If a child has a dairy allergy or intolerance, it doesn’t mean they have to swear off baked goods forever. By using some simple substitutions, you can make dairy-free cookies any kid will love.
“Whenever I make dairy free cookies, I substitute vegan butter sticks,” says Dorothy Kern, a baking blogger at Crazy for Crust and the author of “Dessert Mashups.” “The sticks perform best without compromising texture. Oil and other non-stick spreads can change the texture of the recipe.” You can also make dairy-free cookies with chocolate by purchasing vegan chocolate chips, available at many health food stores. “Some semi-sweet brands of chocolate chips are also dairy-free, but you have to check the labels carefully,” says Kern.
Opting out of dairy doesn’t have to mean compromising flavor either. Dairy-free bakers say you often can’t even tell that cookies are dairy-free. “My dairy-free recipes look and taste like any other cookie with full dairy,” says Kelly Rudnicki, author of “The Food Allergy Mama’s Baking Book.” “In many cases, they taste even better than the real thing.”
Baking together is a great way for parents and caregivers to help a child learn how to work around their food intolerance! For inspiration, here are 10 dairy-free cookie recipes to get you started. Some are also free of other allergens, such as gluten, eggs and nuts.
1. Coco Crème Cookies
If your child loves the classic chocolate sandwich cookies but can’t have dairy, make them this homemade alternative — dairy-free coco crème cookies. They’re super easy to make, and they’re gluten and egg free.
2. M&M sugar cookies
Kern’s colorful, soft and chewy M&M sugar cookies can easily be made dairy-free by substituting Earth’s Balance Vegan Butter Sticks for butter. If chocolate is an allergy, you can also replace the M&Ms with a different candy, such as carob.
3. Snickerdoodles
These snickerdoodles from The Urban Poser are not only dairy-free, they’re also egg-, grain- and gluten-free. That makes them great to bake with kids because children can safely lick the dough from the spoon or their fingers to their hearts’ content.
4. PB&J Graham Cracker Thumbprints
Everyone loves a thumbprint cookie, so if you need a dairy-free recipe, try these PB&J graham cracker thumbprints from Minimalist Baker.
5. Shortbread cookies
Kids won’t believe these shortbread cookies from Ashley Adams on Spruce Eats are dairy-, egg- and nut-free. They’re simple to make but also special enough for any holiday or kids party.
6. Thin mints
If your child’s allergies keep them from gobbling up Girl Scout Cookies, they’ll love these dairy-free thin mint cookies from Speedbump Kitchen. The blogger, a pediatrician, does not post any recipes until they are approved by all three of her children.
7. Oatmeal raisin cookies
These dairy- and egg-free oatmeal raisin cookies from Milk Free Mom contain no oil and little sugar. They also have whole wheat flour, a mashed banana and sugar-free applesauce, so they pack a nutritious punch.
8. Peanut butter peck cookies
The Mommy Bowl created these peanut butter peck cookies as a dairy-free variation to Hershey’s Kisses cookies because, as she puts it, “A peck is almost a kiss, right?” She offers two versions — one with sugar and grains and one without. Try them both, and see which one your kiddo prefers.
9. Chocolate chip cookies
Elana Amsterdam from the blog Elana’s Kitchen created a simple recipe for chocolate chip cookies that are both dairy- and gluten-free. The recipe uses unique ingredients such as almond flour, grapeseed oil and agave nectar.
10. Sugar cookies
These sugar cookies from the blog We Laugh, We Cry, We Cook are always egg free. By swapping margarine for Earth Balance non-dairy spread, they also become dairy-free. And since recipe creator Miss Vickie is famous in her hometown for these treats, they’re likely pretty yummy, too!
