Halloween Treats GAPS (and every) Style
Start fermenting that nut or seed flour now! 24 hours to fluffy cupcakes!
For each batch, you’ll need 2.5 cups nut or seed flour and about 4 oz/120 ml of whey, homemade yogurt, or milk kefir to ferment. Put it all in a bowl, stir well to combine, cover with a plate or towel, and set on the counter at about 68-72°F /20-22°C for 24 or more hours. More information about why and how to use this basic recipe in baked goods below.
It’s “Halloween” or “All Hallows’ Eve” and the children are going to be hankering (and haranguing) for treats. It is the beginning of “treats” and “sweets” season, which, in the U.S., will last through January 1st of next year. How to navigate this when you are on the GAPS Diet? I have a few ideas specific to Halloween (which is tomorrow!). Obviously, what you choose to do regarding your child and family is up to you. It would also depend upon what your child’s symptoms are, how long you have been on the protocol, and the state of their digestive system.
By now, the perils of white sugar and white flour are “old news”, and most people are aware of the dangers of artificial flavors and artificial colors. Other problematic ingredients are high fructose corn syrup, glucose syrup, corn syrup, new-fangled sugars (erythritol, sorbitol, and more!), invert sugar, agave, modified corn starch, modified food starch, mono and di-glycerides, cellulose gum, maltodextrin, canola oil, soy oil, and soy flour, not to mention GMOs and the toxins dumped on crops including “gut-busting” glyphosate, among others. YIKES! What to do? Here are some ideas.
Option One: Allow your children to participate in “trick or treating”, and just give up and give in to the sugar craze for the day. Not recommended; see above for the reasons.
Option Two: Allow your children to go “trick or treating” and let them keep a few pieces of candy. (What should be the “least problematic”? Chocolate. Pure chocolate. Organic chocolate. Yep, I know chocolate is not on the GAPS diet, except for a treat once in a while, and/or after a lot of healing. Chocolate has its own issues, but in my opinion, nothing compared to the neurotoxins found in dyes and artificial flavors, or the blood sugar rollercoaster of all those ersatz sugars – see the list above.)
Option Three: Allow your children go “trick or treating” and offer them an exchange for all their candy – a book they would love or a toy they have wanted, or an experience, like going to a movie, or going bowling. For older children, you may wish to exchange a certain amount of money per pound or per piece, or a concert or show, or whatever seems appropriate to you. (Yes, this may be termed “buying them out”. This is best done by having a conversation prior to donning costumes and going out the door. Talk about how you eat in your house, why real, clean food is important, and your reasons for offering this exchange. It may not work for you or for your family, but it is an option. Of course, that still means that you are contributing to the $12.1 billion candy industry, in the U.S., which is making people – including children – VERY sick. As of 2022, one in 10 Americans have Type II diabetes…thank you sugar and candy, and the cultural belief that feeding our children candy is a “treat”, instead of (possibly and probably) contributing to candida overgrowth and setting up for possible physiological (and maybe psychological) sugar addiction. YIKES.
Option Four (my favorite): Keep your children out of the usual fray – have a party with other GAPS families - or other people who believe in real food - and celebrate with both delicious treats AND your health!
How to do that?
Be creative with fruit –
Make “ghoulish smiles” from red apple wedges, nut or seed butter or homemade yogurt cheese, (dripped from yogurt) and pumpkin or sunflower seeds for teeth.
Use peeled grapes as “eyes”, and so much more.
Use nut/seed butter pancakes as the base for cut-outs –shapes like pumpkins, witches’ hats, ghosts. You can do the same with aged cheese if you tolerate it.
Use gelatin (as a treat, this one time) from grass-fed cows (here is an example) and cut out “gummy worms” and other Halloween shapes. (Note: gelatin is a HIGHLY processed food fraction, and not recommended on GAPS.)
Crisp up some chicken skin in a pan! Yes!
