Happy Nut-Free Holidays: Nut-Free Candy & Treats Finds, Holiday Party Tips and More

Nut-free holiday cookies: you'll find the recipe in this post. Read on.

One holiday down, a few more to go! Holiday time is very busy for all of us, so I wanted to share some of my most popular holiday posts in a sort of "roundup" blog post.

I've included links to posts on nut-free holiday candy you can find at the supermarket, recipes for nut-free treats and holiday party tips that allow you to have a safe and healthy time with food-allergic family members. (Also see the post just before this one for info on navigating those holiday dinners with food allergies).

Food allergies can be very stressful at the holidays and sometimes we feel like we have to attend every party and event, even if we know it will be difficult. Depending on how close you are with the hosts and the strength of your interest in attending the party or event, go easy on yourself. If you want to skip something, it's OK. I don't advocate avoiding everything, but the amount of social demands this time of year can be overwhelming, and if you are a family dealing with food allergies, it can feel impossible to keep a kid safe at some of these things. So, use your judgment and have fun is my motto.

A word about candy, especially chocolate: labeling laws do NOT require "may contains" language or "processed on equipment with" language. Some companies may choose to put that information on a label, but it is, at this point in time, voluntary. So if you pick up, say, a chocolate in the shape of the "Frozen" characters and it has no warning for cross-contact, "may contain,", etc, that doesn't necessarily mean it is safe. Call/e-mail companies if you need additional information. If you can't find out the info, then use the links in this post for some safe nut-free suggestions. But remember: ingredients labels/manufacturing procedures can change and frequently do. Be an informed consumer and read labels, even if you see the item featured here.

I also want to give a thank you to Nutphree's and Surf Sweets, two nut-free food makers who are currently sponsoring my blog. Their products are delicious, high-quality, NUT-FREE always, and available in some supermarkets and specialty stores, making them a great resource for nut-free holiday treats. Nutphree's has its owns storefront in the Chicago suburbs, so check it out. Surf Sweets is also available online.

On to the nut-free holiday article roundup. Click each link to go directly to the article.

Tips for a happy, nut-free holiday

Nut-free holiday/Christmas candy

Nut-free Christmas recipes

Snowball cookies (pictured above) recipe

Are you a Pinner? Check out these boards on my Pinterest page:

Nut-Free Christmas Sweets

Holidays with Food Allergies

For general nut allergy information, especially for those of you new to dealing with this issue, my e-book, The New Nut-Free Mom: A Crash Course in Caring for Your Child with Nut Allergies is a concise, compassionate resource. You can find out how to get it by clicking this link.

Your readership and kind comments mean the world to me! I'm so glad that this blog is a helpful resource for so many of you. As this year draws to a close, I wish all of you a wonderful, safe, happy, healthy holiday with your children and families!!

Is Hershey's Chocolate Nut-Free?

With school in session again, I'm getting a lot of questions about candy and snacks. I thought it was time to revisit my nut-free Hershey chocolate info. A lo fo people want to know "Is Hershey's Chocolate nut free?" Here is a blog that I wrote in the past year:

Like me, a lot of you have probably called Hershey in the past. They have pretty thorough information on their labels, according to the reps I've spoken to and appear to take appropriate safety protocols. For those of you who want a nut-free facility for your chocolates, of course I will plug Vermont Nut-Free Chocolates once again! They have a huge selection of nut-free chocolates including baking chocolate, themed chocolate candies and some delicious new nut-free snacks. They are always my first choice.

Now, on to Hershey: I have used most of the following Hershey's products and they've worked out fine for my severely nut-allergic daughter. However, depending on your situation, they may not work for you. Always check with your doctor if you've got additional questions.

OK, with the disclaimer out of the way, here is the list of Hershey's candies that are currently "safe" for people allergic to tree nuts and peanuts:

Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bar - regular size 1.5 oz (KING Size or any other size of this bar does have cross contamination)--- this bar is made on a dedicated line 24 hours per day (does contain milk)

Jolly Ranchers - hard candy

Twizzlers - Strawberry (does contain wheat and soy)

York Peppermint Patty (does contain milk)

Hershey's Milk Chocolate Kisses (does contain milk)

Hershey's Chocolate Syrup

Hershey's Cocoa Powder (for baking)

Check out this link from the FAQS page at Hershey. It confirms what I have been told--if there is any concern about crossover contact, they will have an allergy warning such as "may contains" or "processed on equipment with." If you don't see this type of allergy warning you can then deem the product "safe."

For example, that would mean plain Hershey's milk chocolate kisses are safe for nut allergies. For other varieties--and there are so many--please read the labels carefully. Also, Hershey's semi-sweet baking chips are OK. This is good to know since Nestle, many people's old standyby, are off limits.

Of course, companies can make mistakes so we never have guarantees when purchasing prepared foods from a facility that is not dedicated nut-free. However, kudos to Hershey (located in my husband's hometown!) for taking food allergies seriously. If you have questions about specific allergy needs, you can call Hershey at 1-800-468-1714. Hours are Monday-Friday between 9 and 4 ET.



Easy Bake Ovens and Nut Allergies--A Safe Recipe!

I hope everyone had a safe, nut-free holiday season so far. New Year's is next so please keep on being cautious if you're attending parties and gatherings with nut-allergic family members.

I recently received a great question from a blog reader and since many of you may be in the same boat, I wanted to share it. This reader wanted to know what to do about an Easy Bake Oven that her daughter had received for a gift. Many of you may already know that these ready-made mixes have several food allergy warnings including peanuts and tree nuts.

I was in the same situation a few years ago. In fact, my daughter's first Easy Bake Oven and nut allergy diagnosis occurred within months of each other. Back in 2004 when we were new to nut allergies, the Easy Bake mixes did NOT contain any food allergy warnings so we used them. It wasn't too long before the allergy advisory warnings showed up and that definitely put a damper on our mini oven baking!

Luckily, I discovered several cookbooks on Amazon.com (all self-published, I think) that dealt with Easy Bake Ovens and I ordered one--the Baking with Mommy Cookbook by Kristen Joyal. The book is geared towards any kid-sized oven. Even though some of the recipes contained nuts or peanut butter, there were many that didn't or could be altered by leaving out nuts as an ingredient.

Take a spin on Amazon.com--there could be even more of these books by now. In the meantime, here is one of our favorite recipes for homemade Easy Bake chocolate cake mix. The best part is that you make it in large quantities and then store it in a sealable plastic bag. You'll have baking mix whenever you want it and you'll save $$.

I tweaked this from the original recipe and it works great.

Nut-Free Chocolate Cake Mix for Easy Bake Ovens
1 1/4 cup flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I use Hershey's or Vermont Nut-Free www.vermontnutfree.com)
1 tsp. salt
2 1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder

Mix all ingredients together and store in an airtight bag or container

To make a cake: Mix 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon cake mix with 1 tablespoon melted butter or margarine and 1/2 a beaten egg (you can also use egg subsitute like Egg Beaters)

Pour into Easy Bake baking pan that's been greased and floured

Bake in mini oven for about 15 minutes.

Use this same basic recipe to make yellow cake mix as well--just leave out the cocoa. I'd add a little vanilla with the wet ingredients for better flavor.

Now, enjoy those Easy Bake Ovens!