Hi Folks!

I am in need of tried and true candy recipes that I can make at home that do not require any nuts or nut products. I have a severly allergic child who cannot partake of the holiday candies because of a lethal peanut allergy. Many candies may contain peanut fragments because they are made on the same equipment as candy that does contain peanuts. Subsequently, I am very limited in what type of treats she can have. I'd love to find a home made candy cane recipe for instance. Many store bought chocolate chips we cannot use as well. I would like to be able to do our own candy completely from scratch, so I know it's safe. Any suggestions are welcome. Thanks!

...Sandie Thompson

-- Sandie (Baker) Thompson (thompsonfarm@greatpoint.net), December 19, 2000

Answers

Just checking on the allergy.Is she allergic to the peanut protein,or to "moldy" foods?I can't eat nuts because I'm allergic to moldy food and nuts are on my list bc they get some mold in the drying process. I cannot eat chocolate either, bc a fermentation process is used in the production of chocolate.

So it really limits you if it's a "moldy" food allergy.I have a recipe for lemon bars that I can eat.She's not bothered by eggs, is she?

I'll scratch my head and see what else I can come up with.You might want to check the FAST website over on www.angelfire.com/mi/FAST .You can find allergy free recipes there. Oh, and I have a cookie recipe that I can eat. Pitzelles.

-- sharon wt (wildflower@ekyol.com), December 19, 2000.

Someone earlier had a request for gift giving recipes on the board...I put a recipe in there for candied popcorn made in the oven. You can omit using nuts in it and it should be fine. Old-fashioned taffy can be made with no nut products quite easily, in many flavours (including chocolate from cocoa powder, if that is acceptable, or artificial flavouring if not...or vanilla, rum,orange, or whatever) and is quite a lot of fun to have family taffy-pulls on winter nights. You could divide a batch of taffy flavoured with peppermint and colour half red and when stretched, spiral the two together and make peppermint taffy-canes that way. Not quite the same as the store bought variety, not crunchy, but very good.

And if cocoa products are okay, how about vanilla wafers? I posted on that same question a recipe for rum balls made with vanilla wafers, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, corn syrup, some rum, and nuts. Don't use the nuts tho, and if you object to using rum on something a kid will eat (I let mine mellow out and most hte alcohol dissapates), try using a food flavouring instead, and substitute some water (or orange juice?) for the rum.

-- Julie Froelich (firefly1@nnex.net), December 19, 2000.

This a hard candy recipe that my whole family love. Combine: 2 cups sugar, 1/2 cup light corn syrup, 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil, stirring just to dissolve sugar. Cook to hard crack stage (300 degrees) Remove from heat and stir in oil flavoring of your choice and food color if desired. Sift confection sugar on counter or cookie sheets. Quickly pour syrup in a fine stream on sugar, making strips of candy about 1/2" wide. My recipe suggests cutting into bite size pieces with scissors while still hot, but I usually just let it cool and break it up with my fingers into pieces. Oils can be found in a lot of older pharmacies. I make several flavors and store in wide mouth quart jars. I also find it stores better if you toss it about a bit in the powdered sugar.

-- Diane Green (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), December 19, 2000.

How about caramels, popcorn balls,caramel popcorn,or candied popcorn? I found those recipes in my file and can probably scan to email if you'd like them.

-- sharon wt (wildflower@ekyol.com), December 19, 2000.

Sandie, just do what us "pore" folks have done for years---make the standard candy by the standard recipe, just leave out the nuts. I make fudge, etc. that way a lot. The nuts have nothing to do with the actual consistency of the basic candy. A lot of older recipe books also recommended substituting chopped candied cherries for the nuts in both the chocolate fudge and the vanilla or opera fudge.

Also, for more recipes than you ever dreamed possible, check out www.kitchenlink.com.

-- Green (ratdogs10@yahoo.com), December 20, 2000.

Have you thought of trying roasted soybeans (organically grown, of course) as a substitute for nuts? I've never tried it myself, but have eaten them and they are very good.

-- Dianna Nicolai (dnicolai@omnitelcom.com), December 24, 2000.

Have youthought aboute Marshmellows, gum drops, or divinity?? I had a kidney infection from the time I was 11-13. I was not suposed toeat anything with baking soda, baking powder acids fruits or veggies. Ate alot of home made Marshmellows, Gum drops and when I could mom into it divinity. JUst a thought.

-- red hen (redhen@fiberia.com), December 24, 2000.