don’t have strong paleo baking skills. My sister, Lauren, was the brains behind the successful and popular Blueberry Banana Bread and Morning Glory Power Muffin Nuggets recipes on this site.
I could also call this recipe a collaboration with my friend L.B. although my participation was limited to taste testing, taking notes and offering moral support.
As I have mentioned, L.B. is a vegetarian — and since I love vegetables, we frequently share recipes and collaborate in the kitchen. Her first taste of paleo baking came when I recruited her to help develop a savory squash and cranberry muffin. The muffins didn’t make it to a blog-ready state before cranberries went out of season — but we have some good ideas for next year.
A few weeks later, L.B. decided to make cupcakes to celebrate the birthday of a friend who eats paleo. She worked out a recipe for paleo cupcakes topped with grass-fed butter icing. She and I and everyone else who were lucky enough to taste them gave a five-star rating. We made another batch last weekend.
Here’s the recipe that she created. The cupcakes are pretty dense, which I really like. They don’t have that over-egged thing that can sometime occur with paleo baking that I really dislike. They are sweet — but not overly sweet. On their own, you might almost call them a muffin. But topped with the butter and honey icing, you’d call them a cupcake all the way.
If you want a treat that still feels sort of healthy, I recommend them.
Cherry cupcakes
Cherries, frozen or fresh, 1 cup, depitted and cut in half
Eggs, 4
Unsweetened applesauce, ½ cup
Vanilla, 1 tablespoon
Honey, ½ cup
Coconut flour, 1 cup (Note: Do not sub almond flour. These flours are really different.)
Arrowroot powder (or tapioca), ¼ cup
Baking soda, 1 teaspoon
Cinnamon, 1 teaspoon
Salt, ½ teaspoon
Optional but totally delicious: Macadamia nuts, ¼ cup
For icing:
Grass-fed butter, ½ cup, softened to room temperature
Honey, 1 tablespoon
Vanilla, 1 teaspoon
Arrowroot, 1 tablespoon
Shredded coconut, ¼ cup
- Measure out ¼ cup of cherries and chop well.
- Combine remaining ¾ cup of cherries with eggs, applesauce, vanilla and honey. Mix really well, using a food processor or hand blender until whipped, about 1 a minute or longer.
- Sift coconut flour into a big mixing bowl. Add arrowroot, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Stir together.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients. Mix well.
- Add the ¼ cup of chopped cherries which you set aside earlier. If you are using nuts, chop them finely and add as well.
- Line muffin tray with cupcake papers, if desired. Spoon mixture into cups, making 12 cupcakes. The mixture is pretty thick, so you may want to pat the batter down to make them flat on top. Otherwise you will end up with rocky-topped cupcakes which taste good but aren’t as pretty.
- Place in oven at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until inserted knife comes out clean.
- Remove cupcakes and let cool.
- To make icing, combine all ingredients for icing in food processor until soft and whipped.
- Then, ice your cupcakes and enjoy.