The Spunky Coconut

Gluten-Free ❤ Dairy-Free ❤ Paleo

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Chocolate Hazelnut Cupcakes

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Gluten-Free Hazelnut CupcakesThis has been a big week for us. BIG 🙂 My friend, George took my new author photos (bloopers here), Spunky Facebook likes reached 100,000, AND the blog got a new ‘do. What do you think? I’m so in love with it. And so in love with my husband who put it all together. He’s the best. Working together isn’t for everyone, but it’s totally for us. I’ve got the photography and recipe developing, and he’s got the business mind and design skills. Match made in heaven.

Another really big change is that my email list is switching to a newsletter format. The way it works is once a week I’ll email you, my lovely subscribers, and let you know what’s new, and link to the latest post if there is one that week. I’m also going to be including bonus recipes, and other free goodies in the newsletter as often as possible. Are you as excited about that as I am?! Eeek! I’ve been taking notes on the kind of recipes and posts you’re asking for, and I can’t wait to give them to you!

In supreme celebration of everything I just said 🙂 I give you hazelnut cupcakes with chocolate buttercream frosting. Oh yeah. Of course, these gluten-free cupcakes are great alone, but let me just say that hazelnut flour begs for buttercream and chocolate. Who am I to say no?

♥, Kelly

Chocolate Hazelnut Gluten-free Cupcakes

grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free

Dry Ingredients:
1 ¾ cups hazelnut flour (Bob’s Red Mill)
½ cup arrowroot flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt

Wet Ingredients:
¼ cup honey
2 large eggs
¼ cup palm shortening or ghee, at room temperature

Fold in:
1 cup dairy-free 80% dark chocolate chocolate, chopped

  1. Set the oven to 350F, and line the muffin pans with 8 paper cups. Set aside.
  2. In a mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients with a whisk.
  3. In a separate mixing bowl combine the wet ingredients with a handheld mixer.
  4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and combine with a handheld mixer.
  5. Fold in the chocolate.
  6. Use a large (1/3 cup) ice cream scoop with a lever to transfer the batter to the paper cups. OR use a spoon and fill the cups so that there is about 1/2 inch of room at the top.
  7. Bake for about 22 minutes, or until the tops are slightly golden.

Makes about 8.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

based on Chocolate Frosting, p. 64, The Paleo Chocolate Lover’s Cookbook

1/2 cup palm shortening (I buy my palm shortening )
1/2 cup ghee, at room temperature
1/2 cup honey
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 cup coconut flour, sifted
1/4 cup raw cacao powder, sifted
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
vanilla liquid stevia, to taste

  1. Mix together all of the frosting ingredients.
  2. Pipe the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes using a #1M Open Star Tip.

 

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Comments

  5. Match made in heaven is right!
    I’m so happy for you, and thank you for blessing my life!

  7. Hi Kelly, I haven’t seen palm shortening in Australia. Can you substitute coconut oil or butter? Or suggestions?

  8. Can you substitute arrowroot flour? I don’t have any and can’t find it in the grocers.

      • I don’t have that either… I have coconut flour. Would that work? Also. The frosting has ghee, i can’t have any dairy… Any substitute for that? Ams will vegetable shortening work instead of palm?

        • Tapioca Starch/Flour would be a substitute for arrowroot starch. Ghee is dairy free. I am making these right now. 🙂

          • Ghee may be casein free but I am extremely dairy sensitive and have tried it twice, both time with horrible reactions. Use caution! I have heard there is something unique to the fatty acid makeup in dairy that some are sensitive to.

  10. Hi Kelly! The new design is great but the new way to look for recipes is not the best (I hope you guys are open to some criticism…. I am sorry about this). I like the way the recipe index page looks at first but when clicking on “see more”, it is impossible to see a list of, say, just the main dishes at once. Instead, you have to scroll down each “main dish” post before you find the one you want. I hope I am making sense. I was hoping for something resembling the recipe index at http://www.forkandbeans.com/ (sorry, not a paleo website. I just wanted to give a clear visual).
    Again forgive me for the (constructive I hope!) criticism. When coming to your website for recipes, it often is in a rush to get the recipe I need to cook for my kids. Your website is still the bomb.
    Kindly,
    Virginie

    • I agree with this. I miss the recipe list!

