Friday, January 29, 2010
What's better than chocolate on Valentine's Day? For those of us caring for people with nut allergies (or who have nut allergies ourselves) it can be difficult to find chocolate that is not only nut-free but also delicious.
Internet shopping to the rescue! Luckily, there are a few really good nut-free chocolate candy companies out there with everything we need to treat our kids or ourselves. You may have heard of some of these before but for those of you who haven't they definitely bear repeating!
First up is Vermont Nut-Free Chocolates, one of my all-time favorites. I've ordered from them numerous times and every product I've tried is absolutely delicious. Best of all, both of my daughters go ga-ga over this stuff! This is true gourmet chocolate at its finest. Plus, there are many Valentine's Day-themed chocolates that will make your child's day! In fact, Vermont Nut-Free has pretty much every holiday covered in terms of chocolate. They also offer great baking chocolate if you want to whip up a homemade treat. Check them out and tell them I sent you: www.vermontnutfree.com.
Next is Divvies, a fabulous nut-free candy company that is also egg-free and dairy-free. They have all sorts of Valentine's Day themed goodies and a great array of candies in general. I also like them because they offer a choice for people dealing with multiple food allergies.
Here's a new one that I just discovered recently from a blogger bud. Check out No Nuts About It Chocolate. They're nut-free and offer a delightful looking array of chocolate. The cool part about them is that they also will custom-make chocolates for you, using a custom mold that you help create. How fun is that for parties, weddings or school events? I haven't tasted this chocolate yet, but according to their web site, they create chocolate in the "Belgian" style. Yum. Sounds good.
I was also contacted recently by Sweet Delight Nut-Free Chocolates. Created by the mother of an allergic child, these chocolates are egg-free as well as nut-free. They have gift baskets for V-Day and themed candies as well. I haven't tried these yet either, but I will soon. Hey, this chocolate research is a tough job but someone's gotta do it!
Finally, many of you have tried Enjoy Life Foods chocolate treats. These are free of the top 8 food allergens as well as sesame and sulfites. Check out their website for Valentine's Day themed recipes using their delicious, allergy-friendly chocolate products!
Early next week I'll have a roundup of online allergy-free bakeries. I have some favorites but if you know of a really good one that ships across the country, let me know!
P.S. Don't forget to follow me on Twitter! My handle is Nut_FreeMom. Hope to see you there!