The very first holiday I encountered after my celiac diagnosis was Valentine’s Day. We went out to dinner and had a wonderful meal, but not a wonderful experience due to the two-hour wait. Back then, I did not know to always have a snack in my purse for such situations. Because I didn’t know about that many places to eat safely at, we chose an out-of-the-way place (that doesn’t take reservations) where the bartender had celiac and her husband was the chef. Earlier that day, I’d made a heart-shaped gluten-free cake (my first ever) and it was so awful we threw it out instead of putting it out back for the birds, squirrels, and chipmunks to eat. It was a good thing that there was a gluten-free dessert on the menu that night.
My husband was as overwhelmed as I was about my new diet since he did almost all the cooking in our house back then. He decided to try and find some Gluten-Free Valentine’s Day candy for me, even though I much prefer flowers over candy. Much to his dismay, no safe candy was to be found so I got gorgeous roses instead. That was more than fine by me, but I felt bad that he felt so bad about striking out looking for a heart-shaped box of gluten-free candy.
Many gluten-free people want Valentine’s Day candy and I’m sorry to report that over five years later, it is still not that easy to find gluten-free candy that is specifically marketed for this holiday. I’m talking about the heart-shaped boxes that line the aisles of every Target, grocery store, and drug store at this time of year. Instead of complaining about the lack of a gluten-free labeling law on this one, my gripe is actually with the companies that wrap these boxes in so much colored cellophane that you could not read the ingredients if someone offered you a million dollars to do so. At least, you could not read them unless you ripped the wrapping off the box. Since you can’t see the ingredients on so many of those heart candy boxes, it does not matter if the product is labeled gluten-free or not.
I spotted some cute Peeps Valentine’s Day candy that, like their Easter candy (and I think their entire line), is labeled gluten-free. It’s too bad I don’t care for this line of sweets at all. Necco, the company that makes Sweethearts Conversation Heart candies, states the hearts are gluten-free, but the boxes I checked last week were not labeled as such. I enjoy the Thin Mints from that line which are listed as gluten-free on the company’s website, but also not marked on the box. Both Godiva and Ghirardelli continue to state their items can’t be considered gluten-free due to the way the products are made.
There is a lot of gluten-free candy out there, but the seasonal candy made for Valentine’s Day is mostly either not gluten-free or is questionable due to how it’s processed. One interesting find that came up in my candy search was this chocolate rose bouquet. It’s even dairy-free as is the entire line. If I get a hankering for something sweet on Valentine’s Day, I’ll make something special that is both delicious and undeniably safe for me to enjoy. Below are several tasty recipes to suit this need. Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!
I found some Dark Chocolate Hearts with Rich Truffle Filling at Trader Joe’s the other day. They say “no gluten ingredients used” on the back. There will be a post on my blog later tonight about them. I hadn’t seen them there last year.
Kim
Thanks for the info, Kim. Unfortunately, many people do not have a Trader Joe’s near them. Maybe eventually we’ll all be able to find a heart shaped box of gf labeled candy at the big retailers 😉
Hi, just wanted you to know that Elmers Chocolates (seasonal, variety boxes at Christmas and Valentine’s) state on their website that their chocolates are gf. I am the mother of 3 boys w/ CD and found these at Christmas 2010. I then gave them heart shaped valetine boxes of asst chocolates on Valentine’s Day for the first time 6 years! They have had no adverse reactions. Enjoy!
Hi Lisa – Thanks for the info! That is exciting and I’ll be sure to look for those next year. I don’t remember seeing anything from the line when checking out the heart shaped boxes this year, but I wasn’t specifically looking for that brand. So glad you found them and were able to give them to you children this year!