"Because one night can be the last night, and that's the concern I have, and I know many other mothers have in the country," said Debbie Adler of Sherman Oaks.
So Adler wrote "Sweet Debbie's Organic Treats" for her son, who has severe food allergies, and developed treats for Halloween parties.
Adler is a master at making swaps for those ingredients that affect people who are gluten intolerant, diabetic, vegan or suffering from food allergies.
"Out of necessity, I revamped the way I bake to make it dairy free, to make it egg free, to make it sugar free and put all these healthful things in instead and he doesn't know the difference," she said.
She created treats that most everyone can eat, like pumpkin spiced haystacks with pumpkin, shredded coconut, maple syrup and pumpkin spice. Or a pan of granola bars with oats and dried fruit of your choice.
"All you do is pat it into a parchment-lined pan, and you're just going to bake it for 20 minutes," said Adler. "You can either cut it up into bars or break it into pieces like peanut brittle."
A real party-pleaser is the no-bake blueberry truffle ball with frozen blueberries, dates, dried fruit, pumpkin and sunflower seeds. Blend the ingredients to a rough texture and dip into whatever coating you like: coconut, chopped up chocolate chips, even leftover granola bar mixture. After rolling, put in the freezer for your party.
For those with time to spare, she created treats that are made with a special gluten free mixture and sweetened with Stevia - something very tricky for a baking novice, but spooky and sweet just the same.
Try some of Debbie Adler's recipes at home:Chocolate Chipper Pumpkin Face Cookies (allergy-free)
Extraterrestrial Wicked Witches with Sombreros Mini-Cupcakes (allergy-free)
