Christmas baking looked a little different for me this year. Just two months ago, our ten-year-old son was diagnosed with both Celiac disease and a severe lactose intolerance. We had to replace many of our kitchen tools and utensils due to wheat cross-contamination, as well as learn to adjust to a new diet without both gluten and dairy. As you can imagine, taking both of these ingredients out of a child’s diet makes him feel like there is nothing in the world left to eat.
What I heard was a challenge!
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I remember seeing Suzette share a post about a sweet treat made with Ritz crackers, peanut butter and white chocolate. They were adorable little sandwich treats covered in white chocolate. I could almost taste the sweet and salty flavor combination- one of my favorites! I decided this was the perfect place for me to start with Christmas treats. I set out to find a way to recreate these fun little treats with ingredients that are safe for our family.
I went shopping at our nearby neighborhood grocery Walmart. You would be surprised with the amount of gluten free options they have available! Step one was to find a cracker similar to Ritz. In the cracker aisle there were a few options of gluten free crackers, but none of them were exactly what I was looking for, so I headed to the aisle specific to gluten-free products. There they were! Exactly what I was looking for: Schar’s Entertainment Crackers.
Peanut butter is a staple in our home, so the only thing left to get was the melting chocolate. I continued to the baking aisle. This part became more difficult and frustrating. I could not find a single product without milk in it. All the melting chocolates and white chocolates contain milk. My only option was Nestle’s Allergen Free chocolate chips.
Because the crackers come in bags, and not in boxes, I was concerned that there would be many broken crackers. However, when I started the process I was pleasantly surprised with how many crackers were in perfect shape. I began smearing peanut butter on the crackers and forming lots of little sandwiches. I bet these would be great snacks, too! But of course, this was Christmas time so we didn’t stop there.
We needed the chocolate!
I tried melting a cup of the chocolate chips with a tablespoon of vegan butter. It was incredibly thick and did not seem like it would work to coat the sandwiches. I decided to add another tablespoon of coconut oil to see if that helped the texture. I melted them together and the chocolate became much thinner. I knew I would be able to dip the cracker sandwiches, but I would have to work quickly, as this chocolate seemed like it would turn solid any moment. I held on to one end of the sandwich and just dipped half into my melted chocolate.
I laid my half-chocolate sandwiches on wax paper and let them set in the refrigerator for a while. Now, we all know the most important part of Christmas baking- or any baking for that matter- the taste test! There are no more honest judges than an eager ten- and eight-year-old, so I employed them immediately. Both gave rave reviews and of course asked for more. (Sadly, they had to wait until after dinner!) They may not be the most beautiful dessert I have ever made, however, the beautiful smile on our boy’s face after many tears and sadness made it all worthwhile! These will become a staple treat in this house!
Brianna is a fellow homeschool mama and sweet friend. She is a registered nurse, a certified IEW tutor, a tap dance teacher at our local conservatory, and a Classical Conversations Foundations and Essentials tutor in her local community. Brianna and her husband also host a community group in their home for their local church.
