I want to thank all of the Go Dairy Free viewers for your tremendous support. The wonderful emails and comments that we receive from readers make maintaining and supporting all that is Go Dairy Free very worthwhile. I hope to be able to give back to the community for many years to come with information, recipes, and ideas.

We first released Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook to Milk Allergies, Lactose Intolerance, and Casein-Free Living just one year ago, and thought we had more than enough inventory to last readers for two years. But it seems that demand far exceeded our expectations. Those final boxes snuck out the door on us, and we have found ourselves completely out of stock in half that time!

Luckily, we have some inventories at Amazon (I would pop over there and check, as they seem to be going quickly!) and with the other major book sellers that will hopefully (fingers-crossed) last through the holidays and post-holiday shopping ...

This week's frugal foodie friday falls on Christmas, and we will be taking the day off here at Go Dairy Free ... so I thought I would bring you a quick and easy treat recipe a bit earlier in the week. This spin on the classic rice crispy treat is a welcome addition to parties, Santa's cookie plate, Christmas day snacks, or simply a rewarding little dessert after a long day of holiday shopping (this seems to be how ours are quickly disappearing!).

Since I made this recipe for Chocolate Peppermint “Oreo” Rice Crispy Treats numerous times, I have included several variations and substitutes, from using Marshmallow Creme or Ricemellow Creme (to make them vegan), to subbing in dark chocolate and using coconut oil in place of the margarine. The main wild card I found was the amount of crispy rice cereal. So I recommend starting with 4 cups, and adding in more (up to 5 or 6 cups as needed) until the mixture is not too gooey, but not too loaded with add-ins either (which could make for crumbly treats). On average, I used 5 cups ... but no matter how much cereal you add, these minty, chocolate treats are delicious!

Q: Stephanie (Question sent via twitter; we have expanded it to full sentences for easier reading) - I am making a coconut-milk-based Bailey's Irish Cream. Do you think coconut milk plus sugar can be subbed for the heavy cream and sweetened condensd milk in the recipe?

A: Alisa - Yes, regular coconut milk slowly cooked down with sugar works beautifully as a substitute for sweetened condensed milk. A specific recipe for sweetened condensed coconut milk is available in Go Dairy Free, and it works wonderfully in so many recipes, from magic bars to rich beverages like Irish "cream."  As for the heavy cream, when substituting for dairy ingredients in recipes such as this one, the fat content is very important. If your recipe calls for heavy cream specifically, allow the coconut milk to sit undisturbed in the refrigerator for 1 hour or longer. The thick cream that makes its way to the top can be skimmed off and used 1:1 in place of heavy cream. I usually get about 1/2 cup of thick cream per can, and use the remaining liquid as a light coconut milk or water in smoothies or other recipes (no need to waste!).

 See below for an example of recipes and substitutions for making Dairy-Free Bailey's Irish Cream ...

I don't think the vegan dessert queen, Hannah Kaminsky, would dare to be caught without a sweet gift in hand, which is why this simply seasonal truffle recipe was created ...

"With all the holiday insanity, it’s disturbingly easy to forget gifts for an important family member, or realize at the last minute that you didn’t make enough cookies to go around. Was there too much dough consumed before it made it into the oven? Did the dog snag some? Regardless, it may be time for Plan B: Make gingersnap truffles.

Very similar in construction to oreo truffles but with a delightful seasonal bent, you could easily create a small army of these sweet morsels in a matter of minutes, before anyone suspects that things ever when awry. Hopefully you won’t need a backup plan… But it doesn’t hurt to be prepared."