Food allergies shouldn’t stop you from enjoying some Easter treats that are free of all the “bad” stuff for you. Just cook up some treats of your own without allergens, and you’ll have enough to fill your Easter basket.

Chocolate or carob haystacks

Let your food sensitivities guide you in making this recipe. You can use chocolate or carob.

1 4-ounce chocolate bar, 100 percent cacao (or substitute 1 cup carob chips)
1 cup trail mix (toasted pumpkin and sunflower seeds, dried cherries, dried cranberries, dried blueberries; include nuts if tolerated)
Dash of powdered stevia or 1 T. maple sugar
Optional: 1 T. coconut oil to make it easier to pour

Line a baking sheet with wax paper. Drop tablespoons of trail mix about 2-3 inches apart on the baking sheet.

Melt chocolate or carob (with coconut oil if desired) in a small saucepan. Add sweetener. Stir until chocolate or carob has melted.

Spoon the chocolate or carob evenly over each pile of trail mix on the baking sheet. Add additional piles of trail mix and spoon on chocolate/carob until all is used up.

Refrigerate haystacks until they are hardened. Store them in a container in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to eat.

Chocolate or carob sunbutter cups

¾ cup sunbutter or peanut butter
¾ cup gluten-free graham crackers made into crumbs
½ cup Earth Balance buttery spread
¼ cup sugar or dash of powdered stevia
1 4-ounce baking bar 100 percent cacao or 1 cup nondairy chocolate or carob chips
¼ cup dairy beverage (soy, rice, hemp or nut milk)

Line a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners. Melt buttery spread in a small saucepan and stir in sunbutter or peanut butter, graham cracker crumbs, and sweetener. Remove from heat and divide evenly among muffin cups, about 2 T. per treat.

In another saucepan, melt chocolate or carob, combined with dairy beverage. Add a pinch of sweetener to the mixture if using the 100 percent cacao bar. Stir until smooth.

Spoon chocolate/carob mixture evenly over sunbutter or peanut mixture in muffin cups. Top with seeds or nuts if desired.

Refrigerate until firm. Store them in a container in the fridge until ready to serve.

Chocolate or carob-covered strawberries

Use up any extra melted chocolate or carob from the recipes above to coat fresh or frozen strawberries. Or mix up more of the chocolate/mixture from the haystack recipe to coat a batch of strawberries.