Peppermint Mocha Cupcakes! Rich fluffy dark chocolate cupcakes infused with coffee and candy cane flavor. Vegan, grain-free, date-sweetened!
SPONSORED BY SUNBUTTER
And just like that thanksgiving has passed and it is time for all things candy cane and cutout cookie and gingerbread spice and festive fluffy Peppermint Mocha Cupcakes. A holiday classic, right? This cocoa plus coffee plus candy cane combination transitions flawlessly from latte to cupcake––coffee makes the chocolate flavor extra rich, peppermint adds that pop of HOLIDAY feels, and the chocolate peppermint frosting on top are just swirls of piped perfect joy.
Welcome to almost December friends, its a delicious place to be!
Holiday Decadent But Healthy-ish
Okay so the ingredient list is breaking tradition a bit (okay a LOT). Bake assured that these cupcakes are fluffy and moist and more than rich enough to pass the non-vegan family taste test with flying colors. They are prepared and so very ready to be shared.
But they do happen to undetectably be:
- Vegan of course, no eggs or dairy here.
- Grain-free made with a mix of coconut and tapioca flours.
- Date-sweetened (date-sweetened frosting option included too).
- Nut-free made with SunButter!
How to Make Peppermint Mocha Cupcakes
So what ingredients are required to make a holiday cupcake that truly has it all? Allow me to tell you…
- Pitted medjool dates…
- Blended with coffee. You can buy cold brew or brew fresh, but if you do make it strong. And if you really want to amp up the coffee flavor add a half teaspoon of espresso powder too.
- SunButter to make them super moist but oil-free. I used the organic variety because it’s unsalted with nothing added, so perfect for baking.
- Peppermint extract or a few drops of peppermint essential oil.
- Cocoa powder.
- Coconut flour and tapioca flour, which work wonderfully together to create the most fluffy grain-free texture.
- Baking soda and apple cider vinegar for rise.
- And a little salt, always important in chocolate baking.
Personally I topped with my go-to chocolate cashew frosting. Its dairy-free and super creamy, better for piping than the date-sweetened version. You can also go classic chocolate buttercream, or even vanilla frosting if you prefer.
Watch How To Make These Peppermint Mocha Cupcakes
Garnish with a candy cane. Or opt for festive holiday sprinkles. Or don’t garnish at all, just plain and simple frosting + cake to the face. Either way, happy holiday baking to you!
More Peppermint Recipes You’ll Love
- Vegan Peppermint Bark
- Candy Cane Nice Cream
- Peppermint Hot Chocolate Mousse
- Peppermint Mocha Date Balls
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Peppermint Mocha Cupcakes! Rich fluffy dark chocolate cupcakes infused with coffee and candy cane flavor. Vegan, grain-free, date-sweetened!
Ingredients
- 1 cup (200g) pitted medjool dates
- 1 cup brewed coffee (make it strong!)
- 1/2 cup (125g) SunButter (I used the Organic)
- 1 tsp peppermint extract*
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup (30g) coconut flour
- 1/4 cup (30g) tapioca starch
- 1/4 cup (25g) cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 batch vegan chocolate frosting with 1 tsp peppermint extract added**
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Blend the dates with coffee, apple cider vinegar, and peppermint extract (or oil) until smooth.
- Transfer to a bowl and stir in SunButter.
- Add the flours, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk/stir until combined.
- Scoop into a cupcake pan, filling each to the top (you should get 7-8 cupcakes depending on your pan).
- Bake for 22-25 minutes at 350ºF until they bounce back when lightly pressed in the center.
- Cool completely (even overnight) before frosting.
- Frost, garnish, and eat!
Notes
*Or a few drops peppermint essential oil if you prefer
**For a date-sweetened frosting, try THIS recipe instead.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cupcake
- Calories: 361
- Sugar: 41g
- Sodium: 230mg
- Fat: 17g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Carbohydrates: 51g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 5g
Keywords: gluten free, grain free, coconut flour, fluffy, moist, holiday, christmas, dates, egg free, paleo, dairy free
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Can you use cashew butter instead of sunbutter?
Absolutely! That will work perfectly too 🙂
This looks delicious 😋 I would love to make this as a cake instead of cupcakes. Have you tried that before? Anything that need to be adjusted? Thank you!
I haven’t tried this one as a cake, but should be fine! I would not recommend a loaf cake but a regular 8″ square or round cake pan should be fine. Bake it a bit longer, 30-35 mins!
Perfect- I was thinking about an 8 inch round. Thank you very much!
Yay, happy baking Erica!
It looks great but I can’t drink coffee. What can I use instead?
Almond milk will work! Or water, but milk will make them a bit more moist 🙂
Many thanks.
Can I skip peppermint and use the recipe?
Absolutely! They will be delish without 🙂
Hey! These look amazing and I love all your ideas and inspiration. I’m making these right now and after 25 minutes the middle looks raw still… I know they have no egg so they don’t need to be cooked as much but am I right in thinking that ty way shouldn’t be that wet in the middle?
Oh no, so sorry I am just seeing this now!! They should definitely not be wet in the middle, they should pass the toothpick test when done. Sounds like your batter was possibly too wet, did you measure by weight or cups?
No worries. I ended up baking for about an extra 10 and they were great! I don’t have a scale so I always measure… I also ruff up the coconut flour to make sure it doesn’t get packed. I’m making a other batch today and I added an extra 3/4 tbsp of coconut flour to see if it remedies it for me 🤞🏼! I’m also making them bigger so it’s an experiment either way for cooking time 🤪. Do you find that weighing is more ideal for your recipes so I know for the future?
I am so happy you figured it out! Weight is always more precise for any recipes, not just mine, and saves you on clean up so I highly recommend it. But if not then yes just making sure the flour doesn’t get too packed is perfect. I hope batch number 2 comes out even better 🙂
These were DELISH! Mine didn’t grow as much but I think it’s because I tried to make more than 8? I should have smoothed the top because they were pointy and stayed pointy. Mountains am I right? Really interesting batter, fluffy! Tried to make frosting but failed. I did a speed version of soaking cashews and it did not work. Also didn’t want to use oil so I used almond milk and WAY too liquidy. :’( tried to add starch and then sun butter to thicken. Wow we went places.
Made A BUNCH of feasting on fruit goods past two days and they were all wins minus my fail on peppermint bark and frosting these guys.
★★★★★
Hahaha always love to hear about your twists, I am so happy they still tasted yummy even if a little mountainous. But yes smoothing the tops and sticking to just 8 max will help with appearance for sure🧁 I am enjoying hearing about all your recipe experimenting Jenn!
Hahah they were! Messy frosting but so delicious. Thank you for all your recipes and help! 🎄
Have you tried with date sugar? My blender has a hard time with dates. I have been using date sugar instead but am concerned that the consistency would be off too much if I swapped.
They are so different in moisture/bulk that I don’t think swapping in a granulated sugar will work in this recipe. But this chocolate cupcake is made with coconut sugar, and you could definitely swap date sugar in there: https://feastingonfruit.com/easy-vegan-paleo-chocolate-cupcakes/#tasty-recipes-20445