Milk Free Cookies?

[Twinklefae]

Every year, my Step mom bakes cookies with all the grandkids and they decorate them. Unfortunately, they include butter, which means my DS can't have them. He can't tolerate any form of milk product. Is there a recipe for decorate-able cookies (like the kind you roll out and use cookie cutters on) that doesn't include butter? Also, icing without milk? He also can't tolerate soy in any form.

[lil_miss_understood]

Kathy's blog has a ton of recipes which would likely work for you. She's more than just dairy and soy free and her recipes are scrumptious. I'm pretty sure she has a recipe for an icing.
There are many traditional recipes for cookies which call for lard/shortening rather than butter. Also, decorator's icing uses just powdered sugar and shortening, I believe.
Here's a cake decorator's icing that uses just powdered sugar, water, shortening and flavoring of your choice.
I needed to look for the recipe today anyway as I have to decorate ds1's bday cake tonight.

[Toolip]

Most cookies you could substitute lard or vegetable shortening for butter (the veg. shortening I use is coconut).

Icing is easy. You can just to powdered sugar and water (or any liquid) and make it as thick or thin as you want.

Good luck!!

[changingseasons]

Is egg ok? My all time favorite decorate-able cookie as a kid is from a 1957 Betty Crocker cookbook (which I still have!) They are a different flavor (since they're sweetened with honey)... a little more cake-like. But I think they're yummy. And so much fun to make.

Paintbrush cookies (in my own words, to avoid copyright)

1/3 c. soft shortening (you could totally use Spectrum palm shortening for this)
1/3 c. sugar
1 egg
2/3 c. honey
1 t. vanilla
2-3/4 c. sifted flour
1 t. soda
1 t. salt

Mix together shortening, sugar, egg, honey, and vanilla. Mix dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture. Chill.

Roll out on floured pastry cloth to 1/4" thickness, and cut into shapes.

Set on cookie sheet and paint (egg yolk paint listed below).

Bake 8-10 minutes at 375.

Egg Yolk Paint:
Blend 1 egg yolk and 1/4 t. water. Divide mixture into cups and add different colors to each. If paint thickens, just add a little water. Use small paintbrushes to 'paint' cookies.

mmmm... I haven't made these in SO long! As soon as we get egg back... ! Maybe I will post this in the recipes stiky too.

[nalo]

This will be a super easy problem to fix with a little digging around I think - all PP suggestions are great. I make dairy free cookies all the time, just subbing some other fat. We are okay with Purity Farms ghee so I usually use a mix of ghee and coconut oil but pure coconut oil is a common replacer.

[tanyalynn]

Unrefined coconut oil tastes coconut-y but the refined stuff at more mainstream stores (walmart, target type places) doesn't have that flavor and seems very neutral. But keep in mind that other fats are all fat, whereas butter is about 80% fat IIRC and the rest is water (not counting the little bits of protein and such that are so problematic for so many of us). So you may need to adjust the fat and water amounts slightly.

[goldfawn]

Glad I checked this thread! I was wondering all that too! also, is there a spread for toast that doesn't have dairy or soy? I looked at wholefoods and they all had one or the other. does ghee cause no reaction if you are allergic to dairy?
thanks mamas!

[lil_miss_understood]

Originally Posted by goldfawn

Glad I checked this thread! I was wondering all that too! also, is there a spread for toast that doesn't have dairy or soy? I looked at wholefoods and they all had one or the other. does ghee cause no reaction if you are allergic to dairy?
thanks mamas!

There is supposedly a ghee which has no casein but I personally don't trust it. It is still butterfat, after all.
If you check the allergen free meals thread, I believe someone mentioned some margarines which are both dairy and soy free.

I found 2 brands: Benecol (available at my local grocery store, but only so-so) and Mother's brand margarine. It is kosher, so you have to look at either a kosher grocery, around passover time and stock up, or somewhere there is a large concentration of jewish people, but its really good, and completely dairy adn soy free.

[changingseasons]

Originally Posted by goldfawn

Glad I checked this thread! I was wondering all that too! also, is there a spread for toast that doesn't have dairy or soy? I looked at wholefoods and they all had one or the other. does ghee cause no reaction if you are allergic to dairy?
thanks mamas!

Some people are ok with ghee (DoulaMary's DD is ok with it I think), but we tried it and DD had a BAD reaction- blood in poo and everything.

Spectrum shortening is dairy/soy free, but it's really better for baking... not so much for toast. (It doesn't have much flavor.)

[Twinklefae]

:: Hooray! I knew you mamas would have an answer! Eggs are fine, so those recipes look yummy. I never even thought of shortening. From what you are saying though, I should check ingredients carefully, as some may contain milk product?

Thanks for the tip about the Benecol or Kosher marg. Right now we give DS honey on his toast, but I'm sure at some point he'll want some form of butter spread.

My Step-mom will be so happy! (She's been really worried about him missing out. Like in a "maybe he could come and just play while the girls help with the cookies?" kind of way.) : :

Santa Cookies here we come!

[lil_miss_understood]

Originally Posted by Twinklefae

:: Hooray! I knew you mamas would have an answer! Eggs are fine, so those recipes look yummy. I never even thought of shortening. From what you are saying though, I should check ingredients carefully, as some may contain milk product?

Thanks for the tip about the Benecol or Kosher marg. Right now we give DS honey on his toast, but I'm sure at some point he'll want some form of butter spread.

My Step-mom will be so happy! (She's been really worried about him missing out. Like in a "maybe he could come and just play while the girls help with the cookies?" kind of way.) : :

Santa Cookies here we come!

I believe Crisco and most shortenings are soy based so your only safe alternative there may be Spectrum or lard.
Most margarines have sodium caseinate, a milk derivative.

[mommydancer]

Fleishman's unsalted has soy lecithin, but otherwise no soy or dairy (or sodium caseinate).

[lil_miss_understood]

Originally Posted by mommydancer

Fleishman's unsalted has soy lecithin, but otherwise no soy or dairy (or sodium caseinate).

Are you in Canada? I've never seen Fleischman's here (West Coast US).

[Mackenzie]

We use Spectrum for baking (we don't do trans fats so no Crisco or the like) and the variation of Earth Balance that is vegan friendly (there are some that have dairy derivatives in them and a few that are truly safe) for toast and what not, and coconut oil for things that the flavor compliments.

[mommydancer]

Fleischmann's Unsalted Margarine...1-800-988-7808...M- F 10 am to 7pm (CST) says it's distributed by ConAgra foods. They are based in Omaha, NE. I often call the source to locate a product.

www.fleischmanns.com

[lil_miss_understood]

Yeah, according to their site, I don't have a vendor that sells it within 30 miles (or whatever the upper limit was).

[mommydancer]

Sorry. I guess margarine doesn't quite justify a road trip.

[lil_miss_understood]

Originally Posted by mommydancer

Sorry. I guess margarine doesn't quite justify a road trip.

They don't seem to think so anyway.