This post is sponsored by Barlean’s. Chocolate Cinnamon Cupcakes are moist, delicious, and made with coconut oil, not butter. You won’t be able to tell the difference!

I admit, I haven’t done much in the way of vegan baking, but when Choctoberfest sponsor Barlean’s sent products to me, I thought I would give it a go. I know I’ve mentioned before that my younger sister is vegan, and when I told her about all the products I was getting for Choctoberfest, she asked me to make her something.

I am going to assume that she was just joking, but I took her seriously and after checking with her on preferences (she’s a weirdo who doesn’t like peanut butter in things like cookies), I went with Chocolate Cinnamon Cupcakes.

One of the products we were sent by Barlean’s was their Butter-Flavored Coconut Oil.

It’s the perfect butter substitute with all the health benefits of coconut oil. It can be used as a 1:1 substitution for butter or vegetable oils in baking. I was a little skeptical about it – I’m a non-vegan who HATES anything coconut-flavored or related. However, rather than using canola or vegetable oil, I melted the coconut oil down, and used that instead. Imagine my surprise when I sampled the batter and discovered that you could NOT tell the difference! I was surprised enough that I told my sister the cupcakes didn’t taste vegan at all!

I also used the coconut oil in the frosting I made. And even there, I could not tell the difference. The frosting was chocolatey, creamy, and fluffy. I shipped the cupcakes to my sister, who shared them with my nieces and nephews, and she declared them delicious.

Chocolate Cinnamon Cupcakes #Choctoberfest

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Ingredients

For the Cupcakes:

• 1 1/2 C all-purpose flour
• 1/2 C Dutch-processed cocoa
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1 1/4 C granulated sugar
• 3/4 C strongly-brewed coffee, room temperature
• 1/2 C Barlean's Butter-Flavored Coconut Oil, melted
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 tsp. almond extract
• 2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

For the Frosting:

• 1 C Barlean's Butter-Flavored Coconut Oil
• 4 C powdered sugar, sifted
• 2 oz. almond milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners and set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, coffee, coconut oil, vanilla, and almond extract. Gradually add the flour mixture, then stir in the balsamic vinegar.
Using a large (3-Tbsp.) scoop, place the batter in the prepared pan. Bake for 23-25 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center of several cupcakes comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in the pan, then remove and cool completely on a wire rack.
To make the frosting, place the coconut oil in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Whip for 1-2 minutes, or until fluffy. On low speed, gradually add half the powdered sugar. Add the vanilla, and about half of the almond milk. Add the remaining powdered sugar, adding some or all of the rest of the almond milk if the frosting is too thick. Whip on high speed for 1-2 minutes. Pipe or decorate cooled cupcakes as desired.

I would think it goes without saying, but if you are making these for a vegan friend, make sure that your sugars and other ingredients are vegan-friendly. My sister gave me a list of ingredients that are vegan, so I made sure to use those in my recipe.

Also, check out the giveaway post from Monday (if you haven’t already) and make sure you enter! And check out today’s other Choctoberfest recipes: