SmashMallow Fun Size Variety Pack

Smashmallow are the healthy alternative to Peeps. Unlike Peeps, they contain no corn syrup, artificial colors, or preservatives. The mini marshmallows come in fun flavors: cookie dough, mint chocolate chip, cinnamon churro and strawberries and cream. All of the flavors are delicious without being too sweet. And they have the fluffy, whipped texture of marshmallows. Their website says they can be used in recipes like regular marshmallows to make rice treats and you can add the cinnamon churro to your hot cocoa. They even have an Easter egg hunt pack. And they are free of dairy, gluten, soy, corn, and egg.

YumEarth Gummy Bears, Snack Packs

The gummy bears packs contain a delicious mix of pomegranate, mango, peach and strawberry flavors. They are chewy and taste like real fruit because they contain fruit juice. Along with the great taste, there is so much to like about this brand: they are non-GMO, made with organic cane sugar, and colored with real fruit and vegetables. They are also free of soy, egg, fish, shellfish, peanuts, and tree nuts. As if all this isn’t healthy enough, the gummy bears contain no high fructose corn syrup or artificial dyes.

Chocolate

No Whey! Milkless Chocolate Bar and Enjoy Life Chocolate Bar with Rice Milk

No Easter basket would be complete without chocolate. I have grouped these two brands together since they are very similar products to the point of being almost identical. Both brands are allergy friendly, being free of the top allergens including milk, gluten, peanuts, tree nuts, soy, and egg. They also taste very similar, smooth, with a milk chocolate taste. Maybe it’s because they share similar ingredients: sugar, cocoa butter, unsweetened chocolate, and rice syrup. However, Enjoy Life has a slight advantage, being made in an allergy friendly facility. It is also kosher and Halal certified, fodmap and Paleo friendly.

If you want traditional egg and bunny shaped chocolates, No Whey! sells them in their online store, while Enjoy Life has Easter mini chocolate bars.

No Whey! Chocolatey Covered Pretzels

The pretzels dipped in semi-sweet chocolate are the perfect balance of sweet, salty and crunchy. They are made with corn starch, potato starch, cocoa butter, and rice syrup. They are also free of common allergens including milk, gluten, soy, and nuts.

Unreal Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

If Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups were made with dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate, it would taste like this. The smooth dark chocolate and great peanut butter taste are blended with bits of quinoa, adding a crispy texture. The cups are gluten, dairy, and soy free.

Snyder’s Gluten Free Pretzel Sticks and Mini Pretzels

The pretzels are so buttery, it’s hard to believe they don’t contain butter. They are made with corn and potato starches and buttery tasting palm oil. They have a great crunch and are free of gluten, soy, dairy, casein and egg.

Lucy’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

This is my favorite chocolate chip cookie They have an old-fashioned taste, like Famous Amos, because both contain molasses. Molasses in cookies make them moist and chewy, while remaining crunchy. The cookies are made with oats, chickpeas, potato starch, tapioca, sorghum, and fava. They are free from gluten, peanuts, tree nuts, milk, and eggs. And they are also non-GMO verified, kosher & vegan, but do contain soy.

Caramels

Cocomels

Upon my first bite, I said to myself, no way is this dairy free. It tastes just like caramel! Cocomels are deliciously smooth and chewy like real caramel. Although made from coconut milk, you don’t taste the coconut, but instead what is similar to dairy cream. These delicious caramels are vegan, gluten free and non-GMO. Besides the original flavor, Cocomels also comes in a variety of other flavors: sea salt, coconut sugar, chocolate, espresso, pumpkin, and sugar free, which is a less sweet version of the original.

AvenueSweets

If Cocomels was chocolate, it would be Hershey’s, and AvenueSweets would be Godiva. Both are great chocolates, but in very different classes based on price and taste. AvenueSweets is also made with coconut milk, is vegan and gluten free. It is hand crafted and slow cooked in copper kettles. I don’t know how these brands magically turned coconut milk into caramel. Like Cocomels, they taste like real caramel and are soft and chewy. However, AvenueSweets tastes more like traditional caramel – nostalgically reminding me of the old-fashioned caramels made in Wisconsin Dells shops.

Sweet Amsterdam Stroopwafel Cookies  

Chewy, rich vegan caramel is sandwiched between two crispy waffle cookies. They are oh so tasty. They are made with rice, potato, chickpeas and eggs. They only contain 5 grams of sugar and are gluten, dairy, and soy free.

Skinny Pop Original Sea Salt Popcorn

The popcorn is made with only three simple ingredients: corn, oil and salt. I am amazed at how it can taste buttery without any dairy. The secret is palm oil, (also used in Snyder’s pretzels) which has rich buttery overtones. The popcorn is crispy and delicious. Perfect for an Easter basket or movie night.

Made Good Mixed Berry Granola Minis

The granola minis are clustered into tiny balls, are crispy and have a delightful berry taste. They are made from oats and contain apples, raspberries, and vegetable extracts. They are free from nuts, soy, sesame, dairy, fish, shellfish, gluten, and egg. They are perfect in yogurt or as an on-the-go snack. And they contain one serving of vegetables.

Hippeas Puffs

Hippeas is made of chickpea and rice flour and comes in various flavors.  The vegan white cheddar puffs are crunchy and taste like real cheese. Nacho vibes also tastes like cheese, but surprisingly has a slightly sweet aftertaste. But I’m not complaining since it is balanced by the nacho taste and is a tasty sweet and salty snack. Hippeas also come in “hippie” non-cheese flavors including sunshine sriracha and bohemian barbeque, which are just as tasty without overwhelming flavors. The barbeque flavor is just tangy enough, and the sriracha has a mild kick.

Hippeas Rockin’ Ranch

The chips taste similar to Doritos Cool Ranch and are made with chickpeas, corn and rice flours. They have a tangy ranch taste, are crunchy, and melt in your mouth, just like their puffs.

Both the puffs and chips are gluten free, kosher, vegan, non-GMO, nut free, and soy free.

Conclusion

If you have a child with food allergies, they don’t have to miss out on Easter treats because there are many goodies to fill their baskets, from cookies, pretzels, and of course, the traditional chocolate and marshmallows.

Fun Food Fact

The world’s largest Easter egg is located in Vegreville, Alberta, weighs 5000 lbs, is 31 ft. tall, and 18 ft. wide, and took over 12,000 hours to complete!

Did You Know

Easter baskets represent nests and new life. They are filled with eggs which were an ancient symbol of fertility.

Easter egg is a term used to describe a hidden message, image, or character in a film. They are called Easter eggs because they mimic an Easter egg hunt to find them.

Quotes

“Easter is meant to be a symbol of hope, renewal, and new life.” – Janine di Giovanni

The Easter eggs symbolizes our ability to break out of the hardened, protective shell we’ve surrounded ourselves with that limits our thoughts and beliefs. As we break open our hearts and minds, we discover a transformation to new life, enhancing thoughts, and beliefs.”– Siobhan Shaw