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You’ve seen the over-the-top milkshakes and cakes full of rainbows and sparkle all over Instagram, but if all the food dye scares you, there’s an alternate solution. Sandra Mahut’s cookbook Unicorn Food ($13) teaches you how to create edible mermaids, unicorns, and rainbows in an all-natural way. Keep reading to learn the secret to her magic touch on these whimsical treats.

Brit + Co: What inspired you to write about unicorn food?

Sandra Mahut: I first heard about unicorn food from a friend who was living in New York. At the same time, I started to notice unicorn food coming through my Instagram feed and loved its rainbow colors. From there, I got inspired to research all the beautiful natural food colors — like blue spirulina or the beautiful color you get from purple carrots (they do exist!). I think my all-time favorite is the mermaid toast because it’s so easy — a bit like painting — and the results are stunning and different each time.

B+C: But isn’t food coloring just for desserts?

SM: Once I started experimenting with natural colors from different ingredients, I realized that there were endless possibilities to be creative — with soups, smoothies, noodles, cakes, biscuits. A great excuse to play in the kitchen! Who wouldn’t enjoy the simple pleasure of stirring blue spirulina into cream cheese to make a frosting for a special occasion cake — and adding some pretty, brightly colored, edible flowers to top it off?

B+C: Are natural versions really better than store-bought drops?

SM: So much of the fun and surprise of Unicorn Food is about the coloring being all-natural. Of course there are many artificial food colorings available, but a bigger feel-good factor comes with knowing that the rainbow colorings are healthy and naturally stunning — not chemically created. They’re so much better for all-round good health and for all the folks who love all things unicorn.

Find more magical recipes like this on our Pinterest!

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(Photo and recipes via Sandra Mahut / Quarto Publishing Group)