While this blog's primary purpose is to record my year of baking through Toll House's Best-Loved Cookies, I'd also like to take some time to discuss baking in general. I've mentioned before that I'm allergic to tree nuts, but it's also important to realize that there are other food allergies to watch out for when you share baked goods with friends and family.
For example, my friend's ex-roommate is highly allergic to cinnamon. Another of my friends has PKU, a condition in which her body can't properly process protein, and she must carefully regulate her protein intake. I also have a friend who is lactose intolerant and another friend who is diabetic (I realize that diabetes isn't an allergy, but it's still worth mentioning). It's important when sharing your baked goods to let people know what's in the item for their own safety.
When I make some cookies with nuts and some without, I usually separate them into different containers and label them. I also let people know what kind of nuts, spices, or other oddball ingredients (like coconut or cream cheese) I used, just to be safe. Recently when I made Oatmeal Scotchies, a friend's mother expressed interest in trying some. Before delivering them to her I made sure to let her know that there was cinnamon in the recipe, just in case anyone in her family was allergic. When I brought the remaining cookies to Warhammer night, I made sure to tell the guys the cookies contained oatmeal, butterscotch, and cinnamon.
A person with serious food allergies will likely ask what's in unfamiliar foods before eating them, but it's also up to the cook to spread the word. While usually any negative response will be "I don't like oatmeal" or whatever the ingredient is, it's definitely better to be safe than sorry when it comes to your loved ones' health. <3
Cheers! I'll be baking Blonde Brownies tomorrow. =)
~Jesia
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