Toddler cookies

My almost two year old just had his first real cookie.  And he was a BIG FAN.  No shock there.

For some reason I told him I’d bake cookies while he was napping and he could have one once he woke up…who knows what got into me…I was feeling soft since it’s the weekend…but we’ve been doing some (pediatrician allergist approved) experimenting with allergens and I figured what kid doesn’t want to try a real cookie.  With real butter.

To back up.  P is allergic to dairy.  We had it confirmed via a blood test when he was 9 months old after an anaphylactic reaction to peanut butter.  He has never actually consumed any dairy though so we have no idea what his reaction would be.

Now that he’s a little older I was thinking of trying to see how he would do with it…mostly out of curiosity, but I’ll be honest, I would LOVE to open up more options for food, too.

After lots of research I decided to start with dairy that contains virtually no protein (since the proteins in dairy are what his immune system reacts to).  Butter, cream, and ghee are essentially the fat portion of dairy without the carbs and proteins, so that seemed safest.  [To emphasize, dairy allergies are very different from lactose intolerance…it is not the sugar (lactose) that he cannot tolerate, but the protein (casein or whey).]

For the past 4 days I’ve been giving him small (and increasing) amounts of organic butter in various baked goods.

The allergist recommended I include the “forbidden” food in a recipe as opposed to just giving it plain because it’s generally better tolerated that way.  He also recommended I start with foods that (a) make meal planning and cooking for the family easier and (b) we are more likely to encounter while out and about.

So butter it was.  The first thing I made him was muffins.  They had such a tiny amount it was hardly a test, plus I only gave him 1/2 a muffin that first day.  But still…no reaction.  The next day I gave the same amount but in pancakes.  Again, no reaction.  The next day I gave him a full muffin.  Still in the clear.

And so today I decided to make cookies.

If you want to make this recipe without dairy, you could easily swap coconut oil for the butter, so don’t feel like you dairy free people have to close the screen.

Also, because I am still concerned about making “healthy” treats, I used very little sugar.  That’s pretty much why these are toddler cookies and not adult cookies (although Kyle already swiped one so there’s that).

Toddler Cookies [gluten free, nut free, soy free]

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup organic butter, softened
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/4 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup gluten free all purpose flour (I used TJs)
• 2 tbsp organic cane sugar
• 1/4 cup baking powder
• pinch salt
• 2-3 tbsp add ins (chocolate chips, raisins, dried cranberries, nuts, seeds…whatever – I used Enjoy Life min chocolate chips and raisins)

Directions:

Whip softened butter with egg then add in applesauce and vanilla.

Next add in the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, salt) and work into a dough.  Fold in add-ins of your choice.

Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.  DON’T skip this step!  Meanwhile pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Scoop dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (or greased) and bake for 12-15 minutes at 350 degrees.

This will make 12-15 cookies depending on the size.

And I can tell you right now, my son is a fan.