When navigating the minefield of allergies, it can often be hard when it comes to particular times that focus on food. Halloween is a prime example of this.

Halloween Cookies - delicious gluten-free and vegan pumpkin spiced cookies, perfect for halloween treats, or simply just because. So quick and easy to make, little ones will love to help! www.intolerantgourmand.com


Trick or treating, a simple pleasure for so many little ones can be hard for children with allergies as often, the sweets they collect are unsafe for them.

So, to help you out, we’ve teamed up with some of our favourite bloggers again to bring you a fabulous collection of #freefromhalloween treats! Our previous collaboration for pancakes, picnics and harvest proved really popular, and we’re hoping this collaboration will help you out just as much!

But first, back to trick or treat…

I’ve devised a way of overcoming this for little dude!

Once home from trick or treating, the sweets are left out overnight for the ‘switch witch’ to come along and make sure that all sweets are safe. Any deemed unsafe are swapped out for safe versions so that Callum never misses out, and always feels included.

It’s something I’ve done since he was tiny, and he loves that an extra special ‘witch’ visits in a similar way to the tooth fairy to make sure he stays safe and doesn’t go without!

Halloween Cookies - delicious gluten-free and vegan pumpkin spiced cookies, perfect for halloween treats, or simply just because. So quick and easy to make, little ones will love to help! www.intolerantgourmand.com

Now, another way of making sure that little ones feel totally included, is to bake some Halloween goodies with them. One of the recipes I always do for my two is a Halloween take on my basic cookie recipe, given a twist with the use of my pumpkin spice mix. If you wanted to create safe treats for trick or treating, then simply wrap in a cellophane bag and tie with ribbon.

It’s a fab project for the children to get involved with as they are super simple and quick to make and decorate!

You will need:

  • 225g firm dairy-free spread
  • 110g golden caster sugar
  • 275g gluten-free plain flour
  • 1 tsp pumpkin spice (click here for our recipe)
  • 1 tbsp dairy-free milk
  • 1 pack of writing icing (check labels for ingredients)
  • 1 pack edible sugar eye decorations (check labels for ingredients)

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180°c/ 320°f/ Gas 4, and prepare a baking tray, lining it with greaseproof paper.

Add the dairy-free spread to a large bowl, and cream until soft and lighter in colour. Then add the sugar, and beat until fluffy and very pale in colour. (This will take around 3-5 minutes)

Then add the flour, pumpkin spice, and dairy-free milk to the bowl and stir gently to create a dough.

Divide the dough and roll into plum sized balls, before placing on the prepared baking tray making sure they are slightly apart so they don’t stick together whilst baking.

Squish them slightly with a spoon or fork before putting them in the oven to bake for around 15 minutes, until golden in colour and firm to touch.

Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely before decorating.

Using the writing icing and edible sugar eyes, decorate in a design of your choice - we’ve chosen to do mummies!

Leave to set, and then serve.

Enjoy!

Halloween Cookies - delicious gluten-free and vegan pumpkin spiced cookies, perfect for halloween treats, or simply just because. So quick and easy to make, little ones will love to help! www.intolerantgourmand.com

Don’t forget to check out the fab creations from my fellow collaborators:

Kate - Gluten Free Alchemist
Jo - Paleo Crust
Emma - Free From Farmhouse
Laura - Dairy Free Kids
Midge - Peachicks Bakery
Chloe - The Adventures of an Allergy Mummy
Mandy - Sneaky Veg
Mel - Le Coin de Mel
Vicki - Free From Fairy

Halloween Cookies - delicious gluten-free and vegan pumpkin spiced cookies, perfect for halloween treats, or simply just because. So quick and easy to make, little ones will love to help! www.intolerantgourmand.com

 Halloween Cookies - gluten-free and vegan and delicious, with the lovely flavour of pumpkin spice! Simple to make, so much fun to decorate! www.intolerantgourmand.com

This recipe has been linked to Free From Fridays, Brilliant Blog Posts and Recipe of the Week