Happy Halloween !

We are in the final countdown now for Halloween and the kids are beyond excited! But something was missing. Something baked.

So in addition to decorating and pumpkin carving, I thought some devilishly rich chocolate cupcakes would be a welcome addition to the festivities. I was right.

Keeping with the gluten-free treats menu, this are again gluten-free with a base of coconut flour. The topping is a rich dark chocolate ganache. The little toppers are from a Meri Meri kit. I love Meri Meri products and these are perfect. An absolute hit with the kidlins!

My only beef is that the liners didn't retain their deep color during baking. So next time I will double up on them. I wish Reynold's would come out with Halloween themed staybrite baking cups but I couldn't find any on the shelves.

I recently made a similar cupcake recipe with a blend of chocolate and butterscotch chips but this time I used only dark chocolate chips. Instead of buttercream frosting I opted for dark chocolate ganache. A winning combo.


RECIPE:
*adapted source recipe for cupcakes only: Triple Chocolate Cupcakes, Gluten-Free Cupcakes by Elana Amsterdam

WHAT YOU NEED

CUPCAKES

1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, that darker the better
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
3 eggs
1/2 cup honey or agave nectar
3/4 cups dark chocolate chips

GANACHE

4 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

MAKE IT

PREHEAT oven to 350F
LINE 9 muffin cups with liners

IN LARGE BOWL, whisk together first 4 ingredients
IN MEDIUM BOWL, thoroughly whisk together agave nectar and eggs
ADD WET INGREDIENTS TO DRY INGREDIENTS and whisk well until fully blended
FOLD in chocolate chips
DIVIDE batter between muffin cups filling each one 3/4 full
BAKE 25-30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean

MAKE GANACHE

IN DOUBLE BOILER, melt chocolate with whipping cream, whisking continuously until chocolate is fully melted and combined with cream
REMOVE from heat
STIR in butter and vanilla extract ensuring butter is melted
SET ASIDE and let cool for 1/2 hour

SPOON ganache over cooled cupcakes
TOP with sprinkles

ENJOY !