Raw Choccie Cupcakes Anyone?

I was totally enthralled last week when I saw the post on The Daily Raw for Chocolate Cupcakes!!! OMG, and the pictures – total eye candy! I returned to the post several times after that, making a mental note to create these as soon as possible.

Well, it ended up happening sooner than later, because I decided to put them on the menu for this week’s Raw Combo. As a matter of fact, I had some brownie “dough” already in the freezer containing walnuts, pecans, cacao, and sea salt. So all I needed to do was add the vanilla and almond extract that this recipe calls for. The icing has always been my favourite part on a cupcake and I already had some young coconut/cashew frosting made up, woo hoo! It was meant to be!
I only added beet juice to colour the frosting pink, but next time I’ll make green and chocolate icing too, because its just so darn pretty and would make a fabulous platter for entertaining.

So here is The Daily Raw’s Recipe for Choccie Cupcakes!

1 cup walnuts, unsoaked

5 Medjool dates, unsoaked, pitted

1/8 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon coconut oil, liquid form

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon almond extract

¼ teaspoon sea salt

Process walnut and dates in a food processor until mixture sticks together.

Add sea salt, vanilla extract and almond extract.

Roll small eight balls out of the mixture and place each one in 1 ¼-inch baking cups.

Mold the sides of the baking cups around the balls and form into a cupcake shape.

COCONUT ICING

1 cup coconut pulp

½ cup agave nectar

¼ cup coconut water

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

dash of sea salt

PINK ICING

1 tablespoon coconut icing

¼ teaspoon beet juice

LIGHT GREEN ICING

1 tablespoon coconut icing

¼ teaspoon liquid chlorophyll

CHOCOLATE ICING

1 tablespoon coconut icing

½ teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder

¼ teaspoon maple syrup
¼ tablespoon unsweetened coconut flakes, for garnish

1. Puree coconut pulp, coconut butter, agave nectar and water in the blender until you achieve a smooth consistency. Add vanilla extract and sea salt.

2 . In three small bowls, place 1 tablespoon each of the coconut icing.

3. In the first bowl add the beet juice and mix until the icing turns pink. In the second bowl, add the chlorophyll to the icing and mix until the icing turn light green. In the third bowl, add the cocoa powder and maple syrup to the icing, stir until it turns a dark brown.

4. Pour the remaining coconut icing in a glass bowl and cover with plastic wrap.

5. Frost the cupcakes with the coconut icing

Best of all...eat these with a big smile on your face because these are delicious!!!!!! :D

OH, and I'm coming back to this post about a week later with excitement because The Daily Raw who of course, was my inspiration for thsee cupcakes, posted the letter I sent to them, on their website! hehe, ever cool!