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chery2

looking for: best dessert for church picnic -- no nuts!

chery2
16 years ago

New minister's son has a peanut allergy, so we've all been instructed NOT to bring dishes containing nuts to any church function. Really puts a cramp in MY baking style, but oh, well.

Instead of brownies, I'd like to have some other pick-up dessert kids like as much. Of course, grown-ups should like it too!

chery2

Comments (13)

  • Bumblebeez SC Zone 7
    16 years ago

    Cupcakes are always popular.

  • roselin32
    16 years ago

    Lemon Bars.

  • fearlessem
    16 years ago

    Rice Krispie treats! Kids love them, adults love them, and they're super easy... I just made some the other day for DH and I, and could hardly stop eating them...

    Emily

  • kayskats
    16 years ago

    i'm nota up on my allergies ... but why would an allergy to the peanut, which is not a nut, preclude other nuts?

  • ginger_st_thomas
    16 years ago

    Kids might like the cupcakes more but here's the lemon bar recipe I always use:

    LEMON BARS DELUXE
    2 1/4 cup flour
    1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, plus additional for sprinkling
    2 sticks butter
    4 beaten eggs
    2 cups granulated sugar
    1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
    1/2 tsp baking powder
    Preheat oven to 350°. Whisk together 2 cups of the flour & the confectioners' sugar. Cut in the butter until the mixture clings together. Press the dough into a 13x9x2" baking dish. Bake 20-25 minutes or until lightly browned.
    Meanwhile, beat together the eggs, granulated sugar & lemon juice. Mix the remaining 1/4 cup flour with the baking powder; stir into the egg mixture & pour over the hot baked crust. Bake for 25 minutes longer. Remove from the oven & sprinkle w/confectioners' sugar. Cool. Cut into squares.~~From Mountain Measures.

    KILLER CUPCAKES (makes 20-22)
    Cupcakes:
    4 squares (4 oz) semisweet chocolate
    1 tsp vanilla
    2 sticks butter
    4 eggs
    1 1/2 cups sugar
    1 cup flour

    Preheat oven to 350°. Line standard muffin tins w/paper cupcake liners. In the top part of a double boiler over simmering water, melt the chocolate w/the vanilla & butter. In a large bowl, beat the eggs until thick & add the sugar. Beat in the flour. Fold in the butter-chocolate mixture. Spoon into the prepared tins, filling the cups 2/3 full.

    Filling:
    8 oz cream cheese, softened
    1/4 cup sugar
    1 egg, beaten
    Dash of salt
    3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

    Mix the cream cheese, sugar, egg & salt until just blended. Stir in the chocolate chips. Drop a rounded teaspoon of filling onto the top of each cupcake. Bake 30 minutes.~~ San Francisco Encore

  • blizlady
    16 years ago

    kayskats, regarding your question " ... but why would an allergy to the peanut, which is not a nut, preclude other nuts?", there are an extreme number of people who are allergic to peanuts. Yes, it is a legume, but definitely an irritant to enough people that many schools will ban children from eating anything with peanut butter or peanuts in their cafeterias, or have a segregated table. I have a friend who is deadly allergic to peanuts and shrimp, and if she touches the counter top where her kids may have made a peanut butter sandwich, her throat closes up. She no longer allows anything with peanuts in her house.

    My granddaughter, on the other hand, can eat peanut butter to her heart's content, but she is allergic to all tree nuts and breaks out in hives over her whole body if she comes in contact with them.

  • teresa_nc7
    16 years ago

    I'd go with cupcakes also - you could even do mini cupcakes baked in a mini muffin pan.

    At my office, I have one person who is allergic to peanuts, but can have walnuts, pecans, or almonds. This is an adult, of course.

    Here is a link to a good stuffed cupcake recipe from Emeril.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Emeril's Ooey Gooey Stuffed Cupcakes

  • iris_gal
    16 years ago

    As a kid I adored graham crackers with chocolate frosting between them.

  • kayskats
    16 years ago

    biz lady ... my question had nothing to do with allergies to peanuts ... anaphylactic shock -- the most serious reaction -- is dangerous.
    I was asking about pecans, walnuts, etc which ARE nuts and many people use in recipes. Peanuts are a legume. So why the ban on all nuts. I checked peanut allergy on Mayo Clinc's web site and they did not make any cross reference to other nuts.
    If I'm wrong, I'd really like to know. -=- Kay

  • lindac
    16 years ago

    I believe it's because you can never be too sure that a bag of nuts won't have been propcessed in a plant that also processed peanuts.
    As to dessert....how about Texas sheet cake? It's easy, feeds a lot of people and is delieious.
    And as someone who does a lot of church meals calling for dontate desserts, I HATE cupcakes! They always have that paper thing and the cake always leaves crumbs when you remove it and the kids treat them like finger food like a cookie and then you find those papers with frosting remnants everywhere! Cupcakes are easy to make and take, fun to eat and easy to serve but a pain to clean up after!

    Texas sheet cake


    2 CUPS SUGAR
    1/2 CUP BUTTERMILK
    2 CUPS FLOUR
    2 EGGS BEATEN
    1 CUP BUTTER OR MARGERINE
    1 TSP SODA
    1 1/2 TSPN CINNAMON
    4 TB COCOA
    1 TSP VANILLA
    1 CUP WATER
    SIFT SUGAR AND FLOUR INTO LARGE MIXING BOWL. COMBINE OLEO OR BUTTER, COCOA, AND WATER INTO SAUCEPAN AND BRING TO A RAPID BOIL:
    POUR OVER SUGAR AND FLOUR AND MIX WELL. ADD REMAINING INGREDIENTS IN ORDER AND BEAT THOROUGHLY. POUR INTO GREASED COOKIE SHEET (15 X 10) BAKE AT 4OO DEGREES FOR 2O MINUTES.

    ICING-BRING ALL INGREDIENTS TO BOIL EXCEPT PECANS
    BEAT WELL ADD PECANS AND POUR OVER CAKE WHILE HOT

    1/2 CUP BUTTER OR MARGERINE
    1 POUND PWDR SUGAR
    4 TB COCOA
    1 TSP VANILLA
    6 TB MILK (1 CUP PECANS CHOPPED IF NOT SERVING NUT FREE)

  • kayskats
    16 years ago

    thanks LindaC ... now that I think about it, some processors might also use peanut oil in roasting nuts.
    -kay

  • ginger_st_thomas
    16 years ago

    Yeah, crumbs are a real pain to clean up at a PICNIC. :)

  • jackiwolfe
    16 years ago

    Maybe they said "no nuts, period" because that's easier than getting into "tree nuts are okay, but not peanuts." I know some people are just plain not good listeners! They'd get the "nuts are okay" part and not the "NO PEANUTS" part.

    Moving on, here's something different that people who are wanting something lighter will appreciate amid the sea of brownies and cookies:

    Harvest Pumpkin Dip

    INGREDIENTS

    Â 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
    Â 2 cups confectioners' sugar
    Â 1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
    Â 3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
    Â 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    Â 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
    Â Apple and pear slices, graham cracker sticks - for dipping


    SERVINGS 28
    PREP 10 min.
    TOTAL 10 min.


    DIRECTIONS

    In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and confectioners' sugar. Gradually add the pumpkin, pie spice, vanilla and ginger; beat until smooth. Serve with fruit, graham cracker sticks, and anything else that may be good! Refrigerate leftovers. Yield: 3-1/2 cups.

    It probably would be a good idea to place the serving bowl in a larger bowl filled with ice if you're serving it at a picnic.