Does anyone know if people who are allergic to nuts (like almonds) also have an allergy to Almond Extract. I am making sugar cookies and the glaze I want to make calls for Almond Extract. Any extraordinary alternative glazes/frostings for sugar cookies without Almond Extract would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
There is almond oil in almond extract. What about making lemon glazed sugar cookies? You could make a lemon simple syrup by boiling lemon slices in sugar water. Then, remove lemon slices, add confectioners sugar to desired consistency. You could also use some finely chopped lemon peel in the simple syrup and leave it in for the glaze, or chop the lemon slices finely after removing and then adding them back in.
If your friend(s) are allergic to nuts, you should avoid all nut-related extracts. You can certainly use any flavoring for sugar cookies, even plain vanilla. Orange extract could also be nice.
If they're REALLY allergic to nuts, check to make sure your flour isn't processed in a place that processes nuts. It should say so on the package. Good luck!
Kishari
foodallergyqueen.blogspot.com
Depends how allergic they are; allergies are triggered by reaction to proteins (so I'm told by the various scientists in the family). My husband is allergic to nuts, but a little bit of extract, oil, or syrup won't kill him although it may result in canker sores and some swelling around the lips... but peanut anything probably will. Some people have specific reactions to specific nuts like walnuts...
I recommend not using it if you know the people you're serving it to are allergic. For people with allergies, the taste/smell of the thing alone could trigger a reaction, even though it is not actually ingested.
i have a nut allergy and it's the proteins in the tree nuts which i am allergic to. therefore, real almond extract, which contains the proteins, can cause an allergic reaction. artifical almond extract, containing no real almond proteins, is fine for me to eat. However, avoiding almond extract of all varieties is normally easiest and can cause less worry amongst any allergy guests.
All allergies are immune response to proteins. Extracts are produced via distillation [[much different then oils, which are usually expelled or extruded, and could contain protein contaminates which will cause an allergic response in individuals with allergies]] , so no, extracts, wouldn't contain any proteins, and would not cause any problems for people with allergies.
"All allergies are immune response to proteins. "
That's not true. My daughter is allergic to the urushiol oil in cashews and pistachios. She's also allergic to red dye #40. I wouldn't serve anything with nut extracts to a person with nut allergies.
http://www.theonlineallergist.com/art...
"Avoid natural extracts such as pure almond extract, and natural wintergreen extract (for the filbert/hazelnut allergic)."
And a more comprehensive one:
Agreed with chowser. This is incorrect and potentially very dangerous. You simply cannot guaranty that an extract made from almonds will not be contaminated by almond proteins, even if it is made purely by distillation; likewise you can't be positive that distillation was the only process used in production. People with nut allergies should avoid almond extract made from real almonds.
Incidentally, a lot of almond extract isn't made from almonds but from the pits of stone fruit. The chemical benzaldehyde is primarily what gives the characteristic flavor to almond extract, and that chemical can be found in said pits. The interesting thing about this: it's unclear whether even almond extract that is not made from almonds is safe, since it contains so many of the compounds found in almonds, despite containing no actual almonds.
And, IIRC, the traditional natural base for almond extract is not almond nuts, but the pits of sour cherrys (all are prunus species).
Yeah. I'm not positive exactly which pits are most used by big manufacturers of 'almond' extract. But I've seen recipes before that use cherry pits in infusions precisely because they have a lot of benzaldehyde and contribute that distinctive almond-y flavor. Heston Blumenthal had a dish that uses them for that purpose, for example.
I suspect it's because cherry pits are normally considered waste/byproducts (unlike almonds) and they contain the same flavors as bitter almonds, so that it is a cheaper source of the extract.
I'm allergic to almonds and react to almond extract. I can IMMEDIATELY tell if a baked good contains it... And even if cherry pits were use, cherries are in the same Birch family allergy tree as Almonds along with apricot, nectarine, peach, plum, prune, etc. And while I don't react to the flesh of those other friends, it doesn't surprise me that I would reach to the NUT (pit) portion of them.
