As some of you may already know, I am dairy sensitive. I often find myself baking and not being able to enjoy what I make. I rely on my trusted testers (my kids) to tell me if a recipe needs adjustments. Don’t get me wrong, a lot of the time, I’ll indulge and pay the consequences.

So many of us are lactose intolerant or dairy sensitive, and don’t even know it. Although there are a few products out there that claim to be lactose free, I’m here to tell you that they don’t work on me. It is incredible that even blood pressure medications contain lactose–yup. Crazy right?

This next recipe is dairy free and vegetarian. It’s also super dark chocolatey and indulgent. You’d never know it was dairy free. The peanut butter and date frosting is vegan. You just can’t go wrong with this recipe. You can have as many as you want, and not feel terrible afterwards. 🙂

I decided to make some cute little Easter themed cupcakes this Sunday, and they were a hit. I don’t know if your kids will enjoy these at your Easter Sunday gathering, but I can assure you the adults will! The peanut butter and date frosting just makes the whole thing come together so nicely. It is the perfect complement to these cupcakes. I also added dairy free dark chocolate morsels to the recipe. These cuppicakes are the chocolate lovers dream. A combination of sweet and salty, rich and decadent–yum. Honestly, I will be using this frosting in a few other recipes. I can’t wait to make these again. They baked in 15 minutes! How great it that? Let’s eat.

Here is the recipe:

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Servings: 18-20 cupcakes

Ingredients for the frosting:

• ¾ cup of creamy peanut butter
• ½ cup of Medjool dates, pitted and pureed
• ⅓ cup of organic coconut oil, unrefined, melted
• ½ tsp of vanilla extract
• 2 cups of confectioners sugar
• ½ tsp of salt
• ¼ cup of almond milk, unsweetened

Ingredients for the cupcakes:

• 1 ¼ cup of all purpose flour
• 2 tsp of baking powder
• ½ cup of brown sugar
• ¼ cup of granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup of almond milk, unsweetened
• ½ cup of extra light olive oil
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract
• ⅓ cup of hot water
• ¾ cup of cocoa powder
• ½ cup of dark chocolate morsels, dairy free (I used Enjoy Life brand found at Target stores)
• Festive Spring sprinkles (I used Wilton brand nonpareils found at Walmart)
• Festive cupcake liners for baking tins (found at Walmart)

Directions for the frosting:

1. In a medium sized bowl, add the creamy peanut butter, dates, coconut oil, vanilla extract, confectioners sugar, salt, and almond milk.
2. Use a handheld mixer on low medium speed to combine until smooth.
3. Place a lid or cling wrap over the bowl and refrigerate until ready to use. The colder the frosting the better, as the frosting tends to melt easily due to the coconut oil.

Directions for the cupcakes:

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
2. Place the cupcake liners in the cupcake tins and set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, sift the all purpose flour, baking powder, and cocoa powder together.
4. Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar. Whisk together.
5. Add the eggs and vanilla extract and fold to combine.
6. Now incorporate the hot water and then the dark chocolate morsels.
7. Mix all the ingredients together until a smooth batter forms.
8. Bake for 15 minutes. Check the cupcake by inserting a knife or toothpick; if it comes out clean, it’s done.
9. Take the baking tins out of the oven and let it sit for 5 minutes, before removing the cupcakes.
10. Place the cupcakes on a cooling rack and let them cool completely before frosting.