Gluten Free Dessert? Easy!

Don't panic! You can come up with a dairy free, gluten free, soy free desert for your allergy sensitive guests this Holiday Season without making a special (expensive!!) trip to the health food store. Rice Crispy Treats are good, frostable, and malleable enough to make into any shape you like, including the traditional squares.

The recipe is simple:

Rice Crispy Treats

1/4 cup oil, margarine, butter, shortening, or lard
40 large marshmallows (4 cups of the minis)
5 cups rice crispies

On low heat over the stove, stirring constantly, melt the fat and the marshmallows. Do not allow mixture to boil. When the marshmallows are completely melted, turn off the heat and stir in the rice crispies. Coat them evenly with the marshmallow mixture. Using a canola or olive oil based cooking spray (read the ingredients first), spray the mold you want to press the treats into (cupcake tins, 9 x 12 bake pan for traditional squares, bundt cake pan, etc.). Let cool. Remove from mold, frost if desired.

Glaze frosting: 2 cups powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, 2 to 3 Tbs iced water. Mix well. Spread onto treats.

If you are trying to keep away from dairy, wheat or soy be careful of the cooking sprays and the fats you use. Cooking sprays can have everything from wheat to dairy, so read carefully, and don't be afraid to call the person in question and read the ingredients list aloud so they can okay it! Some shortenings use soy. Butter has dairy. Margarine can have dairy and soy. If you need to avoid all of the above you can use another oil (olive oil would not register well on the palate while almond oil or sunflower oil would enhance the flavor) or even plain old lard. When in doubt, check with the person who has the sensitivity. They'll let you know.

Some inspiration from around the net...

Cute gluten free variation from here.

This became a ghost or Squidward. See here.