Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting

I hope you have serious cause for celebrating today! We sure do! We have a full week of things to celebrate and these cupcakes are at the top of our list. Our blog’s birthday, Father’s Day and all of us girls (and brother!) are together in DC! The reason we all came together this week is for Chelsea’s HS graduation!

Chelsea has successfully graduated high school with her cosmetology license, is currently working at a lovely salon in Virginia and is preparing for her college career on the west coast. We are so proud of her and all she has accomplished in these last few years! She is going to do so well in college and in all her future plans.

With all that we are celebrating this week, these cupcakes helped to make our graduation soiree for Chelsea a little more special. In honor of Chelsea, behold these delectable chocolate chip cupcakes.

If you were to ask Chelsea what her favorite dessert is, she’d tell you chocolate chip cookies or cake. You don’t need to be a high school graduate to realize that the two of those combined would be most excellent. I set to work to tweak a recipe from Martha Stewart for some naturally sweetened chocolate chip cookie cupcakes, topped with chocolate frosting!

These little cakes are so delectable. The batter itself just smells like cookie dough and once baked, they puffed up beautifully into moist, flavorful cakes. The frosting is a pretty thick chocolate “fudge” frosting that’s extra fudge-like and pairs so well with the chocolate chip cookie flavor. These are sure to make the very best after graduation snack ever.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting
(adapted from Martha Stewart)

Chocolate Chip Cupcakes:
3/4 stick Unsalted Butter, softened
3/4 cup Coconut Sugar OR half Coconut Sugar & half Date Sugar*
3 Large Egg Whites, at room temperature
1/2 cup plus 1 Tablespoon Half and Half
1/2 Tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract
3/4 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt
1 teaspoon Cornstarch
1 1/2 cups White Spelt Flour or White Flour
2/3 cup sugar free Chocolate Chips or Chocolate Chunks

Line a muffin pan with paper liners and lightly spray with oil. Preheat your oven to 350.
In a large bowl, beat the butter and sweeteners together until light and fluffy. Add egg whites, one at a time and beat until light. Add half and half and vanilla and mix. In a small bowl, combine the baking powder, salt, cornstarch and flour. Add dry ingredients and mix until combined. Gently add the chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into the lined muffins tins, filling each 3/4 to almost the way full (you’ll have enough batter for 12 full cupcakes). Bake cupcakes until golden and a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean, about 15-17 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool before frosting.

Makes 12 cupcakes

Chocolate Frosting:
1/2 cup Cocoa Powder
1/4 cup Water
1 stick Unsalted Butter, softened
1 cup Coconut Sugar
1/4 cup **Agave Inulin
Dash Sea Salt

To make the frosting, begin by boiling the water in the microwave or stove top. Once the water is boiling, take it off the heat and add the cocoa and sweeteners of choice and the agave inulin or date sugar. Mix until everything is combined and dissolved. If your sweeteners are not completely dissolved, you can slightly reheat the mixture until they are. The mixture will be super thick and very fudge like. At this point, it should have cooled down a bit. If it is still hot, place in the fridge to cool.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and salt together until fluffy. Beat in the cooled chocolate mixture and beat until the frosting is smooth and well combined. Spread onto cooled cupcakes.

Makes enough to liberally frost 12 cupcakes

*I loved the flavor the date sugar gave to these cupcakes but date sugar can dry up baked good quickly. If you are not going to be serving or eating all these in one day, I would highly suggest making these with all coconut sugar so that the date sugar doesn’t leach all the moistness!

**If you don’t have agave inulin, you can substitute for another probiotic powder or xylitol.