Gluten Free Treat Ideas for the Holidays

Trying to avoid gluten this holiday season? So many people are intolerant of or sensitive to gluten and for health reasons, need to steer clear of traditional holiday fare! No matter what your preferences or needs, when it comes to healthy, delicious food, look to Supplementally Speaking for scrumptious additions to your family’s table.

Trying to avoid gluten this holiday season? So many people are intolerant of or sensitive to gluten and for health reasons, need to steer clear of traditional holiday fare! No matter what your preferences or needs, when it comes to healthy, delicious food, look to Supplementally Speaking for scrumptious additions to your family’s table.

Many holiday desserts are naturally gluten free so if you need to avoid gluten, you don’t have to miss out on all the festive treats. 

Sweets platter

Create a gluten free holiday cookie and candy platter without purchasing lots of expensive gluten free flours. Try these naturally gluten free treats:

• Macaroons, an indulgent cookie, consist of almond flour and egg whites, and you can make them (or buy them!) in many festive flavors and colors. In the mood to bake?  Try this macaron recipe.link opens in a new window
• Homemade marshmallows link opens in a new windoware naturally gluten free. Dress them up for the holidays with added peppermint extract and a little red and green food coloring for a seasonal twist.
• Meringues are simple treats consisting only of egg whites, confectioner’s sugar and cream of tartar. Experiment with different extracts to change up the flavor of these simple treats. Here's a meringue cookie recipelink opens in a new window to get you started.
• Some fudge recipeslink opens in a new window only have 5 ingredients: cocoa, butter, milk, sugar and corn syrup.
• Cut fruit is naturally gluten free and delicious.  See Sweet Treats Without the Guilt for more ideas. 

Gluten free apple crisp

Traditionally apple crisp recipes call for flour, but you can substitute it for almond meal in this recipe:

Filling:

• 3 pounds apples, peeled (try a combination of Granny Smith and Honey Crisp, Gala, Jonathan and Mutsu)
• ½ cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon allspice
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Topping:

• 1 ½ cups gluten free old fashioned rolled oats
• ½ cup almond meal
• ½ cup chopped pecans
• ¼ cup packed brown sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup butter, cut into 1 inch pieces (plus more for buttering pie plate)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut apples into 1 inch chunks. Toss apples with ½ cup brown sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch, spices and vanilla. Pour into a deep pie plate or 9 inch square baking dish, greasing the dish lightly first.

Stir together oats, almond meal, pecans, ¼ cup brown sugar and salt. Cut in butter with a pastry blender, fork, or your fingers until the mixture has the texture of small pebbles.

Sprinkle topping over apples. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until filling is bubbly and topping is browned. Let rest for 20 minutes before serving. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Enjoy!