Allergy-friendly Monster Eyeballs (Gluten, dairy, egg, peanut & tree nut free; vegan)

Name: Allergy-friendly Monster Eye Balls (Gluten, dairy, egg, peanut & tree nut free; vegan)
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: Gluten-free, dairy-free sandwich cookies; 1 package of Mini Dark Chocolate Morsels by Enjoy Life; Red food dye; Paint brush; Green food coloring

October 20, 2016

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This post was sponsored by Enjoy Life Foods. All comments and opinions are my own. This post also contains affiliate links.

These Monster Eyeballs are an easy, treat with only a few store-bought ingredients that requires no baking! A simple Halloween treat that is sure to make the kids smile and sure to save you some time. This treat is perfect for classroom Halloween parties to include those with food allergies since nothing is homemade! Free of gluten, dairy egg, peanut & tree nuts. Vegan too!

First off, congrats to kady sumner for winning my previous Instagram giveaway! Be sure to follow me on Instagram, as I’ve been having lots of fun giveaways lately!

Now to the good stuff: Let me tell you a love story about chocolate.

When my first son had anaphylaxis to milk at 11 months old, I thought he would literally never know the pleasure of eating chocolate chips right out of the bag, or, savoring bite after bite of a chocolate bar.

It was pure serendipity that as I was checking out of my local Sprouts a few months later, that I saw these purple and blue packaged chocolate bars. I don’t know why I bothered to read the fine print, since I had erroneously thought that there was no such thing as dairy-free chocolate. I guess it was just meant to be–my mom gut could sense there was something different about these chocolate bars. I seized the packaged with desperate fingers reading over every ingredient twice. How is it possible there’s NO DAIRY I thought over and over?? And, not just dairy-free, but free from all the top 8 allergens?? What the WHAT?

Even though my son was still so young to be handing him a candy bar, I was so excited that when I got home I tore it open and handed it to him. I thought I’d just let him take a nibble. But, from the FIRST BITE he was HOOKED. I tried to take it back from him and he started sobbing. So, I let him just munch away.

Until you’ve had to contemplate your child never having something, and then seeing the pure bliss of them enjoying it for the first time, you can never understand the depths of my gratitude. I sent the video to the company, Enjoy Life, and I’ve basically been in love with them ever since for giving my son safe chocolate.

So, I was super excited when they offered to send me their new snack packs. I wanted to do a Halloween treat with it, and I wanted it to be easy for all you busy allergy moms out there. I usually do almost everything from scratch, but with last minute Halloween parties, it’s nice to have something quick up your sleeve.

I had a package of safe, gluten-free oreos in my cupboard (there are several brands out there–Glutino or Kinnikinick) and I knew that these chocolate chips would make the perfect pupil in my Monster Eyeballs. Be warned that the Glutino cookies do have a may contain statement that reads: “May contain milk, eggs, peanut and tree nuts“. I personally called their number, and according to the person I talked to they put that statement if the facility uses those ingredients at all. He did assure me that they have rigorous protocols where they will completely stop production and clean the machines for hours and test it before starting a new run, so I felt OK eating the cookies. Please, feel free to call them yourself, make sure you get the same response and eat at your own discretion and level of your own food allergies.

All it takes is a dollop of food coloring gel, and VOILA–you’ve created some fun monster eyeballs.

I had the monster eyeballs waiting on a plate for my son when he got home from school and he was pretty stoked! I was happy to surprise him, but next time I think I’ll let him help me make them since they’re so easy. Plus, painting the blood-shot portion of the eyes is kinda fun and you really can’t go wrong.

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Allergy-friendly Monster Eye Balls (Gluten, dairy, egg, peanut & tree nut free; vegan)

Yield: 12Prep Time: 10 minutes Total Time: 10 minutes

An easy, treat with only a few store-bought ingredients that requires no baking! A simple Halloween treat that is sure to make the kids smile and sure to save you some time. Free of gluten, dairy egg, peanut & tree nuts. Vegan too!

Ingredients

Gluten-free, dairy-free sandwich cookies
1 package of Mini Dark Chocolate Morsels by Enjoy Life
Red food dye
Paint brush
Green food coloring

Instructions

Separate the sandwich cookies. I found it makes a better eyeball if you put all of the white portion on one, instead of trying to split it in half. Save the plain side for eating later, or for a great cookie crust (like this frozen raspberry pie!)
Squeeze a dollop of green food coloring onto the white filling.
Place a Dark Chocolate Morsel (tip side down, so you have the fattest part showing) in the middle of the green food coloring.
Dip your paint brush into some red food coloring and draw zig zags and streaks around the eye.
Serve.

If you can’t do the cookies, a simple and fun Halloween breakfast surprise that never gets old is the classic ghost banana. The Minis work great for the eyes, and the larger Morsels give a great gaping mouth effect.

If you’d like to win a free package of each Snack Pack bag (Mini & Morsels) be sure to enter my Instagram giveaway!