Scrumptious offers Special Dietary Sweets

                                                                             

   Food Allergies are a growing problem in our Country today.  Weather it be to dairy, gluten/wheat, Caseic-egg, nuts, etc.  This makes eating sweets and serving them, from a bakers stand point, very difficult.  My family is one of these affected by food allergies.  My mother is boarder line Celiac, as is my Uncle, and now my cousin and I have some of the same tendancies.  However; my cousin un-luckily enough got a double dose of food allergies as she is also allergic to dairy, which runs on her mother's side.  So, how does one enjoy a Birthday treat when they are allergic to Gluten and Dairy?!  Luckily, she has me as a baker in the family!
I researched GF/DF recipes for 2 days to find some great selections that I knew she would enjoy! A midst my research and being in constant deep thought about her desserts, I had made a trip to Barnes and Nobel with my mother and children.  I came across the following book and had to laugh. It was just one of those perfect timing moments! I resisted in purchasing the book then, but later went onto Amazon and ordered it!  I figure I'll read it then pass it on to her.                                                                      

For those of you who aren't familiar with Celiac Disease; it is an autoimmune disease that damages your small intestine and interferes with the nutrients that you get from foods.  This essentially means, that every time a person who has Celiac consumes something with gluten, the body will attach itself.  When this disease goes un-treated, it can lead to further auto immune complications such as osteoporosis, arthritis, thyroid disease, and in some cases cancer. For this reason, gluten free diets are typically suggested to those who have arthritis and even autism.

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley and rye.  Which is in everything!  The obvious products that we would eat everyday and take for granted, such as a homemade cookie, wheat bread, a bagel or muffin in the morning, pastas, pizza and beer.  Then, there are those products which are not as obvious that you really have to be on the 'label reading hunt' to notice, like soy sauce, salad dressings, sauces or gravy.  It has definitely been a learning curve for me but it is possible.  And a very healthy eating lifestyle to lead.

Coconut Lime GF/DF Cupcake

This is where the "creative" baker in me must come out.......if I own a baking business, I want to come up with wonderfully sweet recipes that I can indulge in as well.  So, in each of our Scrumptious categories of treats, I have come up with some gluten free selections.  For example, we offer a banana nut crunch muffin, chocolate chip or m&m cookie, lemon bar, chocolate snowflake bar or raspberry tart bar ALL of which are gluten free!  In our Injected Cupcakes we also serve a gluten free 'Black and White' or 'Red Velvet'.  The cupcake seen here is a custom gluten free AND dairy free cupcake, that tasted great!  Baking gluten free is it's own beast.  It requires a lot of trial and error, experimenting and taste testing, which can get expensive with these specialty ingredients. I like to use a combination of various flours and starches to get just the right texture and flavor depending on the item that I am baking.  It is very important to measure amounts exactly, as density and leavening agents are very different from baking regular dessert items.

Surfer Birthday Girl with her Custom Cupcakes

My advice is just keep trying until you get the taste that you desire. And, go out of the box when coming up with fun flavors to incorporate.  As gluten free desserts tend to be very bland and boring.  I say, the more chocolate the better.
My cousin shown here, loves coconut, so I concocted this Summery Coconut Inspired Cupcake for her to enjoy.  It's a coconut flour, coconut milk base, infused with a lime juice and fresh lime zest in the dairy free frosting.  YUMMY!

Check out our Gluten Free selections on our Scrumptious Menu and inquire within to order further special dietary desserts.

For more information on Celiac Disease, check out the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness:

http://www.celiaccentral.org/Celiac-Disease