Safe & Simple SunButter Treats

Trick or treating can be scary in more ways than one for those with food allergies. Each year, the stores are filled with aisles of various types of candies that are just not safe due to the multiple allergens that they contain. As a child, it can be a lonely time of year. As a parent, it can be stressful and heartbreaking to watch your child have a different type of experience for what should be fun-filled. Luckily, it’s exactly these types of situations that allow us to come up with fun snacks and treats for most everyone. Admit it- the only thing better than creating a safe food item is knowing that it’s also safe and delicious for those who don’t have food allergies.

See What Your Options Are One of my favorite ways to make an item enjoyable is to find a way to reinvent whatever everyone else is asking for in an allergy-friendly way. For as long as I can remember, we are especially enticed to accept a chocolate and peanut-filled item as part of the Halloween spirit. Not only can you use SunButter to make a nut free version but you can also reinvent the way the item is presented. Open your eyes and mind to other possibilities- sometimes what is in one form can also be just as tasty in another form- especially if it’s something children can do themselves.

Round Up Supplies Grab your SunButter single cups and put your thinking cap on! To make a nut free chocolate item you will need SunButter, chocolate and some inspiration. Also consider how to make your item eye-catching (no pun intended) to make sure everyone wants to know what it is and how they can have one as well. This project uses dollar store googly eyes to ensure that all eyes are upon you as you hand out the goods but also keeps a little Halloween spirit in the palm of your hand.

Recipe For Fun Ready to make this adorable, edible Halloween craft? Why not suggest this for a class party or seasonal event that involves food to keep it simple and safe? Better yet- host a Halloween party and invite the neighbors for a SunButter fun-butter adventure. All you will need are 5 items:

• SunButter single cups
• Googly eyes
• Allergy-friendly chocolate bar of your choice (such as Enjoy Life Foods Bar, Coco Loco or Decadent Bars)
• Halloween-themed napkin
• Clear party favor bags

Directions:
1. Using either glue or a hot glue gun, attach one googly eye to the bottom of one SunButter single cup and place it aside to cool, allowing the glue to hold (a glue gun will work a lot faster but would require additional adult supervision).
2. Take one Halloween-themed napkin and cut it in half. (Why napkins? You can find them at any dollar store 50 for $1 and you can use the leftovers)
3. Cover your allergy-friendly chocolate bar (as if you are wrapping a present).
4. Glue the already-prepared SunButter mini cups with eyes onto the wrapped bar.
5. Wrap with ribbon or in a clear plastic party favor bag.

*Optional- add a label for each finished item to make others know what is included & keep everyone more at ease during Halloween

Reshape & Be Safe You could make a cup-shaped goodie like everyone else has however; this could cause additional confusion for your child and other children if it’s not properly labeled. Even when allergy-friendly products mimic products that contain allergens, it is crucial for anyone with food allergies to have a visual confirmation that what they are eating is safe. Always keep labels for products or make a homemade label to include; this only takes seconds to do and those seconds could literally be a life-saving reminder. Thankfully, SunButter is free of the top eight allergens and always clearly labeled no matter what package you find it in.

Tracy Bush, author of AllergyPhoods Blog and the book, “The Stepping Stones to Food Allergies,” is a food allergy consultant and founder of Nutrimom, Inc.