After a nice and relaxing Fourth of July holiday week, I’m feeling nice and refreshed and ready to whip up some new recipes. The heat has been absolutely unbearable for the past week and a half (close to two) weeks, and there was absolutely no way I was going to turn on my oven during those weeks. Luckily, we caught a little break over the weekend when the temperatures dropped down to the high-70s and mid-80s. I took full advantage of this “cold” spell by using my oven to make multiple meals and desserts. Including these paleo (grain-free/dairy-free) chocolate cupcakes).
These cupcakes aren’t your traditional light and fluffy cupcakes that you get from a boxed mix. Instead, they’re very dense and fudgey and loaded with chocolate flavor. But the best part? You can’t even tell that they’re dairy-free or gluten-free!The more I experiment with grain-free, dairy-free, or “healthy” desserts, the more I realize that I genuinely like them more than regular desserts. For example: I’ve never been a fan of cupcakes, chocolate chip cookies, or cake. That is, until I started experimenting with cakes made from coconut flour and coconut milk, cookies made with almond flour and nut butter, brownies made from black beans, or chocolate icing made from avocados.
Yes, all of the desserts I listed above are made with “healthier” ingredients, but that’s not why I like them so much. When it comes to baked goods made with these “healthy” ingredients, I’ve found that I genuinely love the taste and texture of them. Plus, unlike regular desserts made with a lot of sugar or butter, “healthified” desserts don’t leave me feeling all sluggish or high on sugar, and they actually keep me full without causing a sugar crash shortly after. But let me just stress this again – I prefer the taste of these “healthified” desserts. Just because I like them doesn’t mean everyone else feels the same way. It’s important to pay attention and make sure you are eating foods that truly satisfy you.
Yes, I’ll still eat a chocolate chip cookie or an occasional slice of sheet cake every once in a while, but I can honestly say that I don’t like the taste of these desserts. And if there’s anything I’ve learned over the past six years with my eating disorder, it’s that you should focus on the foods you want to eat, not the foods you feel like you should eat. So if you’re one of those people who just doesn’t like “healthified” desserts, don’t beat yourself up about it! There’s nothing wrong with enjoying the occasional dessert or sweet treat. In fact, it’s actually healthy. However, if you are one of those people who enjoys experimenting with new recipes or are someone who cannot tolerate gluten or dairy, then you’ll want to keep reading – this recipe is one you’ll want to try out!
I’ve made paleo grain-free/dairy-free chocolate cakes before (check out my favorite one here), but this time I wanted to try something new. So just like I do with every new recipe I test out, I opened up my pantry to assess the ingredients I had on hand. Once I figured out which ingredients to use, I got started mixing up the batter. Now I know they say you’re not supposed to lick the raw batter, but I did it anyways. I mean come on… does anyone actually follow that “rule”? When it was all ready to go, I poured the batter into the cupcake tins and stuck them in the oven.
30 minutes later, they smelled absolutely delicious and were all finished baking, so I removed them from the oven to let them cool.
After they cooled down to room temperature, I got started making something to go on top of them. To be quite honest, I don’t like frosting all that much and didn’t want to add any to these cupcakes. However, I knew that these cupcakes needed something on top of them, so I decided to make a small amount of a chocolate glaze/thin frosting to add an additional bit of flavor and sweetness.
Next, it was time to dig in. Normally when I whip up some “healthy” desserts, I don’t tell my parents what they’re eating; I like for them to taste the dessert and give me their honest opinion, and then I’ll tell them what they’re actually eating. As soon as my dad took a bite, he just continued eating and didn’t seem to notice that anything was different. When I asked him what he thought, he said, “that was really good!” Even though he didn’t say anything else, I took that as a good sign; I’ve come to learn that it’s a good thing when people don’t notice that something tastes different!
When I dug in for myself, I was very pleased with what I was tasting. The cupcakes were nice and fudgey, almost like the texture of a brownie, and I loved biting into chunks of chocolate chips. The “icing” (or glaze.. whatever you want to call it) added just enough sweetness without it being too overpowering, and it was the perfect touch to the cupcakes.
Later on when my mom tried the cupcakes, she was also impressed and said they didn’t taste healthy. In fact, she said she really liked them and that this recipe was definitely worth making again. And coming from my mom, that’s a big compliment! 
If you’re looking for a treat to satisfy your sweet tooth or if you’re in need of a dessert to take to your next summer gathering, I highly recommend these chocolate cupcakes. They’re easy to make, they taste great, and they’re free from any grains or dairy (if that’s something that’s important to you). Definitely give them a try, and let me know if you do!
Chocolate Cupcakes (Grain-Free, Dairy-Free)
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- ¾ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 2 TBSP melted coconut oil
- 4 eggs
- ½ tsp. vanilla extract
- ½ tsp. almond extract or an additional ½ tsp. vanilla
- 1 tsp. instant coffee granules
- ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- ¾ cup cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¾ cup almond flour
- ½ cup dairy-free chocolate chips
Chocolate Glaze
- 1 TBSP coconut oil melted
- 2-3 TBSP cacao powder or unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 TBSP unsweetened almond milk
- ½ tsp. vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin pan with paper liners, or spray with non-stick cooking spray. (Makes around 18 cupcakes).
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together the maple syrup, applesauce, eggs, melted coconut oil, vanilla, and almond extract. Slowly add the dry ingredients, mix until just incorporated, and then fold in the chocolate chips.
- Distribute the batter evenly between the muffin tins, filling them about ¾ of the way full.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until tops are set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Rotate the tray halfway through baking.
- Remove the cupcakes and allow them to cool for 20 minutes in their pan. After that, transfer the cupcakes onto a cooling rack and allow them to cool completely.
- Glaze: Combine the melted coconut oil with the remaining ingredients and mix well. Add additional powdered sugar or almond milk as needed in order to get your preferred consistency.
- Spread the glaze lightly over the cooled cupcakes and allow them to set for a few minutes.
