It’s holiday season once again, which means that it’s time to stuff yourself with lots of great foods and desserts. Everyone loves to partake in the festivities, but for those who have celiac disease, it can be more difficult to enjoy popular baked goods. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that results in damage to the lining of the small intestine when foods containing gluten are eaten.

“It’s a whole change of life and it’s really hard to adjust,” said Celiac Awareness Club President, junior Zoe Spirgel.

Gluten is a protein found in many grains, such as wheat. Sadly, these grains often happen to be key ingredients in favorite holiday treats.

“Basically every holiday food is off limits because you can’t eat anything that contains wheat, barley, oats, or rye,” said Spirgel.

“It’s very hard to find things to eat and it requires a lot of trial and error and background research,” said Spirgel.

People who have this surprisingly common illness deserve to have as much fun over winter break as everybody else, and there are plenty of tasty gluten free treats like cookies and cake.

One delicious idea for a gluten free holiday is gluten free gingerbread men.

Ingredients:

-⅓ cup of ground flaxseed

-½ teaspoon of baking soda

-2 tablespoons of ground ginger

-1 teaspoon of fresh ginger, grated

-2.5 cups of almond flour

-1.5 teaspoons of cinnamon

– ½ teaspoon of ground nutmeg

-½ teaspoon of ground cloves

-½ teaspoon of vanilla powder

-¼ cup of coconut oil, melted

-¼ cup of honey

-1 egg, lightly beaten

-50g of white chocolate, melted

Directions:

1. Combine almond flour, flax seed, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and vanilla powder in a large mixing bowl and stir until well combined.
2. Add coconut oil, honey and egg to the bowl and mix well.
3. Roll the result into a ball and wrap it in foil. Put it in the freezer for a half hour and then after move it into the fridge for another half hour.
4. Remove the dough from the foil use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to around until it is around a centimeter thick.
5. Use a gingerbread cookie cutter to cut the dough into shapes and place onto a tray lined with baking paper.
6. Bake until golden, which should be around 10 minutes, and allow them to cool.
7. Melt the white chocolate, add it to a piping bag, and decorate the gingerbread men with any design.