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These Chocolate Chip Cupcakes w/ Cocoa & Tahini are adorable little mini cupcakes perfect for Valentine’s Day. Treat your sweetie…or your kids…or yourself…to some chocolate indulgence made healthier with no dairy, no eggs, no oil, and no refined sugar.
We’re only a week away from Valentine’s Day. While I’m not big on a showy celebration, I do enjoy eating sweets!
It doesn’t have to be a holiday for me to indulge in some decadent chocolate, but it is probably the only time you’ll see me busting out the heart shaped cupcake pan. And who can resist little chocolate heart shaped cupcakes? Not my kids, that’s for sure. I lost count of how many they have eaten.
Ok, I’ll admit, I lost count on how many I have eaten! And you will too!
As far as cupcakes go, these Chocolate Chip Cupcakes are pretty healthy. You don’t need eggs, dairy, oil, or refined sugar to make a delicious, melt in your mouth treat. And there’s only ½ cup of flour in the whole recipe too. What you will find is:
- luscious deep chocolate flavor
- vitamin and mineral rich tahini, which balances out the sweetness perfectly
- little bites of chocolate chips – heaven!
- healthy plant protein
- healthy unsaturated fats
Icing
I drizzled on some lightly hued pink icing, mostly for my girls’ benefit.
I had a bottle of cran-apple juice in the fridge and used that instead of non-dairy milk to mix with the powdered sugar.
You can use anything red – beet juice would make a gorgeous color.
As much as we loved the addition of the icing, it’s absolutely not necessary.
Check out the soft, fluffy texture of the inside of the cupcake above. These mini Tahini Chocolate Chip Cupcakes are so light and moist. No one will know these are dairy free, oil free, egg free, and refined sugar free!
Bonus – they are nut free too, so feel free to pack one in your kids’ lunch to show them how much you love them!
Happy Valentine’s Day!
I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! If you tried it, please use the rating system in the recipe card and leave a comment below with your feedback.
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Tahini Chocolate Chip Cupcakes (Vegan, Oil Free)
Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup white whole wheat flour
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp arrowroot powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ¾ cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar or organic cane sugar)
- ½ cup tahini
- 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup unsweetened almond milk (or plant milk of choice)
- ¼ cup dairy-free chocolate chips
Icing, optional
- ⅓ cup organic powdered sugar
- 1 ½ tbsp unsweetened almond milk (or red juice if you want a pink hue; I used Cran-Apple juice I happened to have in the fridge)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- Lightly spray a 12-cavity heart shaped mini muffin pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, arrowroot powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.
- In a medium mxing bowl, whisk together the tahini, vanilla, and non-dairy milk.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and stir until combined.
- Mix in the chocolate chips.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, filling each cavity no more than half way.
- Bake 23-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 20-30 minutes** before removing from the pan.
- Drizzle icing, if using, over the top of the cupcakes before serving.
Ceara says
I can’t wait to try this recipe, Jenn. These muffins sound fabulous!
Jenn S. says
Thanks, Ceara! Enjoy!
Cadry says
Such cute little cupcakes! I can’t think of a better way to get in the Valentine’s Day spirit. And tahini is so great with chocolate! I always forget about that, but I appreciate this heart-shaped reminder. 🙂
Jenn S. says
Haha, you’re welcome! It’s definitely a great combo! Thanks, Cadry!
Edwina | The Induction Cook says
I love the heart shapes, just gorgeous. I’ve never baked with tahini before but it sounds like a great idea so I’ll have to try it. I’m also thinking these might be healthy enough to add to the children’s lunch boxes. I know they’d love them but I’m sure I’ll be eating a lot of them first.
Jenn S. says
Hi, Edwina! You can use tahini like any nut butter and I just love the flavor it lends to chocolate. Perfect for the lunchbox as they are nut-free (if you use soy milk). Let me know if you make them!
Linda - Veganosity says
Pretty and good for you, what’s not to like? These sounds delicious, Jenn. I’ll have to make them for the hubby on V Day morning.
Jenn S. says
Thanks, Linda! I hope you both love them! I’ve been eating cupcakes for breakfast for days. LOL!
Starr says
These sound amazing, I adore chocolate and tahini together! And how cute is that muffin tin?!
Jenn S. says
It’s totally worth it to have a pan you only use once a year, right?! Ha!! Thanks, Starr!
Agness of Run Agness Run says
I love this heart shaped cupcakes, Jenn. They would be a great idea for Valentine”s Day!
Jenn S. says
Thanks, Agness! Definitely a fun festive treat!
Michelle says
OMG, that pan! These are darling– and I absolutely love that photo with one cake removed and the strawberries in place. I’ve been having a love affair with tahini lately, so am definitely going to try these!
Jenn S. says
Thank you so much, Michelle! I needed a little pop of color in that photo. 🙂 The pan is darling, isn’t it…even if I do only use it once a year. LOL!
Sarah says
These look and sound absolutely delightful! I’m loving that they’re vegan and the addition of tahini is amazing!
Jenn S. says
Thank you, Sarah! I really loved the way the tahini balances the sweetness. 🙂
Lisa Bryan | Downshiftology says
I love tahini and the heart shaped pan – so cute!
Jenn S. says
Thanks, Lisa! I really love the tahini in this recipe too! Such a great balance of flavors!
Vanessa Croessmann says
How cute are these? Extra brownie, wait nevermind! Extra Chocolate Chip Cupcake Points for making these healthy! Pinning them 😉
Jenn S. says
HaHa! Thanks, Vanessa! Enjoy!
Natalie | Feasting on Fruit says
These are the cutest, that’s the kind of pan I wish I could just rent for 2 weeks a year 😀 I love the tahini addition too, so yummy with chocolate!
Jenn S. says
HaHa, I know!Sometimes I just can’t resist the cuteness. This is only the second time I’ve used it (well, I made this recipe 3 times to get them perfect, but you know) ….and the first time was an utter failure. Must have been last year’s attempt at a Valentine’s Day recipe, but I can’t remember. LOL!
Becky Striepe says
These look so amazing! Darrol and I are on a baking kick right now. Maybe we’ll do these next!
Jenn S. says
Perfect! My girls helped me make these! I let them pour everything in…except for the arrowroot because that stuff can get quite messy! 🙂 Hope you guys love them!
Mary Ellen - VNutrition says
These look amazing! I’ll have to make these for the hubs for Valentine’s Day!
Jenn S. says
Thank you, Mary Ellen! You might want to make a double batch – ours didn’t last very long!! 🙂
Dreena says
These are adorable! Not sure the icing would be optional for me. 😉 Linking through to those chocolate truffles too, they caught my eye.
Jenn S. says
Thank you, Dreena! My girls would say the icing is not optional either. 🙂 It honestly doesn’t bring much as way of flavor or sweetness…unless you really drench them…but it does look pretty! 🙂 Enjoy the truffles too!
Dianne's Vegan Kitchen says
This look so tasty, and they’re perfect for Valentine’s Day! I love that they’re made with tahini!
Jenn S. says
Thanks, Dianne! I love tahini and it really balances the sweetness so well. 🙂