      I made these cupcakes last night; SOOO yummy! And we had your chicken paparika tonight for dinner. (-: Thank you for all your amazing recipes! Your blog is at the very top of my favorites!

  11. Love the new site and the celebratory cupcake recipe! Definitely going to try that one! One more thing, The new picture of you is GoRgEoUs!!! (you look so happy) George is a GREAT photographer.

  12. I don’t often comment even though I read your blog every week, but I just had to tell you how beautiful the new website is!!

  13. I am so happy these cupcakes (and your blog, actually) are now in my life! This is the first post of yours I’ve read…and it’s completely convinced me to become a regular reader. Thanks so much for sharing!

  14. Does this buttercream set up the same way as traditional buttercream? Does it form a “crust” and dry out and then you can place decorations on top? Thanks

  16. Kelly,
    Love the “New Look” Very nice Fresh! I’m sorry I don’t normally comment, but I DO love reading your post.
    Mom and I were just talking about trying to cut things out and going Paleo to try and help us feel better. I will be referring to your blog a lot.
    Thanks for all you share 😉
    xo Nana April

  20. Hi Kelly, I love your new website, and own several of your books. I really enjoy seeing your new recipes, but really miss not being able to generate a printer friendly page. Is this something you have considered? It is so nice to be able to print a recipe I want to make for dinner rather than using my ipad. Thank you for your help, and for all your wonderful tips and recipes.

  21. Hi Kelly
    Just love your new website! I was hoping that you would have incorporated an easy “print” button for the recipe portion of each blog post.
    Thanks!!!

  22. These were wonderful! I cannot have egg whites, so I was concerned I wouldn’t be able to have a good cake/cupcake again. I was so happy when I saw your recipe! I replaced the egg whites with chia “egg whites,” and once again, it was wonderful. 🙂 We loved the frosting as well. Thank you so, so much for this recipe and so many others. You have brought so much joy to my life through good food!

  23. I use to see coconut oil in all the recipes and now Im seeing palm oil. I follow you and Elana’s Pantry. Is there a reason for the switch or different health benefits? Just curious.

  24. The frosting was so, so yummy!!!! Served it to a 7 year old who claimed she didn’t like chocolate, and it was gobbled up so fast it made my head spin!!! Finally, an icing sugar-free recipe that doesn’t make me sick to my stomach because of the sweetness. I can have butter, so replaced the ghee with dairy butter and it was just fine. Sweetness factor was perfect. Didn’t have time to make the cupcakes from scratch, so used a boxed mix (yes, it contains white sugar), but I will definitely be making these soon.

  25. How well does it hold? Lots of the coconut oil ones always melt. Thinking about school lunch boxes.

    • My frostings need to stay room temperature or lower because they aren’t made with tons of refined white powdered sugar.

  26. Could the chocolate in the cupcakes be melted before incorporated into the rest of the ingredients? Or maybe just shaved instead of chopped? I’m looking to have the chocolate more fully incorporated into the cakes and not so chunky.

  27. Just subscribed, love the blog!
    Here is my question; I eat mostly glutton/wheat free and sugar free so naturally i gravitate to paleo sweets and baked goods. Here is the problem I run into again and again: honey is not “clean” for me. It sends blood-sugar skyrocketing and causes skin problems. Now fruit, fruit juice syrup, agave, coconut sugar and blackstrap molasses are all fine for me. My experience is that almost all paleo baked goods are very dependent on the sticky honey for binding. How can i sub? I really need an expert here- I’m sick of raw vegan pies! help? I’d love to hear answers from anyone who has solved this.

  28. Hi! I made these! Turned out good. I did substitute 1 cup chocolate chips to 1/2 cup cocoa nibs so i don’t get the sugar from chocolate. Will make again! thank you.