By DailyParent.com Contributor

Valentine’s Day—as with most holidays—can pose problems and raise concerns for parents of children with food allergies. Class parties and candy-laden valentine’s can be cause for alarm as they can send an allergic child into a life-threatening reaction. Take the worry out of the occasion and add the fun and deliciousness back in with one of these three tasty cupcake recipes from Debbie Adler’s new book, Sweet Debbie’s Organic Treats: Allergy-Free & Vegan Recipes from the Famous Los Angeles Bakery. Adler owns renowned bakery Sweet Debbie’s Organic Cupcakes located in Los Angeles, which is the first bakery in the United States to make gluten-free and allergen-free baked goods that contain certified organic ingredients and are sweetened only with stevia and coconut nectar.

Chocoholic Cupcakes

Makes 12 standard cupcakes

Cupcakes

• 12 standard-size paper baking cups
• 1 cup unsweetened plain rice milk
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 13/4 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour
• 1/3 cup cacao powder
• 11/4 teaspoons sodium-free baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon guar gum
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/4 cup grapeseed oil
• 1/4 cup coconut nectar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3/8 teaspoon stevia powder
• 1/3 cup vegan, soy-free plain yogurt

Chocolate Frosting

• 1 cup coconut nectar
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 cup mashed avocado
• 2 cups powdered erythritol
• 1 cup cacao powder
• 2 tablespoons warm water
• 1/4 teaspoon stevia powder
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a standard 12-cup cupcake tin with paper baking cups.
2. To make the cupcakes, mix together the rice milk and apple cider vinegar in a 2-cup measuring cup.
3. Whisk together the flour, cacao powder, baking powder, baking soda, guar gum and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the middle.
4. Add the grapeseed oil, coconut nectar, vanilla and stevia to the flour mixture and stir to combine. Next add the rice milk mixture and stir until the liquid is absorbed and the batter is smooth. Stir in the yogurt until well combined.
5. Pour the batter into the measuring cup, as the spout will make it easier to pour the batter into the cupcake tin without spillage.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared cupcake tin, dividing it evenly. Each cup should be about two-thirds full. Bake the cupcakes for 16 to 17 minutes, or until they bounce back slightly to the touch. Rotate the cupcake tin from front to back after 10 minutes of baking.
7. Transfer the cupcake tin from the oven to a wire rack and let sit for 10 minutes before removing the cupcakes to cool completely.
8. To make the chocolate frosting, mix together the coconut nectar, coconut oil and mashed avocado in a large bowl. Add the powdered erythritol, cacao powder, warm water, stevia and salt and stir until smooth and well combined.
9. Frost the completely cooled cupcakes. Keep unfrosted cupcakes in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or wrap and freeze them for up to 3 months. Leftover frosting keeps in the fridge for about 4 weeks.

Irresistible Red Velvet Cupcakes

Makes 12 cupcakes

Cupcakes

• 12 standard-size paper baking cups
• 10 ounces of frozen (thawed) cranberries
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened plain rice milk
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 2 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour
• 1 tablespoon cacao powder
• 11/2 teaspoons sodium-free baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/4 cup grapeseed oil
• 1/4 cup coconut nectar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/8 teaspoon stevia powder
• 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Cranberry Frosting

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons coconut nectar
• 21/2 cups powdered erythritol
• 1/4 cup cranberry puree (leftover from
• cupcake preparation)
• 1/4 teaspoon stevia powder
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a standard 12-cup cupcake tin with paper baking cups.

2. To make the cupcakes, place the cranberries and water in a food processor or blender and puree until smooth.

3. Mix together the rice milk and apple cider vinegar in a small bowl.

4. Whisk together the flour, cacao powder, baking powder, xanthan gum and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the middle.

5. Add the grapeseed oil, coconut nectar, vanilla and stevia to the flour mixture and stir to combine. Next add the rice milk mixture and 1 cup of the cranberry puree, and stir until the liquid is absorbed and the batter is smooth.

