Chocolate Cupcakes with Peppermint Crunch Frosting

These Gluten and Dairy Free Chocolate Cupcakes with Peppermint Crunch Frosting were inspired by a co-worker who avoids dairy.  From time to time I bring goodies into work to share (you've probably seen a few posts about this on my social media feeds).  Recently, everything had dairy in it.  My co-worker never seemed the least bit bothered... because she's awesome:-)  Of course I have been in her place a million times, so I felt it was time to come up with something special with her in mind.  Because she's awesome:-)

I wanted a super moist and very chocolatey cupcake.  So, in addition to a healthy amount of cacao powder, I added Enjoy Life dairy free mini chocolate chips to bump up the rich chocolate flavor.  It definitely does the job! The melty chips add moisture and that silky and rich chocolatey indulgence we want.  Feel free to use any brand you like in this recipe.  From my experience, most of the dairy free chocolate chips on the market are really good subs.

Whipping it up!

Pulling this batter together, takes no time at all.  I put all of the dry ingredients (except the chips and crushed mints) in one bowl, wet ingredients in the other.  Combine them together, add the chips and done!  It's like, lightning fast.

The Peppermint Crunch Frosting... mmm...

While the cupcakes are baking, you can work on the frosting.  Given that it is holiday time, I thought a peppermint crunch frosting would be fun.  However, the idea of crushing mints or candy canes brought nightmares of sticky spots all over my kitchen. I considered putting them in a plastic bag and smashing them. But then I figured that the sharp pieces of candy would just cut through the bag. That couldn't be good. So I decided to put the candies between two sturdy paper plates.  I used a heavy, flat bottomed measuring cup for the smashing.  A few pieces escaped, but it wasn't nightmarish.  Whew!

The crushed mints are mixed in with a simple dairy free buttercream frosting.  I used Earth Balance Buttery Sticks which has a rich buttery flavor and excellent consistency for frosting.  If you live in a warm climate, like I do in Florida, you won't want them sitting out on a warm day though.  Just like any frosting made with butter, it will start to melt!

If you are looking for other holiday sweets, check out my Dirty Snowballs, Matzoh Crack (AKA Christmas Crack), Candy Strawberries, Naked Cut Out Cookies and Almond Cut Out Cookies.  All are gluten free and allergy friendly too!

Gluten and Dairy Free Chocolate Cupcakes with Peppermint Crunch Frosting

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Servings: 16 cupcakes

Calories:

Ingredients  

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Chocolate Cupcakes

• 1 ¼ cup Gluten Free Flour Blend with xanthan gum - I use Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Baking Flour
• ¾ cup cacao or cocoa powder
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon Salt
• ½ cup canola oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 ½ cups dairy free or dairy vanilla creamer - I use So Delicious brand
• ½ cup dairy free mini chocolate chips - I use Enjoy Life brand semi-sweet variety
• ⅓ cup crushed starlight mint or candy canes for garnish - I used 10 starlight mints

Peppermint Crunch Frosting

• 1 cup softened dairy free buttery sticks or butter - I used Earth Balance Buttery Sticks
• 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
• ⅓ cup crushed starlight mints or candy canes - I used 10 starlight mints

Instructions

For the Chocolate Cupcakes:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins.
• In a large bowl combine flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda and salt. Mix to combine them well.
• In a small bowl, combine oil, eggs and creamer. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir by hand or with a mixer until combined and there are no lumps.
• Stir the chocolate chips in by hand.
• Pour the batter into the lined muffin tins about ⅔ of the way full. Bake for approximately 20 minutes, until puffed and the batter has set. Be careful not to over bake them, otherwise they may taste bitter and will be dry and crumbly. Remove from oven and let cool completely.
• Once cool, pipe frosting on top and garnish with remaining crushed mints.

For the Peppermint Crunch Frosting:

• Using a stand or hand mixer, beat the softened butter until light and creamy (about 30 seconds to a minute).
• Gradually add the powdered sugar on a low speed until combined. Turn the mixer speed to high and whip for about a minute.
• Add the crushed mint and give it a quick mix to combine. You can do this with the mixer or by hand.

Notes

*Note: You can also kick up the peppermint flavor in the cupcakes by adding ⅓ cup of crushed mints to the cupcake batter at the same time you add in the chocolate chips.  The mints will melt during the baking process, so they will not add crunch to the cupcake, but they will add sweetness and yummy mint flavor.