Jean Farrar, who has lectured on nutrition at Eisenhower Hospital in Rancho Mirage, California, and the College of the Desert in Palm Desert, California, recently shared some of her excellent recipes with us. These recipes are sure to appeal to both kids and adults.

Gummy worms give these cakes an added surprise. You can find licorice powder your health food store.

1/2 cup butter or margarine
2 large organic eggs
1 cup Canadian maple syrup
1/4 cup unsalted chunky peanut butter
3/4 cup brown rice flour, brown rice bran and soy flour.
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup carob powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
12 gummy worms
1 teaspoon licorice powder

Frosting:
1/2 cup sweetened carob chips
2 teaspoons margarine or butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Topping:
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup puffed brown rice cereal

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. In a food processor, combine butter, maple syrup, eggs, vanilla and peanut butter. Process until smooth, set aside. In a mixing bowl, whisk together carob powder, licorice powder, baking powder, brown rice flour, brown rice bran and soy flour. Stir all ingredients until moistened. Spoon batter into muffin cups. Bake 20-30 minutes. Cool cakes before decorating.

Stir together nuts and cereal in a small bowl. To make frosting, in a saucepan over low heat, melt carob chips and butter. Stir in vanilla.

Cool the cakes and sprinkle with nut mixture. Make hole in each cake and insert gummy worms. You can also substitute "licorice" worms.

Makes a dozen cupcakes.

Do you have a great recipe using natural products? Please share it with us and we'll add it to our recipe collection!