Allergen free Easter candy

A big part of any holiday or celebration is food, and when you factor in food allergies, planning and executing those special meals takes more work. This week I will be taking the three main food aspects of Easter, the candy, brunch and main meal, and giving you some tips and ideas that range from creative to elegant and are so yummy no one will know they are allergen free.

The Candy
As kids my sister and I had lots of fun searching the house for our Easter baskets, and our mom had some pretty creative hiding places over the years, think dryer and dishwasher.  For my own kids the hiding places have been the easy part, finding things to put in the baskets has been infinitely  more difficult. At first we just bought things without diary and nuts, so the run of the mill jellly beans, starbursts and skittles made the cut. But now that we have cut out wheat, soy, corn and food coloring there isn't much left to to but make everything our selves.  This year I have started collecting candy molds, and they are surprisingly cheap and easy to find. I get most of mine from Hobby Lobby or Walmart.

The chocolate is easy. Simply grab a bag of enjoy life chocolate chips or chunks and Earth Balance soy free spread, melt in 30 second increments until smooth and pour into your candy mold. If you want something fancy like a filling just use organic jams or sunbutter and layer into the mold. You can even foil candy wrappers at stores like Hobby Lobby.

To do hard fruity candy place some organic jam in a pan, add in water and stir until smooth bring close to a boil, then pour into molds and refrigerate.

If making candy is not something you want/have time to do then check out your local Marshals or TJ Max for  Yummy Earth gummi bears, lollipops and jelly beans.  Or look go to Trader Joes and pick up a package of their lollipops.

If you are looking for something more gourmet then check out the following websites
Natural Candy Store 
Indie Candy 

Another fun and useful addition to your child's Easter basket would be Allermates. If you haven't seen these products yet you have got to check them out!