This allergy-friendly product review was written by guest blogger, Danielle Barry. Danielle is a student at the University of Toronto, finishing the last term of her Masters of Information. She has been allergic to peanuts her entire life, and has recently developed a soy allergy. In her spare time, Danielle enjoys travelling, photography, and finding new allergy-safe foods. All opinions are her own.
Having a food allergy doesn’t mean you have to miss out on all the yummy treats everyone else eats! Lucky for food allergy kids like me, the selection of allergy-friendly goodies is getting better every year. And lucky for you, I’m here to share some of my favourites!
Whoppers Robin Eggs
Free of: peanuts, tree nuts
Spotted at: Zehrs/Loblaws
Whoppers—specifically, the Easter Robin Eggs version—were one of the only safe chocolates around when I was little, and my underdeveloped tastebuds thought they were just chocolate-covered cookies. Tested them on my younger brother this year, and he also thought they were chocolate-covered cookies. They’re actually chocolate-covered malted milk, which is covered in a candy shell… but they taste like cookies to me! (That’s not necessarily a bad thing, believe me.)
Hershey’s eggies
Free of: peanuts, tree nuts
Spotted at: Shoppers Drug Mart, Sobeys, Zehrs/Loblaws
Eggies have been a staple in my house since the first year we could find them out in the farmlands of Ontario. They’re pretty much the same as a Cadbury Mini Egg, just made with Hershey’s chocolate—and free of peanuts and tree nuts, of course! There are a couple of other versions (EggSquisites and the President’s Choice brand), but they aren’t as delicious as eggies. In fact, the PC ones should come with some sort of warning… and I’m not talking about an allergy alert, if you know what I mean.
Alternative: No Whey Choco Nonos
Free of: dairy, egg, fish, gluten, lactose, peanuts, sesame soy, tree nuts
Spotted at: No Nuts About Us
I haven’t tried these ones, but I’ve heard you’d never know they were free of top allergens. Apparently, they taste far better than Smarties! Some of my allergy friends have spotted them in Toronto at various health food stores, and No Nuts About Us carries them too! They’re an (even more) allergy-friendly equivalent to the Cadbury Mini Eggs, and they’re free of artificial colours/flavours too.
Dare’s Real Hoppy Line
Free of: peanuts, tree nuts
Spotted at: Bo-De Foods Outlet (Waterloo), Shoppers Drug Mart, Walmart, Zehrs/Loblaws
There are a few different treats in this line, but my favourites are the gummy bunnies. (What kid doesn’t like a jujube in the shape of a bunny’s head?) and the Easter jelly beans. Don’t ask me to name flavours, because I don’t know if they have flavours—they just taste like good, fruity candies. That’s specific enough, right? The green jelly beans are definitely mint though, not lime, which I love! And the pink bunnies taste like cream soda to me. Just trust me, they’re good!
Dare’s Real Juicee Jelly Beans
Free of: peanuts and tree nuts
Spotted at: Zehrs/Loblaws, some Walmarts
Okay, not an official Easter candy, but for some reason I’ve always associated jelly beans with Easter. Maybe that’s because jelly beans and whoppers were my Easter staples growing up, when allergy-friendly Easter candy was scarce. This is a larger bag with more flavours of the jelly beans noted above, and I find they’re a bit softer. So, if you’re looking to expand the flavours in your kiddo’s jelly bean repertoire, look no further!
Gimbal’s Gourmet Jelly Beans
Free of: dairy, egg, gluten, peanuts, soy, tree nuts
Spotted at: Shoppers Drug Mart, some Rexall locations
These aren’t exactly the same as the Dare jelly beans. The Dare version is more like a typical candy for kids, whereas Gimbal’s seems to be catered to an adult’s taste buds. For one, they’re made with natural fruit flavours (regular or sour). If you saw my review of the Valentine’s Day version of these babies, you’ll know how much I adore this brand. They’re a tad pricey ($7 a bag), but worth it… especially if they suit your allergies better than the Dare ones!
And some honourable mentions I found but haven’t tried…
Kinder Surprise egg hunt: Peanut-free Kinder chocolates in cute shapes!
No Whey Easter Figurines: Easter-themed chocolate shapes that are free of dairy, egg, gluten, peanuts, soy and tree nuts!
Tootsie Eggs: Candy-coated tootsie rolls, free of gluten, peanuts and tree nuts!
And this list is just a start. There are plenty of other options available in grocery stores, so there’s no reason you or your kiddo will have to miss out on all the Easter fun (or yum?) just because of a few allergies. Time to get hopping!
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