Have you ever noticed how cookies offer a solid answer to so many of life’s questions? What are you bringing to the preschool Valentine’s Day party? Cookies. Quick! I need something to take to the dinner tonight! What does everyone like? Cookies. What dessert can feed a crowd? Cookies. You look like you’ve had a hard day. How can I help? Cookies.
You get the idea.
Truth be told, the baking — and the cookies — has dwindled a bit in our house over the past few years, largely because the youngest member of our household has some food allergies that we’ve been learning to juggle. Although Bear’s allergies to wheat and egg are only an issue if he eats them himself (we don’t have to worry about someone sitting next to him eating pasta or brownies, thank goodness), it’s taken us some time to find a happy medium between offering him alternatives to what the rest of us are eating and finding recipes that we all can enjoy together. Meals, for the most part, we either keep wheat and egg free, or we adjust just slightly for him (no bun on his burger, for instance). He knows he’s allergic to some things, he’ll ask if foods are gluten free or have egg in them, and he honestly doesn’t get upset about it.
I never want him to feel like he’s missing out, though, and the kid has a major sweet tooth, so I’ve been dabbling in the world of wheat- and egg-free baking. For a while, it was recipe after recipe of wheat alternatives and egg substitutes that all left Bear continually unimpressed. He’d ask for ice cream instead (not that I blame him), and I’d be left with a tray full of just-okay-tasting sweets. But this recipe was a game-changer for us….
