A few months back, I started working with a mom who came to see me because food sensitivity testing showed that her son needed to go on a gluten-free and dairy-free diet. Amongst other things, she needed help with what she could feed him for breakfast. I asked her to give me a list of his favorite breakfasts so that I could help her come up with some similar gluten and dairy free alternatives.  As she listed his favorites off to me, “breakfast cupcakes” caught my attention. “What is that?” I inquired, enticed by the sound of it. As she explained to me that it was basically a traditional white flour and sugar cupcake with cream cheese and jelly “frosting”, I heard the words “challenge accepted” in my own head. Let me explain….

If you’ve hung out with me for a while, you may know that I am a huge fan of the show How I Met Your Mother. Well, “challenge accepted” is a catchphrase that Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) says in the show when he accepts a challenge to do something. However, no one has actually challenged him to do anything….or usually even cares if he succeeds.

So, in that moment I “accepted” my clients “challenge” to create a healthy gluten and dairy-free Breakfast Cupcake.

It took the kids and me eight versions to perfect this recipe. But don’t worry, not a single crumb went to waste in any of our attempts 🙂 If I’m going to endorse a cupcake for breakfast (even a “special occasion” breakfast), I wanted to be sure it was high in protein, fiber, and good fats, low in sugar of any kind, and tasted delicious!

Behold…..The Breakfast Cupcake. Let me know what you think!

Breakfast Cupcakes
by Debbie Steinbock

Banana Chocolate Chip Cupcakes
makes 9-12

Ingredients:
2 bananas (approximately 1 cup of mashed banana)
3 eggs
2 Tbsp. cashew butter
3 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted
1 Tbsp. maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup coconut flour
1/3 cup tapioca flour
2 Tbsp. non-dairy milk (almond, hazelnut, rice, etc.)
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. sea salt
3 Tbsp.- ¼ cup mini chocolate chips (optional)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tray with parchment paper muffin cups.
2. Add all the ingredients into a large bowl (except the chocolate chips) and combine well using a hand mixer. Stir in the chocolate chips (optional).
3. Fill the parchment muffin cups with batter to about ½ to 2/3 of the way full (this will make either 9 or 12 cupcakes, depending on the size you want them).
4. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. (After 20 minutes, check them about every 3 minutes.)
5. Let cool completely before frosting.

Cashew Cream Frosting
enough for 12 cupcakes

Ingredients:
2 cup raw cashews, soaked at least 2 hours to soften
2 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted
3 Tbsp. maple syrup
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
½  tsp. sea salt
2-4 Tbsp. water, depending on desired thickness

Method:

1. Add everything to a high powered blender, and blend on high until very smooth and creamy.
2. Start with a small amount of water, and add more gradually to thin it out as needed. If you make it too thin, it will be runny and more like a glaze than a frosting.
3. For frosting breakfast cupcakes, this is best made the day before and allowed to cool completely and thicken in the fridge.