Gluten-free treats for spring holidays and special events (like the NCAA Final Four)

Spring is finally here and the holidays and celebrations that go along with this time of year will bring plenty of social occasions to attend. It may seem like a challenge to provide guests with gluten-free and delicious desserts, but many manufacturers’ websites feature recipes using their regular products that are naturally gluten-free.

The Hershey Company is one such manufacturer – and who doesn’t like Hershey’s chocolate? What may surprise you is that this company which is celebrating its 120^th year in operation in 2014 still uses sugar, milk, chocolate, and cocoa butter to make their luscious milk chocolate.  Unlike other companies who substitute in cheaper ingredients, (like corn syrup) Hershey’s is still a high quality product.

Hershey’s website (www.thehersheycompany.com ) has many recipes that use their gluten-free products. You can find the whole list of them under the tab of ‘nutrition and well-being’. Although the recipes are written to include gluten ingredients, these candies combine nicely with gluten-free baking mixes to create a dessert that will know the socks off of your guests (just try Bob’s Red Mill Brownie Baking Mix www.bobsredmill.com).

The classic Reece’s Peanut Butter Cup and the Reece’s Miniature Peanut Butter Cups are (thank heaven) gluten-free.  Chop up the big ones and include them in a gluten-free chocolate chip cookie mix for a crowd pleaser.  Take the miniatures and drop them on top of prepared gluten-free brownie mix before baking and everyone will love you when you take the pan out of the oven. Bring a pan of these around while watching an NCAA March Madness College Basketball game and support the Reece’s sponsorship of this event, too.

For those of you making a flourless chocolate cake or cupcakes, Hershey’s also makes a wonderful cocoa powder and baking chocolate bar that is found on the baking aisle of most supermarkets around Plano – and everywhere, too.

Here’s to wishing you a spring season that is joyful and sweet with friends, family, and gluten-free goodness.