Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Filling- sugar free, gluten free, dairy free

Need a little sweet today? Who doesn’t love a cupcake. Here’s one you don’t have to feel guilty about having another, or two. Peanut butter is an absolute favorite in our house. Fresh, homemade peanut butter is amazing if you have a powerful food processor. You can find no sugar peanut butter on almost any grocery store shelf now and it is priced very comparable to the brands we all grew up with. And what goes better with peanut butter than chocolate- right?!? The chocolate cupcake without the peanut butter filling is grain free and tastes of dark chocolate. You can also try other butters or preserves in the center if you wish- get creative! I am sure you won’t have any complaints in your house with plans to test new cupcake ideas. Let me know in the comments what else you try in the centers.

Makes 8 cupcakes

Ingredients:
4 oz dried pitted Dates
3 Eggs
¼ cup Olive Oil
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ Tbsp Baking Powder
½ cup 100% Baking Cocoa
½ cup Blanched Almond Flour

4-6 teaspoons Peanut Butter (no sugar added)

Preheat oven to 350*

In your food processor, start with the dried pitted dates. Make sure that the pits and stems have been removed by squeezing the dates before using. Mix until the dates have broken down and started to form a sticky ball. Add eggs and olive oil and mix. Stop the food processor and add remaining ingredients except peanut butter- this comes later. Blend until just mixed. Once you remove the top of your food processor, you will need to scrap sides and stir to combine any remaining cocoa. 

Spoon into lined cupcake pan. This batter is a sticky one!

Bake for 10 minutes. Take the pan out of the oven and use a teaspoon to create a hole in the center of each cupcake by pushing batter to the sides. The hole should only be the width of your spoon. 

Drop ½ to ¾ teaspoon of peanut butter in the center of each cupcake. Put the pan back in the oven. Turn off the oven and let the pan sit until the peanut butter has melted. 

Take the pan out of the oven and let rest on a cooling rack until the peanut butter has started to firm up on the top. Eat warm or save for later!

Enjoy!