Ask the person with the Allergy
I agree, make your sugar cookies but use a vanilla extract ( or even better vanilla bean paste) to glaze the cookies.
Lemon and orange based glazed are also great if you want your cookies to have a nice citrus taste. Most times I just add zest and a little bit of juice to the sugar cookie itself and its enough to not need a glaze at all.
I agree -- avoid the almond extract. Even the allergic person may not know exactly what his/her tolerance level is.
Some years ago, I had a friend who had a nut allergy...I learned after one miscue to avoid almond extract (she'd had a bad experience prior to my meeting her). She was rushed to hospital at another dinner after someone else managed a cross-contamination....I didn't make the dish, but I felt terrible for the woman who did.
I am VERY allergic to ALL NUTS and I use Almond extract in everything all the time. I did A LOT of research and called several manufacturers, only to find out that almond extract has nothing to do with NUTS at all. It's actually a made up flavor, made from a pit from a fruit called bitter nut. Please do not get confused is NOT a peanut or nut of any sort it is purely a made up flavor. Trust me if it wasn't I'd be dead by now. I became severly allergic to ALL NUTS at the age of 31 so I know and love all nuts so to go without was very hard at first. But almond extract has help a lot. My 5yr son is too severly allergic and he too uses almond extract. But I only eat things that I make and or know the person making it. Just to be on the safe side.
Almond extract is traditionally made with crushed bitter almonds or peach/apricot/sour cherry pits (the pits of which are the seeds of drupes, like almonds, all members of the Prunus family of drupe fruits, which are not true nuts).
Beccaboo00
I feel like your response could be very dangerous to those with tree nut allergies. I am however very glad you have not had reactions to using almond extracts.
Here's what I see when I check with McCormick's:
From their website, they say, and this is a direct cut-and-paste, that their PURE ALMOND EXTRACT contains "Water, alcohol (32%), and oil of bitter almond."
The issue is where does their oil of bitter almond come from? How is it processed.
That same site says that their McCormick's ALMOND FLAVORING contains "Water, alcohol (32%), and benzaldehyde."
A better answer to the almond extract question can be found at:
https://www.verywell.com/is-almond-ex...
In answer to "is almond extract safe?" they say--
"The answer is "yes" and "no." Although it seems counterintuitive, ingesting almond extract for those with a tree-nut allergy can be safe. Why? Because most almond extract doesn't actually come from almonds.
Most commercial "pure almond extracts" are actually made from the kernels of peach or apricot pits. These kernels have the same flavor compounds as almond oil but they are less expensive to obtain and process.
Similar compounds can be derived synthetically in labs or from cassia (a plant with a flavor similar to cinnamon) to create artificial extracts.
But Don't Rest Easy
Does that mean you can always feel safe when you see almond extract on a list of ingredients? Not really.
The compounds released from peach and apricot pits are bioidentical to those in almonds, and there is little or no information about whether extracts derived from fruit pits are safe for a nut-free diet. So proceed with caution.
While artificial almond extract doesn't have the flavor profile purists prefer, it has its upsides. It is considered a safe choice and it is almost always less expensive."
I continue to wish you well, but please turn down your guarantee that almond extract is safe for those with nut tree allergies. My experience confirms that it may or it may not be safe.
I have also gone to McCormick which is the manufacturer that makes almond extract and saw for myself there is NO NUTS OF ANY KIND in Almond exract. It is a MADE UP FLAVOR. I even went so far and called manufactures you make almond liqueur and they stated the same thing. Both of my Doctors have found the same info as I did. One of my doctors had gone to McCormick manufacturers as well and found the same information. I would dead if it wasn't true.
I use to have an anaphylaxis allergy to Almonds (was in the emergency room 3 times) but after correcting the flora in my gut through Homeopathy I now can eat them again.
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