Shopping, wrapping, get-togethers, traveling… Needless to say, the holidays are the most hectic time of the year. If you’re hosting a party or dinner, or you’re attending someone else’s and have offered to bring a gluten-free dish, consider keeping it simple. Bringing or making something easy is a smart way to alleviate some holiday stress, leaving you more energized to spend time with friends and loved ones. Below, check out nine of the easiest—and most delicious—gluten-free desserts you can serve and share!
Small, sweet treats
Old Dominion Peanut Brittle: A sweet treat to share for under $2? Yep. I bought mine at my local Aldi in their seasonal candy section. It’s marked gluten-free right on the box. Arrange the brittle pieces on a festive plate; garnish with shelled or unshelled peanuts.
Glutino Chocolate Covered Wafer Bites: These delicious bite-sized mini wafers, covered in chocolate, are seriously scrumptious. Nobody would ever guess all you did was pour them out of the bag and arrange them on a holiday-themed plate.
Alter Eco truffles: These decadent truffles will delight any partygoer. Place them, still wrapped, into a festive bowl. Or unwrap them and place them on a fancy plate. They’re the perfect addition to post-meal coffee in the kitchen or a sophisticated soiree. I recommend the Sea Salt and Salted Caramel truffle flavors.
Easy-to-serve desserts
Dr. Lucy’s holiday cookies: Every year, allergy-friendly brand Dr. Lucy’s comes out with fun and delish holiday flavors of their healthy, crispy, crunchy cookies. Place Dr. Lucy’s holiday cookies—including Holiday Sugars and Chocolate Merry Mint—on a platter. Garnish with strawberries. (In addition to being gluten-free, these cookies are also free from dairy, eggs, peanuts, and tree nuts—perfect to serve to friends and family who are free from other stuff besides just gluten.)
Daiya cheezecake: Daiya makes an absolutely amazing gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free cheezecake. It’s one of my favorite desserts, and all the non-gluten-free people I’ve served it to have also loved it. The cheezecake serves four, although if you cut it into smaller slices, it could easily serve eight to ten people. It takes about 6 hours to thaw properly, so plan accordingly so that you can eat this yummy dessert at the desired time! I love the New York Style cheezecake topped with blueberries.
Frosty treats
So Delicious Snickerdoodle Cashew Milk Frozen Dessert: This is hands-down my favorite non-dairy ice cream. So Delicious’ cashew milk ice cream is the creamiest dairy-free ice cream I’ve ever tried, and the Snickerdoodle flavor is out of this world. The sweet ice cream is infused with cinnamon, and the best part is all the gluten-free snickerdoodle cookie chunks scattered throughout it. Serve it in fancy custard cups.
GoodPops: Here on the East Coast, we’re in for a warm Christmas. So since it feels like summer, why not break out the popsicles? I love GoodPops because they’re all-natural and made predominately of fruit. They’re organic and they don’t include any artificial ingredients, so you can feel good about serving them. Standout flavors include sweet-tart Strawberry Lemonade and refreshing Watermelon Agave. Serve them still wrapped in a shiny bucket filled with ice.
Easy recipes to make
Cup4Cup chocolate brownies with Miss Jones Baking Co.’s organic chocolate frosting: One of the reason I love Cup4Cup’s gluten-free baking mixes is because they’re so easy to use, and everything I’ve ever made with them has turned out perfectly. Their Brownie Mix said right on the bag that if I wanted to create a more cake-like brownie, to add an extra egg, so I did. The result was a delicious chocolate cake/brownie hybrid that was moist and delicious. But wait, it gets better! I then slathered on Miss Jones Baking Co.’s organic chocolate frosting, which is luscious whipped chocolate goodness, and topped it with a few sprinkles. It was the perfect chocolate treat to bring to a party—and it was unbelievable easy to make. If you want to make a baked treat but don’t want to spend too much time in the kitchen, this is the idea for you!
Rojo’s dessert salsa: Salsa for dessert? Heck yeah! This easy-to-prepare dessert is a little sweet and a little spicy—the best of both worlds! Try this fun idea to delight your foodie friends:
Ingredients:
1 (14-oz.) Rojo’s Mango Chipotle Salsa
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
4 cups vanilla ice cream (or dairy-free ice cream, like So Delicious Cashew Milk Ice Cream in Creamy Cashew flavor)
4 gluten-free waffles, toasted
Directions:
Open Rojo’s Mango Chipotle Salsa and remove the seal.
Stir vanilla and cinnamon into salsa.
Scoop 1 cup ice cream onto each gluten-free waffle and top with salsa mixture.
