As the mother of a child with multiple allergies (dairy, peanut, and egg), I am always trying to find substitutes for the ubiquitous party treats at his school. While most of us moms prefer to fill our kids up with fruit and granola, sugary baked goods rule at school. And so I am left with a chemist’s dilemma: how do I formulate a good-tasting baked treat without using the ingredients that I personally find essential in adding flavor, like butter or eggs?
Cupcakes are the easiest treats to make, especially now that I’ve discovered cake mixes for kids with allergies (read Richela’s review of Cherrybrook Kitchen cake mixes). As for cookies, I have another plan. I make a basic cookie dough and keep batches of it in the fridge, ready to go. Because there are no eggs or dairy in the cookie dough, I can store it in the fridge for up to two weeks. Whenever I need to make a batch of cookies, I simply take out the dough, warm it in the microwave for about fifteen or twenty seconds, and then add oatmeal and chocolate chips (Enjoy Life Foods makes dairy- and soy-free semisweet chips), raisins, or any granola cereal that we happen to have in our pantry.
Here is my basic cookie dough recipe:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup vegetable shortening (I recommend Spectrum Naturals Organic All Vegetable Shortening), softened
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
Three “eggs” (Ener-G Foods Egg Replacers)
1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions:
In a medium-size mixing bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set bowl aside. In a second, larger mixing bowl, mix the shortening and brown sugar. Add the granulated sugar, then the “eggs” (please note: the Egg Replacers should be pre-mixed in a separate smaller bowl prior to adding to shortening/sugar mixture). Mix in the vanilla.
Add flour mixture to the shortening mixture a half-cup at a time, until dough is formed. Divide dough in half and place into two plastic containers.
When you are ready to bake a batch of cookies, take out one plastic container and place in the microwave oven for fifteen seconds. Place cookie dough in a warm mixing bowl and gently soften with a fork. Add one cup of oatmeal, plus one cup of raisins or chocolate chips. (If adding raisins, place them in a bowl with warm water for at least ten minutes beforehand to plump them up). Or, you can add 1-1/2 cups of granola cereal. My son’s favorite cereal is Trader Joes’ Vanilla Almond Crunch (“Just the Clusters”).
Preheat oven to 375º F.
