Black Bean Cupcakes with Sugar-Free Peanut Butter Frosting

Recently, Jade's kindergarten class had a 'mom's day'.

There are only ten kids in her class, so it was a small gathering. Because of Jadie's allergies, her teacher always informs me beforehand if there is to be any food served at school, and I almost always end up having to bring her an alternative. This day, I made her these delicious cupcakes!

It's a funny thing when you have food restrictions. I often get the sense that people who have never dealt with allergies or specific diets don't quite get it.

As the assistant teacher was describing the spread that she had prepared for mom's day, she carefully overemphasized the word organic when describing the oranges she had brought in. I got the feeling that her explanation may have been directed at me, as I have the only special needs child in this regard.

I actually rolled my eyes a bit, as this teacher already irks me, and it was chuckle-worthy that she then went on to tell us about her homemade muffins, which contained white flour and a copious amount of sugar. Now that, I'm concerned with!

Jade is generally sensitive to wheat, but I also try to limit sugar with my kids. Man, do they ever crack out! Jadie, in particular, experiences severe mood changes when she eats sweets, so my current lower sugar recipes have been suiting my family in more ways than one.

These 'cupcakes', for example, contain only one tablespoon of added honey, making them much more agreeable for all of us. I also typically use a combination of cocoa and carob to cut the bitterness of the cocoa. Half cocoa, half carob is perfect in most recipes, as it lets the chocolate taste shine through, but also allows me to use less sweetener. Stevia, I find, pairs really well with carob too!

These are made even more delicious by the addition of a sugar-free peanut butter frosting. I made the cupcakes and just felt they needed a bit more 'oomph', so I literally took one minute to whip the topping together, and it was perfect!

Print Recipe

4.67 from 6 votes

Black Bean Cupcakes with Sugar-Free Peanut Butter Frosting

Black bean cupcakes topped with sugar-free peanut butter frosting.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time25 mins

Total Time35 mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: Cupcakes

Servings: 12 cupcakes

Calories: 129kcal

Author: Lauren Goslin

Ingredients

• CUPCAKES:
• 15 ounce can black beans , rinsed, drained, and patted dry
• 2 eggs
• 6 T . cocoa powder (I generally use 3 tablespoons cocoa plus 3 tablespoons carob)
• 1 t . baking soda
• ¼ t . sea salt
• ¼ c . + 3 T. applesauce
• 3 T . oil (I use grapeseed or coconut)
• 2 t . vanilla extract
• 1 T . honey
• stevia , to taste (see Notes)
• FROSTING:
• 3 T . peanut butter
• 3-5 T . dairy-free milk (see Notes)
• ½ t . vanilla
• stevia , to taste

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Process all the ingredients for the cupcakes until smooth and well combined.
• Pour into 10 paper muffin cups.
• Bake 25 minutes.
• For the frosting, mix all the ingredients together, adding milk until you reach your desired thickness.
• Frost the cooled cupcakes.
• Dust with cinnamon, if desired.
• Enjoy!

Notes

Fat: 12.9 g  Carbs: 8.1 g  Sugar: 3.4 g  Protein: 4.5 g; Nutrition facts based on using all cocoa powder, grapeseed oil, and light coconut milk in the frosting. WW SmartPoints: 4

Nutrition

Calories: 129kcal

Notes:

I like to use this stevia in my recipes.

I use my Homemade Coconut Milk in the frosting.

Hah, I wasn't going to include this cupcake 'avalanche', but then thought what the heck! Not sure if the picture adds to their appeal or not though...I'm still learning the photog thing, bear with me! 🙂

What obstacles have you encountered with your health or allergies?