Healthier Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes

Name: Healthier Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes
Prep time: 35 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 12
Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients: 3/4 cups coconut oil (OR Earth Balance® Coconut Spread OR butter); 1 cup unrefined coconut palm sugar OR maple sugar OR brown sugar; 1/2 cup sour cream, dairy or non-dairy OR vanilla or plain yogurt, dairy or non-dairy (I use coconut or almond yogurt); 2 large eggs or substitute; 1 tsp pure vanilla extract; 1/4 cup pure maple syrup OR agave OR coconut nectar OR date syrup; 1 3/4 cups cooked GF quinoa, cold (cook according to package directions); 1/2 cup + 3 Tbs (95 grams) gfJules® All Purpose Gluten Free Flour; 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder; 2 tsp baking powder; 1/2 tsp baking soda; 1/2 tsp salt; 1/2 cup prepared coffee OR choice of milk (dairy or non-dairy); 4 Tbs coconut oil, shortening or Earth Balance® Coconut Spread; 1/2 cup natural (no sugar added) peanut butter or other nut or seed butter; 1 3/4 cup confectioner’s sugar, sifted; 3-4 Tbs milk of choice (dairy or non-dairy); food coloring, optional

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These healthier gluten free chocolate cupcakes truly take the cake! “Healthy” and “Cupcakes” are rarely used in the same sentence; throw “Chocolate” into the mix and it’s a nearly unheard of connection! These cupcakes really do defy the odds.

The ingredients in these decadent cupcakes are somewhat unexpected but intentional. Let’s break them down.

Superfood quinoa provides both nutty little crunch of flavor and most of the hidden nutrition for our chocolate cupcake. If you don’t know quinoa, it’s typically used as a side dish like rice (here’s a lovely recipe for gluten free Thai Peanut Quinoa), or sometimes as a gluten free flour, but here it’s part of the dry ingredients in its whole form to add to the structure of the recipe in addition to the gluten free flour.

Quinoa is high in protein, fiber, antioxidants, B and E vitamins, magnesium, iron, potassium, calcium and phosphorus. And now it’s in our gluten free chocolate cupcake!

As for fats, this recipe uses the healthier sorts. These delicious cupcakes can be made soy-free, dairy-free and vegan if you wanna … as coconut oil and some dairy-free sour cream or yogurt are the only fats needed. I’ve also given you plenty of sweetener options so you can choose what’s right for you.

Unadulterated cocoa powder makes these cakes as chocolatey as you can handle, but choose coffee over milk as an ingredient if you really love chocolate, as coffee enhances the flavor even further!

While these delicious cakes need nothing to top them, peanut butter is the perfect complement if you choose to frost them! (Although, my kids informed me that if a cupcake isn’t frosted, it’s called a muffin. Who knew?!) If you’re nut-free, simply opt for a seed butter instead, or of course, you can frost with a standard white or chocolate frosting recipe or try my maple frosting recipe – it would be magic on these gluten free chocolate cupcakes, too!

Remember not to tell the kids (or grown up chocolate lovers) that their treats are healthier than the ordinary gluten free cupcake — they’ll certainly never suspect it on their own!

Chocolate + cupcakes are always a good idea. Throw a little extra nutrition inside and a little fun on top, and you’ve got a winning recipe every time! (If you’re looking for some cute spider cupcake holders, here’s a link for you!)

Healthier Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes

Yield: 12-16 cupcakes, depending on size

Prep Time: 35 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

“Healthy” and “Cupcakes” are rarely used in the same sentence; throw “Chocolate” into the mix and it’s a nearly unheard of connection! But indeed, these healthier gluten free chocolate cupcakes truly take the cake!

Ingredients

Cupcakes:

3/4 cups coconut oil (OR Earth Balance® Coconut Spread OR butter)
1 cup unrefined coconut palm sugar OR maple sugar OR brown sugar
1/2 cup sour cream, dairy or non-dairy OR vanilla or plain yogurt, dairy or non-dairy (I use coconut or almond yogurt)
2 large eggs or substitute
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup pure maple syrup OR agave OR coconut nectar OR date syrup
1 3/4 cups cooked GF quinoa, cold (cook according to package directions)
1/2 cup + 3 Tbs (95 grams) gfJules® All Purpose Gluten Free Flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup prepared coffee OR choice of milk (dairy or non-dairy)

Peanut Butter Frosting:

4 Tbs coconut oil, shortening or Earth Balance® Coconut Spread
1/2 cup natural (no sugar added) peanut butter or other nut or seed butter
1 3/4 cup confectioner’s sugar, sifted
3-4 Tbs milk of choice (dairy or non-dairy)
food coloring, optional

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350° F static or 325° F convection.

Line 12-16 muffin tins (depending on size) with cupcake liners or oil lightly.

Using a stand mixer or large food processor, whip coconut oil and sugar until light.

Add sour cream, eggs, vanilla extract and maple syrup and mix well. Stir in the cooked quinoa and remaining dry ingredients, followed by coffee/milk ingredient.

Mix until smooth -- there will be some texture from the cooked quinoa, but the other ingredients should all be blended at this point. Batter will be spoonable but somewhat thick.

Spoon into lined cupcake tins and smooth tops with a rubber spatula; they should be 3/4 full. Bake for 30-35 minutes – remove when a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cupcakes comes out clean. Remove to a wire rack to cool before frosting.

To make frosting, cream ingredients in a stand mixer or food processor, adding only enough milk for the mixture to achieve spreading consistency.

Or frost with your favorite frosting.

Notes

You can also bake this recipe in an 8x8 square pan (like brownies) or an 8 or 9-inch round pan. Line with parchment and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Here's one option for gluten free chocolate jimmies.

Nutrition Information

Yield 16 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 392Total Fat 23gSaturated Fat 16gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 5gCholesterol 35mgSodium 246mgCarbohydrates 43gFiber 2gSugar 32gProtein 5g

Please keep in mind that nutrition information provided is per serving, which may vary. While we have taken care to provide you with the most accurate nutritional values possible, please note that this information may differ significantly depending on the exact ingredients and brands that you choose to use to make this recipe. Additionally, where options are given for ingredients, the resulting calculation may include ALL ingredient options instead of only one per line, skewing the totals significantly.