I’ve combined two recipes to inspire you to get in the spirit of Halloween, creating ghostly chocolate cupcakes: Ghostly meringues and chocolate cupcakes. If you prefer almond flour, here’s my recipe for chocolate cupcakes using almond flour.
The meringues are also great on pumpkin muffins or vanilla cupcakes.
Happy Halloween!
Chocolate Cupcakes {coconut flour}
Servings: 8 cupcakes
Calories: 117kcal
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup maple syrup or honey
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C or gas mark 4).
- Combine all the dry ingredients and blend well.
- Add the dry and wet ingredients to a standing or hand mixer and blend until completely mixed. Let the batter sit for a few minutes, mix once more and go to the next step.
- Fill each cupcake liners to the halfway mark. (If you've added chips, they tend to sink to the bottom of the cupcake, so try adding the chips after you've added the batter to each liner.)
- Bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
- Cool the cupcakes before frosting.
- For the frosting using butter and shortening, combine all the buttercream ingredients in a mixer or bowl, and whip at a medium-high speed for several minutes until completely blended and creamy.
- Decorate and eat! I store these cupcakes at room temperature for a few days, but you can also store them, covered, in the refrigerator or freeze for a few months.
Nutrition
Calories: 117kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 79mg | Sodium: 146mg | Potassium: 81mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 115IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 1mg
Ghostly Meringues and Marshmallows
If you want marshmallow ghosts, keep them in the oven for about 1 hour. If you want full-on meringues that crunch and then melt in your mouth, leave them in closer to 1 1/2 hours or so. Test them by taking one out of the oven and letting it cool for a minute or so.I use either a dehydrator and the oven, whichever is free. My dehydrator only reaches a high of 190 degrees F, so that's the setting I use and the ghosts do fine.These tend to absorb atmospheric moisture, so if you're not in a dry climate, you might find you need to "re-dry" the meringues after a few hours. Just place them back in the oven or dehydrator for 20 minutes or so to re-dry.
Servings: 26 ghosts
Calories: 21kcal
Equipment
- Mixer with a whipping attachment
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 large egg whites
- 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice or vinegar; or a pinch of cream of tartar
- Ghostly eyes chocolate chips, currants, raisins
Instructions
- Prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper, or non-stick mats. Also prepare a pastry bag, or a plastic freezer bag with one of the ends cut slightly to let a small amount of meringue out when you squeeze it to shape the meringues.
- Add the honey to a saucepan and boil it somewhat vigorously until it starts to turn brown (or about 250 degrees F). It should form a ball when place a drop of the honey in cold water. Let it cool but keep it somewhat runny so you can pour it into the egg whites.
- Place the egg whites in a dry, clean mixing bowl. Begin whipping the egg whites using the whipping attachment for your mixer. Once they become frothy (after a few minutes), add the salt and cream of tartar (or lemon juice), and continue whipping the egg whites until they start to get glossy. I use a Kitchen Aid mixer with the whip attachment, but you could use a hand beater. Keep the egg whites whipping all the time.
- When the egg whites start to get slightly glossy, slowly drizzle the honey into the egg whites while you continue to whip them. The honey may spray a bit – to avoid this I drip the honey almost down the side of the bowl. Continue whipping them to maintain their peaks - about 5 more minutes. They should be very light and fluffy at this point. Keep an eye on them. If they've turned to liquid you've gone too far.
- Transfer the meringue mixture to the pastry bag or plastic bag.
- Preheat an oven or dehydrator to 200 degrees F.
- Holding the bag of meringue mixture, squeeze the bag in small circles to form the ghosts (on the parchment paper or non-stick surface). Don’t worry if they’re not perfect – they can pass as ghosts or mummies.
- Add eyes now or when they come out of the oven – either way works because they are still slightly sticky when they’re finished drying (and before they cool). If you're adding chocolate, they may sweat a bit.
- Place the meringues in the oven for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until they are dry to the touch. Once they cool for a few minutes you can test them to see if they’re crunchy (you may have to taste one). If they’re not crunchy after this point, keep them in the oven or dehydrator longer. Since you’re not using powdered sugar (which gets them crunchier faster), you may have to leave them in a warm oven for a few hours.
- Store them in a dry place for a few days. Re-dry as necessary.
- Happy Halloween!
Nutrition
Calories: 21kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Sodium: 4mg | Potassium: 8mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 1mg | Iron: 1mg
Can I use erythritol instead of maple syrup or honey? and will I need to add more liquid into the batter if I use erythritol? Thanks!
For the cupcakes, yes, but not for the ghost topping. I haven’t tried it though. Yes, you can use water, coconut milk or other liquid to make up for the liquid.