Recipe: Rory-Safe "Oreos" (Gluten, dairy, soy, chocolate, and artificial-junk -free)

Since Rory's allergy diagnosis, a multitude of normal, everyday foods have become completely taboo.  We went to a birthday party yesterday, with the usual array of sweets, and he was stuck with fruit, and a few marshmallows that I let him have, even though they most likely had blue food coloring in them (Really!  Check the labels).  We will be spending tomorrow with Hubby's family to celebrate Memorial Day, so I wanted to have something special that Rory could actually eat.  So I found a recipe in "Cooking for Isaiah," one of my favorite cookbooks since starting this bewildering food journey, and tweaked it a little.  The result?  Allergy-free "Oreo"-type cookies, and one happy little boy!

Rory-Safe "Oreos"

gluten, dairy, soy, chocolate, and artificial junk - free

Ingredients:

Cookies:

1 cup Namaste Perfect Flour Blend

3 tbsp. carob powder

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup shortening (I use Spectrum Palm Oil Shortening, as Crisco has soybean oil)

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Filling:

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees, and line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and carob powder
• In a large bowl, beat shortening and sugars until fluffy, then add egg and vanilla.
• Slowly add flour mixture to sugar mixture.
• Drop onto cookie sheets - use about a rounded half-teaspoon per cookie.  Bake for 7 minutes or until crinkled on the top.  Let cool on the sheet for about two minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Mix together filling ingredients.  Put a small amount on the bottom of a cookie, and squish down with the bottom of another cookie that more or less matches.

That's it!  Yields about 30 cookies and 1 happy boy!