These small cupcakes taste intensely of chocolate without being overly sweet. They take little time to make and both adults and children enjoy them. When you look at the ingredient list, you’ll see how easy bold baking can be: The chocolate is dark; the cupcakes are sweetened only by dates and maple syrup; and the flour is whole-wheat.
Ingredients
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ounce fine-quality (70%) bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup pitted dates, coarsely chopped (check for pits)
3 tablespoons Grade-B maple syrup
1 large egg
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
pinch fine sea salt
2 tablespoons whole-wheat pastry flour
1-1/2 teaspoons virgin organic coconut oil or butter
Recipe
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Place the cocoa powder and chocolate pieces into the bowl of a food processor.
3. In a small saucepan, bring the water and dates just to a boil. Remove them from the heat and let cool for a moment. Then add the dates and water to the food processor and pulse once to combine. Uncover the food processor and let the mixture cool for a couple of minutes.
4. Add the maple syrup, egg, vanilla, baking soda and sea salt and puree until smooth. Then add the flour and pulse until just mixed. Gently finish mixing with a rubber spatula and let the mixture sit for 15 minutes.
5. While the mixture is resting, liberally oil a 12-cup mini-muffin tin with coconut oil (or butter). The oil is an ingredient in the cupcakes as well as a lubricant that prevents the cupcakes from sticking, so don’t worry if there seems to be an ample amount in each cup.
6. Divide the mixture evenly between the muffin cups and bake, rotating once, for about 20 minutes (the tops should be firm to the touch). Let the cupcakes cool in the tin for about 10 minutes.
7. Remove the cupcakes from the pan and cool slightly. These are nice served gently warm, though the cupcakes keep for one day, covered, at room temperature.
Copyright, Ellen Arian, Ellen’s Food & Soul