Allergy-friendly candy for my boy. Thanks, Enjoy Life!!
I complain every year about Valentine’s Day being a junk-food holiday. So much of the holiday is about the candy and sweets. But as my son has firmly grasped this year, Valentine’s Day is about love, not sugar. And there are lots of ways to express our love — sweet cards, simple gifts, homemade mementos, simply saying “I love you.” No need for candies! (But, hubby, if you’re reading, there IS still a need for flowers. Not necessarily roses; those are overpriced right now, and I’m a reasonable girl. So, how about tulips? I even have a vase. Just sayin’.)
While I do resent the fact that this is a candy holiday, I also would be lying if I didn’t admit that part of the way I express love and seek to establish traditions is through food. And I feel bad that my adorable Valentine’s Day-loving 3-year-old can’t have most chocolates because of his dairy allergy. (Though he’s really come to enjoy my 72 percent cacao chocolate. Kid’s got expensive tastes, man.)
I work hard to find non-candy ways for him to enjoy Valentine’s Day, but I also don’t want him to feel left out. And I think one day, he’ll appreciate the effort I went through to give him his very own special chocolate candies.
It’s super-simple if you’d like to do the same:
Pick up a bag of Enjoy Life brand chocolate morsels or chunks.
Pick up some candy molds. (Craft stores like Michaels typically carry them.)
Melt them in a double-boiler (I use a ceramic bowl set on top of a pot of gently boiling water on the stovetop) or the microwave.
Pour the melted chocolate into the molds.
Set the molds on a flat surface in your fridge for several hours.
Voila! Allergy-friendly chocolates that you can package up in any creative way you see fit.