Cinnamon stars, nut cookies and vanilla crescents – Advent is cookie season. But for allergy sufferers, many ingredients in Christmas cookies are intolerable. So the sweet treats don’t put everyone in a contemplative mood: because Christmas stollen and other pre-Christmas pastries can trigger an allergic reaction in one in six people in Germany. “So-called cross-allergies are to blame,” explains Hanna-Kathrin Kraaibeek, a nutritionist at DAK. “Many foods contain basic substances to which the affected person reacts like to pollen or grasses.” So that cinnamon stars and other nibbles do not trigger any nasty after-effects, the expert explains what is important in the home bakery.
Nuts with birch allergy avoid
A tingling in the mouth, red lips, the throat swells – especially pollen allergy sufferers are affected by the “cross effect”. Anyone who is hypersensitive to birch pollen should give nutty baked goods a wide berth during Advent. Walnuts, almonds or hazelnuts can trigger severe allergic reactions – in the worst case, careless snacking can lead to skin rashes, diarrhea or shortness of breath.
Allergy sufferers should also be careful with nougat and marzipan, as these foods consist mainly of nuts or almonds. Alternatively, coconut flakes, sesame or amaranth are suitable nut substitutes; persipan is a good marzipan substitute.
Caution: spice mix!
Anise and cinnamon do make it smell Christmassy. However, those who suffer from an allergy to mugwort should rather keep their hands off it, because the spices can cause no less unpleasant side effects. “In the mugwort–spice syndrome, a cross-reaction to ingredients such as anise, chili pepper or cinnamon can occur,” the expert knows. So anyone allergic to mugwort pollen should avoid Christmas spice mixtures.
Cookies without egg and milk?
For Christmas sweet tooths with an egg or dairy intolerance, there is good news: some dough mixes do not require ingredients such as milk and eggs at all. Shortcrust pastry is the basis for many Christmas cookies and is prepared without egg or milk – as are yeast dough and strudel dough. Our tip for Christmas baking: if the recipe specifies these ingredients, a mashed banana can be used instead of egg, and soy milk or water can be used instead of cow’s milk if the recipe is well tolerated.
