There are a number of reasons why people may not eat wheat. One is an allergy to wheat itself, another is true Celiac Sprue disease, and there are a lot of other people who may be on a somewhat faddish bandwagon, and avoid gluten because they think they feel better. (I personally am skeptical of the latter because there seems to be little or no scientific basis.)

True Celiacs are sensitive to gluten, which is also found in barley, rye and all the so-called sprouted meals. Gluten is sneakily in foods of all kinds, from soy sauce and BBQ sauce and many additives. Some people could not even use plain vinegar because it could be made from these grains, but labeling rules have greatly improved. Sensitive people will even avoid foods that come off the same production lines as food that is used with wheat-foods. A real celiac will even use a dedicated toaster from the rest of the family, and there is the concern of cross-contamination in a thousand ways in a typical kitchen.

If you want to provide something for your instructor, ask exactly why she is sensitive, because just the chance of cross-contamination may bother her. In that case, bring chocolate or fruit or something else that isn't remotely possibly contaminated.

If she's avoiding gluten for diet reasons, then she's probably not allergically sensitive.

As for baking things yourself, I've tried it,. and it was miserably hit-or-miss with odd (for me) ingredients. While my husband was on a GF diet for more than 6 months, it was just better to buy things at Whole Foods.

Hope this helps a little. Others here are really good at baking GF, but it was a pain for me. Listen to them... ;-)

Is she Wheat Intolerant or Gluten intolerant..best to find out for sure before you share your treats with her..

If wheat intolerant it'll be a touch easier to not contaminate her goodies...Gluten contamination is a whole lot harder to control in a Gluten eating household.

I follow one blogger weekly(Shauna)... the others I check in on..

Try these..

Gluten Free Girl (Her name is Shauna.)

Gluten Free Goddess (Her name is Karina.)
Elana's Pantry is another one..but she uses a special "ingredient" for a lot of her baking..bleached almond flour..

I use a few Gluten free recipes in my kitchen..I did Wheat Free for about 6 months to see what a difference my body would feel...

BIG DIFFERENCE...
Now I do a bit of a balance, depends on my mood, my waist band...and a few other factors..

I have to go find boys and get to the ball fields...but I'll give you some more places to link with actual links tomorrow.

Gluten free peanut butter cookies are usually a hit.
Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

One cup creamy peanut butter
One cup white sugar
One teaspoon baking powder
One egg

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Cream the peanut butter and sugar in a bowl. (As much as I love my KitchenAid, I have found that this is a hand-stirring job). Beat in the baking powder. Add the egg. Mix until it is all well combined.

The dough will be sticky, so be prepared to get your hands messy. Roll some dough into a ball. (How big? That depends on you. I have found, however, that the smaller these cookies are, the better they hold together. Eat two instead of one!) Roll the ball into white sugar. Line a baking sheet, covered in parchment paper, with sugary balls of dough.

Bake in the oven for about ten minutes. You will know the cookies are done when they feel coherent, but still a little soft. Take the tray out of the oven and let the cookies rest for at least five minutes. Afterwards, carefully transfer them to a cooling rack. After ten minutes or so, they will have hardened and be glistening with sugar.
Makes ten to twelve cookies.

A variation:
Gluten-free Peanut Butter Cookies

Here is a link that might be useful: Gluten free cooking

Terri, I know a few people, including you, who do well on a GF diet. And I appreciate that, even tho there are no, to my knowledge, scientific studies that show how or why it works. I guess I got burned by understanding the difference between people who are seriously ill from even trace amounts of cross-contaminat by wheat or gluten, and the people who can take it or leave it without severe medical reactions.

I've gone to lengths to cook for someone who said he was GF, and then have him munch down on items containing wheat flour at a potluck (my chou pastry treats, sweet and savory) and saying that "a little bit won't hurt". My husband was on a severe diet for Celiac (until that was ruled out as the source of his trouble) and we went to Celiac support groups and cooking classes, so I understand the differences. We met a number of people who get terribly ill with the smallest amount of cross contamination, and others who were quite casual about it.

For someone who likes to cook, it's a challenge to cook for friends, and to understand the nature of gluten and/or wheat sensitivities or allergies.

I don't have science either.....I know I feel better..have more energy..it's easier to control the ups and downs of my fluid retention issues and a few other things.

I do agree though..find out exactly what her particular issues are and then go from there.

I have a whole slew of blogs and gluten free places on the net in my favorites..email me Kate, and I'll put it in the body of an email.

Terri

Well I learned a lot reading your posts. Thank you for the general information, blogs to check out, recipes and possible alternatives for dessert options, and the offers of further help. I will find out from her exactly what her situation is. I had no idea at all there was a difference between wheat intolerant or gluten intolerant.

Appreciate all of the above.

Kate

My mother has suffered from dermatitis herpetiformis all her life and only found out about 10 years ago that it was caused by an intolerance to gluten. She was able to get off (some fairly dangerous) drugs after eliminating wheat from her diet.

Ten years ago, there were very few options for gluten free foods except from online stores or health food stores, but now it is easy to find very acceptable options for gluten-free eating.

As one who would choose to die rather than use a cake mix, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the Betty Crocker GF mixes are actually pretty good! Also, Pamela's all purpose GF baking mix is WONDERFUL.