Inspiration is all around you.
Exciting new ideas lightly land in your mind like a drifting dandelion seed. What happens with these treasures is up to you.
I’m often inspired by food. (ya think?) These delicious and sometimes crazy edible ideas occur when least expected.
Like while standing in line at Starbucks.
If you frequent Starbucks then you’ve seen all of the new bakery items…loaf cakes, muffins, scones, cookies–you name it. Normally I don’t give the forbidden display of sugar a second glace, but then one day I saw it.
Caramel covered chocolate muffin. Gulp.
It. Looked. So. Good.
Of course it was gigantic and filled with gluten and cane sugar, so I got my tall Pike and raced back to the RHR Kitchen.
My version is in mini-muffin size, the perfect, guilt-free size if you ask me, and I couldn’t resist sprinkling it with pretty pink salt crystals.
Why do salt and sweet taste so awesome together? Scientists have found that certain sweet receptors in your tongue only work when salt is present. So those tasty little salt crystals actually allow you to get a fuller, sweeter taste. Thank you, science.
These petite cupcakes are made with a fluffy, chocolate cake that is drizzled in all natural caramel and sprinkled with pink sea salt. It contains zero gluten, grains, cane sugar or dairy. Just lots of delightful flavor
1¼ cups blanched almond flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup Unsweetened Cacao Powder
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
¼ teaspoon almond extract
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
2 eggs, at room temperature, white and yolks separated
½ cup coconut palm sugar
3 tablespoons coconut milk, canned and full-fat
2 tablespoons coconut oil
pinch of sea salt
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon baking soda
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease a mini muffin tin with coconut oil, or line with paper liners.
Combine the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. In another medium bowl combine the wet ingredients, except the egg whites.
Mix the wet with the dry and set aside.
Beat the egg whites until firm peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter.
Equally distribute the batter between 24 mini muffin molds. Smooth out the tops of each cupcake. Bake for 12 minutes, until the tops are fully set.
In a skillet over medium heat, mix the coconut sugar, milk, oil, salt and vanilla. Once the mixture begins to boil, reduce the heat to low and continue to cook, stirring often for 5 minutes.
Remove the skillet from heat and whisk in the baking soda. The mixture will turn a lighter color and will become creamy. Return to low heat and cook, mixing often, for 2 minutes.
Remove the caramel from heat and allow to cool and thicken for 5 minutes.
Garnish each cupcake with a drizzle of caramel and a generous sprinkle of sea salt. Enjoy!
Calories: 82
Fat: 5g
Carbohydrates: 7g
Sodium: 30mg
Fiber: 2g
Protein: 1g
Sugar: 4g