Christmas Cookie Elves
Every year, we bake very many cookies and send them off to our friends who live a plane ride away and who I don’t get to cook for very often. Cookies are my way of sending my love to them because the way I show my love is through food.
In 2020, I didn’t get to cook much for anyone except Sean, even local folks with social distancing and all. Sean and I took on a pretty insane project and created over 30 cookie boxes for those near and far. We baked over 500 cookies (but who’s counting?!) Turns out, we have a fair number of food allergies spanning our friend group. After a total disaster of winging a gluten-free, vegan maple pancake cookie with some random ingredients we had on hand, I looked for an alternative.
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Reindeer Poop, But Make It Gluten-free & Vegan
That’s where these reindeer poop cookies came into play. These are a no-bake cookie that use ingredients that you probably have on hand. They take just minutes. And, they are totally adaptable to food allergies. We made our gluten-free, nut-free, and vegan pals a version of this cookie with Earth Balance, sunflower seed butter, and coconut milk! They came out great and taste like a cross between a candy and cookie. They’re fairly sweet, but it’s the holidays, after all.
I decided to call them reindeer poop because they look quite organic! Plus, I figured it would get a pretty good laugh from the kids (and any adult that still loves a poop joke.)
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These look very rustic and homey, but they taste great. And I love how customizable this cookie is. This recipe will surely be a go-to ace up my sleeve any time I want to share some love to anyone with a food allergy. Maybe in the summer I will call them bear poop cookies!
Reindeer Poop Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup milk see notes for allergy-friendly options
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter see notes for allergy-friendly options
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- ¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips see notes for allergy-friendly options
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats not instant
- 1 cup Rice Krispies cereal
- ½ cup shredded coconut
- ½ cup peanut butter smooth, not natural; see notes for allergy-friendly options
- ½ tbsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- In a medium sauce pan, combine sugar, milk, butter, and cocoa powder. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it starts to boil. Let boil for 1 minute. Then take the pan off the heat.
- Add the peanut butter, chocolate chips, oats, Rice Krispies, coconut, vanilla, and salt. Stir to combine well.
- Using a disher scoop or spoon, portion into tablespoon sized cookies. I like to slightly flatten the cookie to give it a more organic shape. Move into the fridge to let set for about 15 minutes. Store in an airtight container.
Notes
- Coconut milk worked well for those with dairy allergies.
- Earth Balance or coconut oil would work in place of butter.
- Make sure your chocolate chips are vegan if you’re cooking for someone dairy free.
- Sunflower seed butter or soy nut butter will work to replace peanut butter for those with peanut allergies.
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