Make cupcakes out of fermented nut or seed flour (see the step above, and the recipe below) and decorate with homemade icing. Use natural food dyes to color them.
Sauté some chicken hearts! Serve with Halloween toothpicks (skip the toothpicks with small children).
Some Recipes
Basic Nut Flour Cupcake Recipe
Makes about 10 - 12 muffins
Ingredients
2.5 cups almond or other nut or seed flour
¼-½ cup whey, or plain, organic, whole milk yogurt or kefir or a combination
4 pastured eggs
¼ cup yogurt, melted pastured butter, coconut oil, or a combination
Instructions
This is a two part process. First:
Mix the nut flour and whey, yogurt, or kefir in a medium bowl. The consistency should be like cookie dough. (It should not be runny.)
Cover with a plate and leave on the counter at room temperature (68-72°F) for 24-48 hours. (Do not skip this step; it is what makes the cake fluffy.)
After the flour is fermented, make the cupcakes.
Part two:
When you are ready to make the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350°F.
Whisk eggs in a small bowl and then add to the flour mixture. Stir well to combine.
Add yogurt or fat and stir well to combine.
The batter should now be a “porridge” consistency; the batter not runny, but pourable. Add more eggs if needed.
Pour batter into a cupcake tin which is lined with parchment paper cups. Place in the middle of the oven and bake about 12-15 minutes. Bake time will depend on many factors; test for doneness early by putting a toothpick in the center so you do not burn them.
This will make a plain cupcake. Feel free to add 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract to the batter, or natural orange food dye (from plants), for an orange color. You may also add any of the following:
Chunks of apple
Raisins or currants
Cinnamon
Cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg (gingerbread flavors)
Chopped nuts or seeds
Shredded carrots, raisins, and spices (carrot cake)
Orange zest and cranberries
Sweet Cheese Icing
Makes about 2 cups
Ingredients
1 quart homemade or good quality, organic, plain, whole milk yogurt
2 tablespoons raw honey
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Natural food dye if you wish
Instructions
Strain yogurt through cheese cloth into a 2 cup measure for 24 hours or more on your counter.
Reserve whey for fermentation later.
Stir in other ingredients, and use to ice cupcakes!
Store in airtight container in refrigerator. Tip: cover with plastic wrap first to keep air off cheese. Cheese will stay fresher longer.
Crispy Chicken Skins
Ingredients
Chicken skin, can be raw or cooked from meat stock
Instructions
Cut up the chicken skin into uniform pieces (not to small; they will shrink as they cook).
Place chicken skin into a heavy skillet, like a cast iron pan. Put the pan at low heat. Cook the chicken skin until it is crispy. (It is best to do this slowly, so that the fat which is rendered does not burn or pop.) Alternatively, place the skin into a baking pan (I call it a “lasagna pan”) and cook in the oven at 250-275°F/120-135°C, until crisp. Check at 15 minutes to see how it is going. Do not burn the skin or the fat.
Sauteed Chicken Hearts
Ingredients
A pound or more of pastured chicken hearts, rinsed
1 teaspoon or more organic chili powder or curry powder (optional)
1-2 tablespoons ghee, grass-fed butter, lard, bacon fat, duck or chicken fat, or coconut oil for sauteing
Instructions
Prepare hearts by cutting them in half and cutting out the aorta. (Save this for meat stock or give to your pup!) Or leave the aorta in, for a “Halloween-y” look.
Put hearts in a bowl and add spices if desired. Toss gently to coat.
Heat fat to medium and sauté hearts, about 3 minutes on each side. Cook like a steak, medium rare or medium is best. Do not burn. Delicious!
And for the teens or adults - don’t forget the chicken feet! You can fry them up in some healthy fat!
All the best to all of you, as you navigate the beginning of “sugar season” in the U.S. Whatever you choose, know you can take a deep breath and continue on your GAPS and healing journey on November 1!
Enjoy!
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