Gluten-Free, Allergy Friendly Options for the Entire Family from Nielsen-Massey Vanillas

Whether hosting a party or preparing dinner for the family, some find it difficult to plan a meal that satisfies everyone's dietary needs. Jules Shepard recently introduced gluten-free and allergy friendly recipes in her book Free for All Cooking: 150 Easy Gluten-Free, Allergy-Friendly Recipes the Whole Family Can Enjoy. This versatile cookbook shows how to eliminate some or all of the eight ingredients - milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, soybeans, fish, and shellfish - that account for ninety-percent of all food allergic reactions in America so that everyone is able to dine safely and well.

For each recipe, Jules recommends high quality, gluten-free ingredients such as Nielsen-Massey Vanillas. Throughout its more than 100 year history, Nielsen-Massey Vanillas has earned its reputation as a manufacturer of the finest extracts in the world. All Nielsen-Massey products are certified Allergen-Free and certified Kosher and Gluten-Free. Nielsen-Massey Vanilla adds a flavor of sweetness to Jules' recipes such as Buckeyes and Pumpkin Cookies.

"Some companies change their ingredient formulas so often that I have to check to be sure they are gluten-free. One product I can always count on to be certified gluten-free is Nielsen-Massey Vanillas. It is one of my favorite brands for both purity of taste and it has been true to its ingredient formula," Shepard said.

Buckeyes
Courtesy of Free for All Cooking
Yield: 2 dozen Buckeyes

1 (16 ounce) jar creamy sunflower "nut" butter, soy "nut" butter, or use peanut butter if not making nut-free
8 tablespoons (½ cup) shortening
1 pound (1 box) confectioners' sugar
¼ cup Jules Gluten Free All Purpose Flour (recommended, or may use another high quality all purpose flour)
1 tablespoon Nielsen-Massey Pure Vanilla Extract
10 ounces chocolate chips (dairy or nondairy, e.g., Sunspire or Enjoy Life)
1 tablespoon canola oil

Cream the nut butter and the shortening. If your shortening is refrigerated, bring it to room temperature before creaming. Beat together with the sugar, flour, and Pure Vanilla Extract; mix until light and fluffy (approximately 3-5 minutes).

Divide into four equal amounts and wrap each tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate or freeze until very cold.

Prepare a cookie sheet by lining it with wax paper.

Removing only one of the four portions, pinch off a tablespoon at a time of the nut butter mixture and roll gently in your hands to form a ball. Place on the prepared cookie sheet. When all the balls have been formed, repeat with the other portions from the refrigerator or freezer to fill the sheet. When the sheet is filled, cover with plastic wrap and then aluminum foil and place in the freezer until the balls are very cold or soft-frozen. Repeat if necessary with additional pans to finish the nut butter mixture.

Using a double-boiler or placing a small saucepan in a slightly larger saucepan one-third filled with water, heat the water over low-medium heat. Melt the chocolate slowly in the smaller saucepan over the heated water. Stir in the canola oil when the chocolate has melted. Stir periodically to keep it evenly mixed and liquefied.

When the balls are soft-frozen, remove one tray from the freezer and pick up one ball at a time by inserting a toothpick into the middle of the ball. Gently swirl the ball through the melted chocolate, covering the ball, but leaving the top center (about one-third of the ball) uncovered by chocolate. Replace onto the wax paper-lined cookie sheet. Repeat with all the balls. When they are all dipped, recover with the plastic wrap and foil and replace in the freezer.

Serve cold, but not frozen. If these balls become warmer than room temperature, they will begin to sweat, so be sure to serve with toothpicks!

About Free for All Cooking
Many people following a gluten-free diet also have other food sensitivities to contend with, whether their own or a family member's. It's hard enough getting one meal on the table, let alone when one person has celiac disease, another is lactose-intolerant, and your child is allergic to peanuts. How can you satisfy everyone's needs without making separate dinners? Free for All Cooking is the answer. In the versatile cookbook, gluten-free cooking expert Jules Shepard offers uncompromisingly delicious gluten-free recipes that can also be made free of many major allergen ingredients - dairy, nuts, soy, eggs, and more - to fit your unique dietary requirements. Jules' comprehensive ingredient guide allows you to substitute with ease. Now you can enjoy all the recipes you love, while avoiding the foods that don't love you back. From breakfast to dessert, Free for All Cooking will have everyone in your family eating safely - and eating well.

About Nielsen-Massey Vanillas
Throughout its more than 100 year history, Nielsen-Massey Vanillas has earned its reputation as a manufacturer of the finest extracts in the world. The full line of Nielsen-Massey's Pure Vanilla products include: Vanilla Beans and Extracts from Madagascar, Tahiti and Mexico; sugar and alcohol-free Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Powder; Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Bean Paste; Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Sugar and Certified Organic Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract and Beans.

Nielsen-Massey Vanillas recently introduced a line of Pure Flavors: Pure Chocolate Extract, Pure Almond Extract, Pure Orange Extract, Pure Lemon Extract, Pure Coffee Extract, Pure Peppermint Extract, Orange Blossom Water and Rose Water. All Nielsen-Massey products are Allergen-Free and certified Kosher and Gluten-Free. The company is headquartered in Waukegan, Illinois, with production facilities in Waukegan and Leeuwarden, The Netherlands.