Mackenzie’s Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes

I created this recipe on the fly on a hot summer’s morn; Julia was throwing a raw vegan potluck at her house and as per my history of procrastination, I had to whip up something fast and on the fly on the day of. Originally, I wanted to make Mimi Kirk’s Pear and Cheese Turnover but because I don’t have a high speed blender, the dough portion wasn’t turning out too well. At that point it was t-minus 4 hours to potluck time and I needed an idea – fast! I added a bit more water and asked myself, “What can I possibly do with this?” As is if by a miracle, I whipped up these cupcakes and they ended up being a hit.

Makes 24 cupcakes.

Dough

2 cups ground almonds
2 cups shredded coconut
4 dates, soaked
2-3 tbsp agave nectar
1/2 cup ground flax
1/2 cup psyllium, finely ground*
1.5 – 2 cups water

• Blend coconut, water, dates, and agave in the blender. Combine ground almonds, flax and psyllium in a mixing bowl. Add wet ingredients and mix well. Line a muffin tin with paper cups and press dough into cups while in the tin (to maintain shape). I then put the cups in my oven on “warming” (145°F) and left the oven door open using a wooden spoon wedged in between the door (making sure nothing was touching it – aka. dangerous). I dehydrated the cups for about 2 hours.

Filling

1 ripe avocado
1/2 cup agave nectar
1/4 cup raw cacao powder
1/2 cup dates
1/4 cup walnuts
2 tbsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp organic vanilla extract (not raw)

• I put all the filling ingredients in a food processor and blended until smooth. When the cups were ready, I filled each one with a dollop of chocolate filling, topped them with fresh raspberries and a sprinkling of raw almond seeds, and drizzled a bit of agave on top (I used precisely 8 drops of agave on each one because I am a perfectionist and clearly insane).

*Note: Psyllium is VERY high in fibre, so if you eat more than one of these cupcakes, please drink a tremendous amount of water afterward.