Happy February! Sorry for being MIA the past few days. I have been having technology issues – aka both my phone and computer stopped charging. So let’s dive right back into the good stuff…
Hope you all enjoyed some delicious and healthy treats for the Superbowl last night. We made some Vegan Spinach and Artichoke dip, black bean and corn chili, and vegan queso. It was all fabulous. I’ll hopefully be posting the latter two soon. Check my previous post for the spinach dip. Anywho…
A few weekends ago, the hubby and I took an impromptu trip to Richmond, VA.
We explored the city, checked out some of the many amazing parks, and ate at some local restaurants with delicious vegan options. Among my favorite treats on the trip were the vegan banana cupcakes with peanut butter frosting. I usually stay forgo baked goods due to gluten, but I splurged and gave these a try. And I immediately wanted to try to recreate them at home.
Banana Bread Cupcakes with Honey and Cinnamon Peanut Butter Frosting
Adapted from marthastewart.com and foodnetwork.com for gluten free and vegan purposes
Cupcake Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups gluten free all-purpose flour ( I use Bob’s Red Mill or Trader Joe’s)
- 1/2 cup turbinado or organic cane sugar
- 1/4 agave nectar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) vegan butter, melted
- 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas
- Flax Egg (2-3 tbsp flax seeds mixed with 2 tbsp water)
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with liners. Mix together gluten-free flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a separate bowl, mix together butter, mashed bananas, flax egg, agave, and vanilla. Slowly add to flour mixture. Spoon the batter evenly into the linings.
Bake for approximately 30 minutes (maybe a minute or two less), until the tops are brown and no residue is left if you insert a toothpick into the middle of a cupcake. Take them out of the oven and let them cool before frosting.
Honey and Cinnamon Peanut Butter Frosting
- 1 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) vegan butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup natural (raw) peanut butter
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp non-dairy creamer or milk
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat confectioners’ sugar, unsalted butter, honey, and ground cinnamon until smooth, 4 to 5 minutes. You want the texture to be thick but workable. Smooth or pipe onto the top of the cupcakes and enjoy! They were pretty close to the original, and quite tasty. We polished them off in no time 😉
Coming up soon: a few more healthy recipes, some yoga and exercise tips, and possibly a few updates!
Peace and love,
Jessi