6. Mix together the lemon juice and baking soda in a small bowl, wait till it fizzes, and then quickly stir it into the batter. Act swiftly here so the baking soda doesn’t lose its potency once it hits the citric acid.

7. Spoon the batter into the prepared cupcake tin, dividing it evenly. Each cup should be about two-thirds full. Bake the cupcakes for 22 to 23 minutes, or until they bounce back slightly to the touch. Rotate the cupcake tin from front to back halfway through baking.

8. Transfer the cupcake tin from the oven to a wire rack and let sit for 30 minutes before removing the cupcakes to cool completely.

9. To make the cranberry frosting, microwave the coconut oil and coconut nectar in a medium-size microwave-safe bowl for 20 seconds. Add the powdered erythritol, the remaining 1/4 cup of cranberry puree, stevia and salt and stir until smooth and well combined.

10. Frost the completely cooled cupcakes. Keep unfrosted cupcakes in an airtight container for no longer than 1 day, or wrap and freeze them for up to 3 months. Leftover frosting keeps in the fridge for about 4 weeks if stored in an airtight container.

Vivid Vanilla Cupcakes 

Makes 12 cupcakes

Cupcakes

• 12 standard-size paper baking cups
• 3/4 cup unsweetened plain rice milk
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 2 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour
• 1-and-one-quarter teaspoons sodium-free baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon guar gum
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/4 cup grapeseed oil
• 1/4 cup coconut nectar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3/8 teaspoon stevia powder
• 1/3 cup vegan, soy-free plain yogurt (I use So Delicious coconut milk yogurt.)
• 1/2 vanilla bean, cut in half lengthwise and seeds scooped out and reserved

Vanilla Frosting

• 2-and-one-half cups powdered erythritol
• 6 tablespoons warm vanilla rice milk
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 vanilla bean, cut in half lengthwise and seeds scooped out and reserved

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a standard 12-cup cupcake tin with paper baking cups.

2. To make the cupcakes, mix together the rice milk and apple cider vinegar in a 2-cup measuring cup.

3. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, guar gum and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the middle.

4. Add the grapeseed oil, coconut nectar, vanilla and stevia to the flour mixture and stir to combine. Next add the rice milk mixture and stir until it is absorbed and the batter is smooth.

Stir in the yogurt and vanilla bean seeds until well combined.

5. Pour the batter into the measuring cup, as the spout will make it easier to pour the batter into the cupcake tin without spillage.

6. Pour the batter into the prepared cupcake tin, dividing it evenly. Each cup should be about two-thirds full. Bake the cupcakes for 15 to 16 minutes, or until they are a light golden brown and bounce back slightly to the touch. Rotate the cupcake tin from front to back halfway through baking.

7. Transfer the cupcake tin from the oven to a wire rack and let sit for 10 minutes before removing the cupcakes to cool completely.

8. To make the vanilla frosting, mix together the powdered erythritol and warm vanilla rice milk in a medium-size bowl. Add the coconut oil and salt and stir until smooth and well incorporated. Stir in the vanilla bean seeds.

9. Frost the completely cooled cupcakes. Keep unfrosted cupcakes in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or wrap and freeze them for up to 3 months. Leftover frosting keeps in the fridge for about 4 weeks if stored in an airtight container.

Debbie Adler is also a playwright, a concert pianist, a songwriter and a Certified Public Accountant. Her critically acclaimed plays and musicals have been produced off-Broadway and in Hollywood. She is the founding group leader of the San Fernando Valley Food Allergy Support Group, an organization that works in conjunction with the national non-profit, Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE), to provide resources and educational tools to families that have children with severe food allergies. Her first cookbook, Sweet Debbie’s Organic Treats: Allergy-free & Vegan Recipes from the Famous Los Angeles Bakery, is available wherever books are sold. Visit Debbie her online at sweetdebbiesorganiccupcakes.com.