My daughter wants to take cupcakes to her class next week for her birthday....but there is a student in her class who has nut allergies.....

at the start of the year there was a letter sent home that my daughter can NOT take nuts, peanut butter sandwiches or anything that could contain nuts...and we were asked to check all labels.....

soooo now Im concerned about making the cupcakes....can I make them from a mix base? or will i have to make them from scratch? and if scratch....I cant even get a cake to raise right from scratch...how do i do cupcakes??


thanks for any help!

Hhhmmm....my first thought is-are they even allowed to bring home-made goodies? Alot of schools here don't allow anything that isn't store bought.

If they can bring home-made goodies is the allergic child going to be eating them too? I don't think I'd even take a chance if so because you won't know the severity of the allergy and your house (like most) probably isn't a nut-free zone (my house isn't simply because I'm in it )

If the child is going to have an alternate treat you should be able to check on-line with the manufacturer to see if the mix is produced in a nut-free factory. My guess is going to be that most of them aren't.

Here are some recipes that I found. I didn't get to read the reviews.

http://www.epicurious.com/tools/searchresults?search=cupcake&x=0&y=0

I've been really happy with everything I've made from epicurious.

d

There is no issue with me making them they said....but even if I was to buy them already made how would i know if they were nut free?

hmm now I dont know what to do!

I know some of our local grocery stores have signs posted in the bakery, deli, etc that nuts, seafood, etc are used in the production of the foods there.

my daughter has a nut allergy even carries an epipen. I bake cakes either from box or scratch and she has never had a problem.

And just to be safe, make sure you wash your beaters, bowls, etc. thoroughly before starting. You never know what little residue can be left from the dishwasher, etc.

My daughter has a peanut allergy/epi pen etc. I always use cake mixes and never had a problem. Most often I use Dunkin Hines. To be on the safe side you may want to cut the ingredients label off the box and have the teacher pass it on to the "allergy child's" mom or if you are comfortable call the mom yourself and ask her. It is the only way to play it safe Good luck!

My dtr(5) was just diagnosed with a peanut intollerance and there is a little girl in the class who severly allergic. The teacher keeps treats sent by the girls mother just in case treats are sent to school.

The severly allergic child's mother may not even allow her to have the treat even though you have made them nut free.

my son is also allergic to peanuts, severly!! to the point that his throat closes up. We found this out when he was barely 1.5 and not the good way. Thank god he is still with us. He also has an epi pen jr, and school nurse has one in her office. I have been baking w/cake mix for years and haven't had a problem with him. I usually use Betty Crocker both vanilla and chocolate. Chocolate items are supposed to be a big No-No for them, mostly bars and stuff. My son's school also has the policy of no nuts in the premises, but there's always some sort of nut product that sneaks in. Like a granola bar of some sort, or chex mix of certain kinds. My suggestions is to bake from scratch and use a hand mixer that was never used for nuts (if you have one available that is).
Or see if you can make sugar cookies decorated instead. Maybe your daughter will be ok with that. try explaining why. and make them fun. put a stick go crazy.

thanks for your help!!!


cookies are a good idea too! I'm gonna ask the teacher if there are any instructions from the mother and if I can the mother too....my husband said to send GUMMY WORMS!!!

our daycare allows home baked goods as well but we must bring in the labels. I use box mixes (DH) if it is processed in a factory that shares equipment it will say on the box. I looked at the store brand, and most of them say it's on shared equipment That is what they look for. My children don't have allergies but several of their friends do so that 's something we're always mindful of now.

Hi! Would it be possible for you to speak directly to the child's mom / dad / guardian? This way you'll know for sure what will be okay to bring.

Best wishes & happy baking!

I am a school nurse and have several nut allergy students with epi-pens and all are in "nut free" classrooms! When I have parents call the school and ask about snack for parties I always recommend they send a list of what they are making and as others have mentioned...we forward to the allergy parent. You can NEVER be too safe.

I give you a huge pat on the back for thinking of this, because I have many parents that don't. AND I always let classrooms know about the allergies. I recommend sending the note, because I still have some allergy mom's that do not want their child to have any outside treats, even if they have seen the list. And I have had a couple of allergic reactions when treats were shared and no one knew that nut products were involved...the parents said they were safe and they weren't!

So better safe than sorry.

So happy to see this thread here. my son has lots of allergies, including peanuts and just started preschool, the other moms (and dads, I'm sure) have been great at sending in snacks he can enjoy with the other children. I agree with the previous posters that you should contact the mom. My older son has a boy in his kindergarten class who has severe allergies, and because I am sensitive to the issue, I plan on trying to actually get together with the mom to make snacks for their class for occasions. (I signed up for desserts for parties, imagine that.) Coming from a mom who deals with this daily, trust me, it warms my heart knowing other parents are concerned about my childs health, so do not hesitate to contact the family of the allergic child!

My daughter is 19 and had peanut/nut allergy all her life. My home is a nut-free zone - all equipment, beaters etc are safe and I use cake mixes all the time. Labelling will list any and all ingredients and possible ingredients. I make cakes for other nut/peanut allergic kids too...this is the only place their moms trust...and use the mixes, mostly DH. You should be okay, but talk to the mom. It will make you and her feel better.

Definitely contact the parents. I have a peanut-allergic son, and he does not eat anything brought in to preschool. I keep cupcakes in the school's freezer for these situations, and he understands that those are his treats. Some children may be able to eat what you send if their parents know that their child is not sensitive to traces of nuts.

I bake from scratch, but it's because I want to. There are safe mixes, I'm sure. You would run into the same issues with cookies. Most of the break and bake are not safe at all. Scratch would probably be the way to go now.

I sign up to bake EVERYTHING for his school-- they seem to like it. I even do it for things like their economics week baker day-- decorating cookies, and I'll do enough for several classes.

I too REALLY appreciate having others who are trying to look out for my son and other children with allergies. Thank you!!