Shortly before May 24, my daughter Stephanie’s class at Somersfield Academy held a cookie swap so the children would have something to munch on during their holiday. It sounded like a great idea, the only catch was that one of the students had an allergy to whey. Whey is the product after milk has been curdled and strained and is found in all dairy products except pure butter. Whey can be found in most margarines, except a vegan margarine called Earth’s Balance. Although we were sent home a list of what the child could and could not eat, we still felt a little daunted trying to find a recipe to suit her needs.My husband, Steven, being the chef in the house, found a cookie recipe without whey on the Internet. Stephanie eagerly helped him to sift the ingredients and mix the batter. However, when the batter went onto the tray it seemed very runny and we felt our hearts sink.“This is never going to work,” my husband deduced at 9pm. Nevertheless he stuck the tray in the oven before frantically calling everyone we knew with food allergies for another recipe we could try. Nobody seemed to have one. In the meantime, the cookies did cook to such an extent that they were starting to burn around the edges when we pulled them out. They still tasted pretty good.The next day Stephanie returned home with a pretty self-decorated box filled with an assortment of cookies from her classmates. Here are some whey-free recipes provided by teachers Janice Outerbridge and Natalie Card’s three- to six-year-old class at Somersfield. Also included are recipes to target some other common diets including vegan, egg-free and gluten-free. These recipes are not necessarily meant to be suitable for people with whey allergies. If you are cooking for someone with allergies or alternative diets, always check with them first about what you are going to make and what their dietary needs are. It also helps to include the recipe with the food if the food is going on to a party or gathering without you.Arabella’s whey-free cookiesIngredientsEarth Balance spread 6oz6 tbs caster sugar1c flourMethodRub all ingredients together with fingertips to make crumbs.Use hands to squeeze crumbs together to make dough.Place dough between two sheets of non-stick baking paper and roll thinly.Peel off top layer and cut out shapes. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake cookies for about ten minutes on 350F (180C). Leave to cool and decorate. Store up to two days.Rainbow sugar cookies whey-free1c unsalted butter, softened1 ¾c of sugar2 eggs1 tsp vanilla extract3 ¼c all purpose flour1 tsp of salt1 ½ tsp baking powderliquid food colouring: red, blue, yellow, greenIn a medium bowl sift together, flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar, add in eggs and vanilla. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients one cup at a time. Do not over-mix, the dough will be very soft. Divide the dough into six equal portions and tint with food colouring accordingly so that you have the following colours: red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple. Roll each colour into a ball, wrap in saran wrap and refrigerate for about 15 to 30 minutes, until it is slightly firmer.Lightly dust a large piece of parchment paper with flour and roll out the red into a medium rectangle, about 6in x 10in. The dough should be very thin. Then, going in the order of the rainbow, roll out each subsequent colour to a similar-sized rectangle and stack it on top of the red. This is the trickiest part. Use the parchment paper to flip the next colour onto the stack and then gently peel the paper away. When all the colours have been stacked, cover with parchment paper and press together firmly, then put in the fridge for at least one hour.Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). When the dough is chilled, trim the edges to make a neat rectangle and cut in half into two long rectangles of 3in x 10in. Slice ¼in slices, curve into a rainbow shape and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350F(180C) for about ten minutes. Leave to cool one minute on the pan and then move to cooling racks to cool completely.Ava’s whey-free chocolate crackled cookiesIngredients1¼c firmly packed light brown sugar.1 stick of Crisco all vegetable shortening.1 tsp vanilla extract2 large eggs2c Pillsbury Best All Purpose Flour6 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder½ tsp salt¼ tsp baking soda⅓ c sugar½ c powdered sugarMethodBeat brown sugar, shortening and vanilla in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add eggs; beat until fluffy. Stir together flour, cocoa, salt and baking soda. Gradually add to shortening mixture, beating at medium speed just until blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Cover and chill three hours. Heat oven to 375F (190C). Shape dough into 1 ¼in balls. (This step can be messy. When using little helpers you can drop dough directly onto baking sheet. When cookies are cool, dust with icing sugar. The pretty crackle look will be gone but the taste is the same.) Roll in granulated sugar, then in powdered sugar to coat completely. Place 2in apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake eight to ten minutes or until cookies are set. Cool two minutes on baking sheet. Remove to wire rack to cool completely.Muffins for vegans and egg allergies from www.egglesscooking.comVegan orange cranberry muffins recipeMakes 12 muffins.Ingredients:2 c all-purpose flour¾c to 1c brown sugar2 tsp baking powder1c chopped pecans⅓ c canola oil⅔ c orange juice (freshly squeezed)2 tsp flax seed powder½ c waterOrange zest from one orange1 c coarsely chopped fresh cranberriesMethodPreheat oven at 375F (190C) for 15 minutes. Grease or line a muffin tin with paper liners. In a large bowl mix together the dry ingredients and keep it aside. In a blender/food processor blend together the flax seed powder, which is the egg substitute, with water until it’s nice and frothy. Measure orange juice in a liquid measuring mug, add water until you reach one cup measure in the mug. To this also add the flax seed mixture and orange zest and stir together well. Pour the liquid ingredients into the flour mixture and mix until just moistened. Fold in the cranberries too. Do not over-mix. Spoon the batter in the greased muffin tins. Bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Move the muffin tin to a cooling rack and let it cool for just five minutes. Then remove the muffins from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.Should you need a frosting recipe for your cupcakes here is a vegan buttercream frosting recipe from www.vegancupcakerecipes.comVegan buttercream frostingIngredients3 c vegan powdered sugar½ c vegan margarine, softened (80 percent fat is best)¼ c soy milk (or other non-dairy milk)1 tbs vanillaMethodMix margarine, non-dairy milk, and vanilla. Blend in sugar.Gluten-free chocolate chip mint cookie recipeIngredients1 /8 c light buckwheat flour (see note)½ tsp baking soda½ tsp salt½ c (one stick) unsalted butter¾ c brown sugar½ tsp natural peppermint extract1 large egg1 c (6oz) gluten-free chocolate chips½ c chopped nuts (optional)MethodPreheat oven to 375° F (190° C)Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or lightly oilCombine dry ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. In a large mixing bowl, combine egg and sugar and beat with an electric mixer on high until light and fluffy. Add butter and beat on high until combined. Add extract and beat briefly. Add dry ingredients and mix until combined. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts (optional). For 12 large cookies use a two tablespoon (⅛ cup) ice cream scoop or drop heaping tablespoons of dough on prepared baking sheets. For 24 small cookies use a one tablespoon ice cream scoop or a rounded tablespoon. Bake in preheated oven for nine to 11 minutes or until cookies are crisp on edges and slightly soft in the middle. Cool on baking sheet.Note: The author of this recipe used Pocono Mills light buckwheat flour with good results but you can also substitute your favourite gluten-free baking mix.