Help! Need Gf Gingerbread Men Cookie Recipe!

[carrielynn]

Yikes! I just got a notice from my son's kindergarten teacher that they are making Gingerbread cookies this Wednesday! We just found out about my son's celiac situation about 6 weeks ago, so I haven't figured out how to make these kinds of cookies. I'm pretty sure they are going to roll them out in gingerbread men shapes.

To complicate matters, my son can't have dairy or eggs either, but I use soy milk and the ener-g egg substitutes.

I'd like to send him with cookie dough so he can participate. Can anyone help with a good recipe? I live near a Whole Foods, so I can get ingredients pretty easily.

Thanks so much,

Carrie

[Guest nini]

do you have a store near you that carries The Gluten Free Pantry mixes? They have a spice mix that has a gingerbread cookie recipe for it...

[Jnkmnky]

This sounds kind of risky. You think he can roll out dough and follow the process making a gluten free cookie in a gluten FULL room with little kids elbow deep in gluten dough? I wouldn't let my son do it. I'd like to offer another suggestion you can use or discard.

Maybe he would be happy enough making a playdough ginger bread man and decorating that? They make gluten free playdough, I hear. I wouldn't bother with the gluten free playdough, myself. I'd let him make a playdough gingerbread man using regular old playdough, decorate it with beads I sent in in a baggie and let it air dry to take home. Then when the other kids are eating their cookies....he'd have washed his hands by then, he could be eating some gluten free cookies you provide or a bag of M&Ms. This may be different than what every other kid is doing, but it's NOT LESS FUN!

[Jnkmnky]

P.S. I wish schools would STOP with the food in the classrooms already. We have diabetic kids at our school, peanut allergic, milk allergic, Celiacs *more than just my kid*, one with minimal change disease *a kidney thing limited to 2gms sodium a day*, and those are only the ones I'm AWARE of. I certainly don't know everyone in town! So frustrating.

[carrielynn]

P.S.  I wish schools would STOP with the food in the classrooms already.  We have diabetic kids at our school, peanut allergic, milk allergic, Celiacs *more than just my kid*, one with minimal change disease *a kidney thing limited to 2gms sodium a day*, and those are only the ones I'm AWARE of.  I certainly don't know everyone in town!  So frustrating.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I completely agree with you about food in the classroom. We also have a child with a peanut allergy and it's a constant struggle. Everywhere I go we are offered candy and treats by "well-meaning" people. Even in church Sunday school, which we cannot do anymore. (Why do they serve snacks an hour before lunchtime? Anybody? Anybody?) And everyone wonders why there is childhood obesity... I can tell you why we have it. No-one knows how to set limits anymore.

I know this is not going to be a popular decision, but I'm going to go ahead and let my child assist with the making of the cookies... his teacher will supervise that. They are making them on one day and eating them on another. I will send a gluten-free gingerbread man on the day they are eating them. I really don't want anyone lecturing me about it.... I know how everyone feels on these boards after reading numerous messages. We're dealing with emotional issues here about being left out... and this isn't just the gluten issue. The teacher knows he is not to consume anything and he will wash his hands thoroughly afterwards. And yes, I know that he could inhale something, so no need to point that out.

--Carrie

[carrielynn]

do you have a store near you that carries The Gluten Free Pantry mixes? They have a spice mix that has a gingerbread cookie recipe for it...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Whole Foods has some Gluten Free Pantry mixes. I'll check that out. Thank you for the pointer.

--Carrie

[Jnkmnky]

I know this is not going to be a popular decision, but I'm going to go ahead and let my child assist with the making of the cookies...

  I really don't want anyone lecturing me about it.... I know how everyone feels on these boards after reading numerous messages.  We're dealing with emotional issues here about being left out... and this isn't just the gluten issue.  The teacher knows he is not to consume anything and he will wash his hands thoroughly afterwards.  And yes, I know that he could inhale something, so no need to point that out.

--Carrie

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Whoa. No one's going to lecture you about it. Go ahead and do what you want to do! I have a 7 year old son. We've done the diet since he was 3. Through pre-school, kindergarten 2times, summer camps, bday parties, Las Vegas trips, Cross country trips, eating out, the whole spectrum of living... Just so you know, and this isn't a lecture, substitutions are meant to NOT let the child be left out. I didn't suggest he be pulled from school or sit in a chair quietly while the other kids made cookies. It was a friendly alternative. That's all.

[carrielynn]

Whoa.  No one's going to lecture you about it.   Go ahead and do what you want to do!   I have a 7 year old son.  We've done the diet since he was 3.  Through pre-school, kindergarten 2times, summer camps, bday parties, Las Vegas trips, Cross country trips, eating out, the whole spectrum of living...  Just so you know, and this isn't a lecture, substitutions are meant to NOT let the child be left out.  I didn't suggest he be pulled from school or sit in a chair quietly while the other kids made cookies.  It was a friendly alternative.  That's all.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks.... just feeling a bit sensitive about the whole thing. It's hard being a parent! We deal with a peanut allergy with our other child and all the emotional issues attached to that. Sometimes I have to allow a more "risky" activity there too (not ingesting peanuts of course), but I always assess the risk before making a decision. So far we've had no problems.

I may send him with his own already-made gluten-free dough to work with, but not let him eat the baked product at school...will send an already-baked gluten-free-no-cross-contamination cookie.

--Carrie

[carrielynn]

Just an update.

I ended up making gluten-free/DairyFree/EggFree gingerbread dough and sending that with my son. The teacher helped him make his cookie first so there wouldn't be cross-contamination with the other kids. I also sent already-baked gluten-free gingerbread men in case something went wrong on her end.

Everything went extremely well and my kindergartener had a BLAST. He came home the happiest I've ever seen him...

I have to say, since we've taken him off of all gluten (6 weeks ago), his mood has improved a lot. He still has moody days, but overall he's a lot happier and more energetic. His skin doesn't look good, though (which is how celiac disease manifests itself for him, not the classic digestive stuff). I guess it will just take some time.

Anyway, thanks for all your responses.

Carrie

[happygirl]

All this talk of gingerbread cookies makes me hungry! Which brand or recipe did you use (the gluten-free pantry?) and is it good? Happy to hear his cookie experience went well