Today is Valentine’s Day Eve and I’ve prepared some love for my workmates. I wanted to to keep the treat half way healthy so, folks don’t feel like their are destroying their New Year’s resolutions. So, I enlisted the help of the mighty black bean, coconut flour, applesauce and some agave. This is the half way healthy part. Unfortunately, the icing is pure evil : ) … powdered sugar, coconut creamer and Earth Balance spread.

Hope you have a fabulous Valentine’s Day. Enjoy!

Ingredients – Cupcakes:

• 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 3 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce
• 3/4 cup of agave (add more of less depending how sweet you like it)
• 1/3 of heaping cup of cocoa
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 2 /2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of Xanthan gum
• 1/2 cup of coconut flour
• Coconut creamer – the amount depends on the thickness of your batter
• Chocolate chips (optional)

Directions – Cupcakes:

• Place drained and rinsed beans in a food processor, blend for a couple of minutes.
• Add eggs, one at a time, and vanilla until completely incorporated.
• Add the agave, blend.
• Add the applesauce, baking powder, baking soda and xanthan gum, blend.
• Add the cocoa, blend.
• Finally add the coconut flour, blend.
• You will probably need to add some coconut creamer or milk, totally up to you, to thin the batter a bit. It will be a thick batter.
• If using chocolate chips, fold them into the batter now.
• Place batter in a greased cupcake pan. I used coconut oil. I also use an 1/8 cup to measure the batter into the cups.
• Bake in a 300 degree preheated over for 15 minutes, check and see if you need more time. The cupcakes to spring back tot he touch.
• Cool in pan for five minutes then remove to a cooling rack.

Ingredients – Icing:

• 2 3/4 cups powdered sugar
• 6 tablespoons Earth Balance
• 5 tablespoons of cocoa
• 5 tablespoons of coconut creamer

Directions – Icing:

• Mix all ingredients together on a slow speed.
• Once the icing begins to come together, increase the speed of the mixer.
• Ice cooled cupcakes, if there is extra icing store in the refrigerator.

Please make sure that all of your ingredients are gluten free. Just because ingredients are listed  does not insinuate that they are gluten free. Please make sure you choose the appropriate ingredients for your audience of tasters. Kroger has a wonderful list on their website (71 pages) of all the gluten free items in their stores.