Vegan Snickers Cupcakes

♫ Listening to: Catapult by Operator Please ♫

If you like chocolate and caramel, you might also like my chocolate salted caramel cupcakes.

This recipe makes 24 vegan, gluten-free snickers bar cupcakes.

Vegan Cupcake Ingredients

• 2 cups fava chickpea flour
• 1 cup cocoa powder
• ¼ cup tapioca flour
• ¼ cup potato starch
• ¼ cup arrowroot
• 1 ½ tablespoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 1 cup coconut oil (you can sub any flower or vegetable oil if you don't have this)
• 1 cup agave
• 1 cup applesauce
• ⅓ cup of the vegan caramel sauce (recipe below)
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• ½ tablespoon almond extract (you can sub more vanilla if you don't have this)
• 1 cup hot water

Vegan Cupcake Directions

Preheat the oven to 325°.

Whisk together the dry ingredients: 2 cups fava chickpea flour , 1 cup cocoa powder , ¼ cup tapioca flour , ¼ cup potato starch , ¼ cup arrowroot powder , 1 ½ tablespoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon xanthan gum , and 1 ½ teaspoons salt.

Combine the wet ingredients using an electric mixer. Measure the hot water last because it helps get the remaining agave and caramel sauce out of the measuring cup.

Sift the dry ingredients slowly into the wet while mixing.

Pour into 2 lined cupcake pans. Fill them high; they don’t rise as much as cupcakes with gluten.

Vegan Caramel Ingredients

• ⅛ cup coconut oil or vegan butter or margarine (I like the organic whipped earth balance, but if you avoid soy, use coconut oil)*
• ⅛ cup nondairy milk
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup organic or raw sugar*
• ⅛ teaspoon salt

Vegan Caramel Directions

Whisk the ingredients together over medium heat until it reaches the desired consistency.

Vegan Ganache Ingredients

• 12 ounce bag vegan chocolate chips
• ½ cup sweetened nondairy milk

Vegan Ganache Directions

Heat the vegan chocolate chips and non-dairy milk in a saucepan over low heat, stirring often until all chips are melted.

Dip tops of cupcakes into ganache.

Vegan Peanut Butter Frosting Ingredients

• ¼ cup vegan butter or margarine (if you avoid soy, buy the soy-free earth balance; otherwise buy the organic whipped earth balance)*
• ¼ cup organic spectrum palm shortening*
• ½ cup peanut butter
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• ⅛ cup nondairy milk (you may not need it all, but have it ready, just in case)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups organic powdered sugar*

Vegan Peanut Butter Frosting Directions

Whisk ¼ cup vegan butter, ¼ cup spectrum sustainable organic palm shortening , ½ cup peanut butter, 2 tablespoons molasses, and 1 tablespoon vanilla using a stand mixer or a handheld electric mixer.

Sift in powdered sugar one cup at a time.

Pipe icing onto cupcakes.

Garnish with bite-sized vegan snickers bars, caramel sauce, and finely chopped peanuts.

☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

* 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.