Five Fabulous Nut-Free Desserts

Food allergies are something my little family is painfully aware of. My partner, Steve, has a nut allergy so severe that his throat swells up within seconds, cutting off his air supply. If he doesn't know how something is cooked or what the ingredients are in his food, it can kill him. How terrifying that must be!

Needless to say, he won't eat any sort of baking item unless I, or someone else in our family, prepare it. Coupled with my own food allergies of seafood (mostly shellfish) and chocolate, my body has difficulty digesting animal proteins and dairy. As you can imagine, meal preparation can be rather challenging at times! Even though my allergies are nowhere near the severity of Steve's, they've caused me enough discomfort to have to change my diet.

Although Steve and I are used to our allergies, and all the label/ingredient reading we have to do, it wasn't until we had our children that we realized what a bummer it can be to have to pay this much attention to what we eat, especially during holidays. Imagine Easter without chocolate; Or Christmas without all those yummy baking treats! I didn't want my kids to feel they're missing out on anything. So I put a twist on some old favorites and serve them instead as a treat or during holidays.

Here are five of my family's sweet-treat favorites. Give one of them a try and don't be afraid to put your own personal flair on them.

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Easy Banana Cream Pie

This is so yummy! I love it with the graham cracker pie shell but feel free to use a regular pastry shell. It's just as good. And I find that bananas that are just starting to ripen and still firm the best in this recipe.

1 (9 inch) baked graham cracker pie shell
3 med. bananas
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1/3 c. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla
Cool Whip

Slice 2 bananas; arrange in pie shell. Beat cream cheese in small mixer bowl on medium speed until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in milk until well blended. Beat in lemon juice and vanilla. Pour into pie shell. Refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours. Slice remaining banana; arrange on pie. Serve with Cool Whip.

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"Scotchy" Nanaimo Bars

We tried a bit of a twist on an old favorite. When Steve was a little boy, his Mom made him is own special nut-free tray of these bars. The regular recipe calls for walnuts, cocoa and chocolate chips but we tweaked it so everyone in our house could try it. All we did was add extra coconut to the bottom layer to give it the same chewiness without the nuttiness. (The name came from the mouth of my Jaimie when she was about two.)

Bottom layer:
½ cup butter
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 ¾ cups graham wafer crumbs
1 ½ cup shredded coconut

Second layer:
½ cup butter
3 tbsp mild
2 tbsp Bird's vanilla custard powder
2 cups icing sugar

Third layer:
2/3 cup butterscotch chips
2 tbsp butter

For the bottom layer: melt the first two ingredients in top of a double boiler (or in the microwave.) Add the egg and stir to cook and thicken. Remove from the heat. Stir in the crumbs and coconut. Press firmly into an ungreased 9x9 inch pan. Let cool or put into the fridge for about ½ an hour to an hour.

For the second layer: Cream together butter, milk, custard powder and icing sugar. Beat until light. Spread over bottom layer. Allow to set.

For the third layer: Melt the chips and butter in double boiler then remove and allow to cool before spreading over second layer.

Chill in the fridge then cut into squares.

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Easy Strawberry Cake

If you have the time, you can make the cake mix from scratch. But this is a great easy alternative! Just be sure you read the label on the cake mix box to assure the mix has no nuts or was mixed in a facility that contains nuts.

Ingredients:

1 white cake mix
3 cups of cut up strawberries
1 cup of water
½ teaspoon baking soda
egg whites and oil (same as what the cake mix calls for)

Directions:

With a hand mixer or blender, beat the strawberries. Add the cake mix, baking soda, water, egg whites and oil.

Bake in a greased and floured 9 X 13 pan or two 8 inch round pans at 350 degrees until a cake tester inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean (approximately 40 minutes).

This recipe can be adapted to just about any fruit flavored cake. Just change the type of fruit you add. You may also want to experiment by changing the cake flavor.

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Maple Crunch Cookies

The original version of this recipe calls for macadamia nuts. You don't even miss them with all the coconut and delicious maple flavor.

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup solid vegetable oil (shortening)
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup pure maple syrup (not imitation)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup shredded sweetened

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with nonstick spray. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream shortening and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Beat on medium speed until well-combined. Add flour and coconut. Stir with a large fork just until combined. Scoop tablespoons of dough and place on prepared baking sheets 2 inches apart. Bake 10 to 12 minutes until golden. Let cool 5 minutes and remove to racks to completely cool. Store in a covered container.

Yield: about 3 dozen

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Bread Pudding

This is such a wonderful comfort food. A great tip to remember is to use day-old or stale bread as it holds up better in the mixture.

Ingredients:
2 cups milk
1/4 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups bread, torn into small pieces
1/2 cup raisins or berries (optional)

Directions:

1. In medium saucepan, over medium heat, heat milk just until film forms over top. Combine butter and milk, stirring until butter is melted. Cool to lukewarm.
2. Combine sugar, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer at medium speed for 1 minute. Slowly add milk mixture.
3. Place bread in a lightly greased 1 1/2 quart casserole.
4. Sprinkle with raisins or berries if desired. Pour batter on top of bread.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 to 50 minutes or until set. Serve warm.