Vegan Butterfinger Cupcakes

♫ Listening to: Begin Again by Purity Ring ♫

If you like chocolate cupcakes that taste like candy bars, you might also like my chocolate salted caramel cupcakes and my snickers cupcakes. If you have leftover chick-o-sticks after this recipe, you can make my butterfinger cookies.

This recipe makes 24 vegan butterfinger cupcakes.

Vegan Butterfinger Candy Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups vegan chocolate chips
• 12-24 individually wrapped bite-sized chick-o-sticks

Vegan Butterfinger Candy Directions

Slice 12 bite-sized chick-o-sticks into sizes that fit into your hello kitty silicone mold if you’re using molds.

Melt ⅔ of the vegan chocolate chips in a double boiler.

Add the remaining vegan chocolate chips only when the first batch is completely melted. Stir until the new chocolate is completely melted and smooth.

Remove the melted vegan chocolate chips from heat.

Spoon the melted chocolate into the bottoms of your silicone chocolate molds.

Set the pieces of chick-o-sticks on top of the melted chocolate in the molds.

Top the chick-o-sticks with additional melted chocolate until the mold is filled.

Wait overnight for the chocolate to harden (or to speed up the process, you can set them in the fridge).

Vegan Chocolate Butterfinger Cupcake Ingredients

• 2 cups nondairy milk
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 2 ½ cups unbleached white flour
• ⅔ cup cocoa powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder (non-aluminum is best)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ⅔ cups organic or raw sugar\*
• ⅔ cup sunflower oil
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 24 bite-sized chick-o-sticks

Vegan Chocolate Butterfinger Cupcake Directions

Heat the oven to 350°. Line 2 muffin pans with paper liners.

Combine the vinegar and nondairy milk and let sit.

Sift the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl: 2 ½ cups unbleached white flour, ⅔ cup cocoa powder , 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and ½ teaspoon salt.

Mix the wet ingredients into the nondairy milk: 1 ⅔ cups sugar, ⅔ cup sunflower oil, and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract.

Smash 6 chick-o-sticks using a mortar and pestle (or whatever method you prefer, ie. hitting with a rolling pin, jumping up and down on, or driving over with your car).

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until there are no visible dry areas. Use silicone spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl ensuring no flour stowaways.

Add the chick-o-sticks crumbs to the batter.

Mix just until incorporated.

Fill each cupcake paper ⅔ of the way full with batter.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, until when you insert a toothpick into the center of one, it comes out clean. Remove from oven, and set cupcake pans on cooling racks to cool for 10 minutes. Then remove from pan and set cupcakes on the cooling rack.

Vegan Vanilla Butterfinger Frosting Ingredients

• ¾ cup vegan butter or margarine (I like the organic whipped earth balance)*
• ¾ cup organic palm shortening*
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 5 cups organic powdered sugar*
• 12 bite-sized chick-o-sticks (mashed into crumbs)

Vegan Vanilla Butterfinger Frosting Directions

Whisk the spectrum sustainable organic palm shortening and vegan butter for 3 minutes using a stand mixer or a handheld electric mixer.

Sift in the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, mixing for at least minute between each addition.

Add the vanilla, and mix until incorporated.

Add the majority of the chick-o-sticks crumbs (but save a tablespoon for sprinkling on top later).

Fill a piping bag fitted with a Wilton large round tip 1A (this is the only tip that will ensure the pieces of chick-o-sticks don’t clog the tip).

Frost the cupcakes.

Sprinkle the frosted cupcakes with chick-o-sticks crumbs.

Garnish each cupcake with one hello kitty butterfinger candy.

Chill until ready to serve.

If making butterfinger cupcakes is too much of a time committment, you can always just make easy butterfinger candies instead. ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

* I use mostly organic ingredients when I cook, but I realize that not everyone has the disposable income to purchase all organic ingredients. Therefore, I only specify organic on the ingredients that really matter - when buying the organic version is the only way to ensure that the item is vegan.