Healthy! Coconut Cream Chocolate Cupcakes

You guys I cannot believe that I just created such amazing tasting, totally fruit-sweetened icing off the top of my head. Now, I am normally the type to be modest (I swear!), but I cannot be modest about the random invention of this icing recipe. Modesty is not an option when I have on my spoon the most AMAZINGGGGG tasting creamy coconut icing that is actually melting in my mouth as I type this. I am not kidding. I am licking icing and typing at the same time. It is not the first time this has occurred and it will undoubtedly not be the last. Once my icing is all gone, I’m going to make another batch. Immediately. Muhahaha. Coconut butter, I love you, I really love you.

My unmodesty is going to continue. Now, let’s combine this icing with ooey gooey chocolate cupcakes and then throw some cherries into those cupcakes. Assuming you enjoy cherries as much as I do, we can both consider this a very good idea. To balance out the unmodesty with a dash of modesty, I will say that these beauties are pretty messy to eat and I am one pretty darn messy gal right about now. As in, the ooey gooey cupcakey sort of messy. I am messy and I know it!

This is why these cupcakes are HEALTHY! They are:

~Oil-free ~Gluten-free ~Sugar-free ~100% fruit sweetened ~Contain a bunch of walnuts, totes mcgotes loaded with healthy omega-3 fats

Oh yes, and this is another reason why they are healthy:

They contain black beans, which increases the fiber levels of the cupcakes like woah. Beans also slow down the absorption of the sugars in the dates & bananas so that your liver is happier. This is a bunch of sciency stuff, but let’s just say beans in cupcakes = a more diabetes friendly treat! Note: I am not a doctor (duh), so if you have diabetes, you need to be careful about da sweet stuff. I’m just sayin’ beans are a SUPER awesome food to eat to prevent diabetes and keep type 2 diabetes in check. I learned this in la clase de nutrition at Cornell U. and from my bomb diggity dad, Dr. Fuhrman. Who else loves learning about nutrition so we can love our bodies more?! Read about the health benefits of high-fiber foods by CLICKING HERE. I also totes mcgotes wrote a whole 1/3 chapter about the health benefits of beans in my LYB book! Now question, did you know what totes mcgotes meant before reading this post?! It’s a popular phrase used in Southern California (where I live) and I even see t-shirts that say totes mcgotes when I walk down the street!

Okay now recipe time for these:

~Addictively delicious ~Very Ooey Gooey ~Pretty Darn Messy

CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES!!!!

Ingredients

Healthy! Ooey Gooey Chocolate Cupcakes (makes 12-14 cupcakes):

1 can (15 oz) Black Beans ½ cup Raw Walnuts 3 Ripe Bananas (2 for cupcake base + one for slicing in) 12 Medjool Dates, pitted 1 cup Cocoa Powder (I use my dad’s Dr. Fuhrman brand) 2 tablespoons Ground Flaxseeds simmered in ½ cup water (egg substitute) ¼ cup Water (may need a bit more depending on softness of the dates) 1 cup Gluten-Free Oat Flour 1 teaspoon Baking Powder 1 teaspoon Baking Soda 1-2 tablespoons ground dark roast coffee (optional) 1 cup Fresh or Frozen Cherries (Highly recommended! I LOVE those Cherry chunks!)

Healthy! Coconut Banana Cream Icing (makes about 1 and ½ cup):

¼ cup coconut butter (key tasty ingredient!) 1/3 cup raw, unsalted Walnut Pieces 1 medium-sized Ripe Banana 6-8 Medjool Dates (add more or less depending on desired sweetness) 1/3 cup Water (or more, if needed) ¼ package Pitaya Plus smoothie pack (optional, produces pink color)

Directions

To prepare cupcakes:

1) Place black beans, raw walnuts, 2 bananas, dates, cocoa powder, flaxseed “egg” gel and water in a Vitamix and blend on high until smooth. Set aside. 2) In a medium mixing bowl, mix oat flour, baking powder, baking soda and coffee (if using). 3) Combine the cupcake mixture with the dry ingredients. 4) Once the mixture is combined, add sliced third banana and cherries and fold into the batter gently. If using defrosted frozen cherries, make sure not to add any cherry juice that will result from defrosting. This will make the batter too wet! 5) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Let cool before putting icing on top.

To prepare icing:

1) Place all ingredients in a Vitamix or high-powered blender and blend until smooth. Adjust amount of water so that all ingredients can blend with ease, but so that the icing stays relatively think and “icing” like. You can add more or less pitaya to make the icing as pink as you want! It’s that easy. *HaPpY CUPCAKE DanCe*.

Once the icing is prepared, get messy and ice ice baby, ice those cupcakes! And by ice, I mean yummy icing. Really yummy banana coconut icing.

Peace, love and HEALTHY! icing,

Talia