I think it is a known fact that women love chocolate. I have never met a woman who has told me that she does not. In fact, women I know cringe, literally, when I tell them that I have not eaten chocolate in 5 years, since February 9th, 2006.

I will not go into the details of why I do not eat chocolate anymore, as I have addressed that in a previous article. I do want to talk about Valentine’s Day. It is the holiday of love and dates back to the year 500 A.D. Valentine’s Day paraphernalia can take up almost two rows of any store you walk into right now.

From chocolate hearts, to pastel candies with phrases on them, the red, pink and white displays are sure to catch your eye. And with kids in school, I am sure that you are inundated with parties, presents and festivities for the occasion. Not to mention the pressure of dressing in pink! One of the things I like about Valentine’s Day is that you can find many treats that are gluten free.

Is it “kosher” for Jews to celebrate and enjoy Valentine’s Day? Here’s a link to an interesting article on MyJewishLearning.com that discusses the “criteria that permit Jewish celebrations of rituals initiated by Gentiles” – and Valentine’s Day meets the requirements! Remember, the best thing about Valentine’s Day is being able to express your love to the people who mean the most to you and that is much more satisfying than any amount of treats you can eat!

Here are 10 products that you can indulge in on this wonderful holiday of love because they are gluten free. I even included chocolate treats for chocolate lovers! I also came up with a wonderful NEW Gluten Free Sugar Cookie recipe. They are so sweet that I even skipped the frosting this year.

10 Gluten Free Treats for Valentine’s Day*

1. Hershey’s Chocolate Kisses- milk chocolate, filled with caramel, cherry cordial creme, with almonds, Hugs, and Hugs raspberry
2. Hershey’s Chocolate bars- plain or with almonds
3. Reese’s Peanut butter cups
4. Dove milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and caramel candy
5. Necco Sweetheart’s conversation hearts candies (only THIS brand)
6. Charms Valentine’s Pops
7. Plain, peanut and almond M&M’s in fun Valentine’s colors
8. Peeps for Valentine’s Day
9. Smarties Valentine Love Hearts
10. My sugar cookie recipe!

*This is not an all inclusive list. I have only listed my favorite 10 items. Many of these are also kosher-certified but check labels!

Gluten Free Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:
2/3 cup Brown Rice flour
¼ cup Potato starch
½ cup Tapioca flour
1/3 cup Sorghum flour
1/4 cup unsalted butter
2 Tb honey
1/2 c + 1 T organic sugar
1 ½ tsp vanilla
3/4 tsp xanthan gum
½ tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 large egg white

Directions:
In food processor, blend butter (room temperature, not melted), honey, sugar and vanilla until smooth.
Add flour, xanthan gum, salt, baking powder, baking soda, egg white and blend until mixture forms large ball.
If using electric mixer, blend ingredients, then add water if needed, 1 tablespoon at a time.
Shape into flat disk, cover tightly and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Spray a large cookie sheet with nonstick vegetable spray.
Preheat oven to 325°F. Shape dough into 24 one-inch balls and roll in colored sugar. Place 2” apart on cookie sheet.

Bake 12 minutes. Store in airtight container. Makes 24 cookies.