
I love(d) peanut butter cups. And since I avoid dairy, we decided to temper Enjoy Life chocolate chips so I could have my own version. We also made a chocoley version for the dairy eaters.We used the following method to temper the chips:
1. Heat the chips in a double boiler to 108°, stirring constantly.
2. Remove from heat and add a small handful of chips as seed crystals.
3. Continue to stir until the temperature reaches 88°.
We used the following recipe for the filling:
1/2 c Sunbutter
2 T softened Butter (Spectrum Palm Shortening for dairy free)
1/4 c + 2 T confectionery sugar
1/4 tsp salt
We were actually out of confectionery sugar and ground our own using regular sugar and cornstarch. You may need to adjust the ratios a little to get the right consistency because our sugar was coarser than usual.
We made 20 cups and used 10 ounces of chocolate for the bottom and 15 ounces for the tops. There was leftovers of the Sunbutter filling and I'm already thinking about thinning it out and using it for a chocolate Sunbutter Ice Cream (Yum).
The Enjoy Life were definitely a darker chocolate (not that I mind at all). Both batches set up really well.
A No Fuss, Easy Treat
Free of: Peanuts, tree nuts, wheat/gluten, fish, shellfish
Cross Contamination: Soy
If you are a baker, than these are for you. I made them for James to take to a party. More confessions, it's Betty Crocker Gluten Free cake mix. The frosting (and reason why we had no confectionery sugar) is a simple buttercream:
1/3 c butter, softened
1 lb confectionery sugar
1 tsp vanilla
You may notice the yellow looks more crisp than the green . They are made with different tips but, I added milk to the green frosting, but it was hot here and so, the frosting was slightly too soft. Since I live in a warm area, I've found it works better to leave the milk out altogether and add it if needed later.
And Peeps are large decorations that cover a variety of frosting woes.
These all taste great. The Sunbutter filled eggs/cups are my favorite.
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