Hello there! Today we are making some healthy Hostess chocolate cupcakes! Now I think we can all agree that those all those Hostess items are delicious, but definitely not the best for you. I wanted to recreate the famous chocolate cupcakes and put a healthy spin on them! These might be healthier, but they do not lack in flavor!
All the Hostess treats have lines and lines of ingredients, and that is just not what you want to see when looking at an ingredients label. There are so many unpronounceable chemicals that certainly does not belong in your body. I recommend whenever buying any processed items, always look at the ingredients list. There should only be ingredients that you know and trust! Sometimes, this isn’t possible, especially if you want to occasionally dive into some Doritos or Poptarts. These cupcake remakes only contain a handful of ingredients that are both healthy and familiar.
On top of these cupcakes being healthy and delicious, they are super easy to make! It only takes about 20 minutes to prepare your batter, and 15 minutes to bake. Make sure the cupcakes have cooled before apply the ganache and frosting, or else they will both melt and turn into a gooey mess. I stored the leftovers in the fridge and they will last for up to one week! You can also store these in the freezer and when ever you want one just thaw it out and they are ready to enjoy. The frozen ones will last for a couple months!
Key ingredients in these healthy Hostess chocolate cupcakes:
- Gluten free oats
- This is such a s great flour option for all those gluten free people out there. Oats are so good for your body, and they have a great texture when baked.
- Cocoa powder
- I like using cocoa powder over cacao powder because I like the flavor more. Cocoa powder sometimes contains added sugar, so be on the lookout for a cocoa powder with the only 1 ingredient (cocoa powder).
- Coconut sugar
- I love using coconut sugar as my granulated sugar. It add a deep nutty flavor as well as a richer color. Brown sugar or maple sugar will work well here too.
- Almond milk
- Use your favorite almond milk. All I would suggest is to pick a unsweetened and unflavored one so that it does not construe with the flavors of all the other ingredients.
- Maple syrup
- This is by far my favorite liquid sweetener! Honey (not vegan) and agave are great substitutes.
- Coconut oil
- Coconut oil is essential when using oat flour as your main flour. It makes the cupcakes turn out super moist and soft!
- Vegan dark chocolate chips
- You can use your favorite chocolate chips, but I used Lily’s vegan dark chocolate chips. I cannot tell that they are completely sugar free.
- Coconut cream
- This is essential to making a creamy ganache. A little bit of this will go a long way for this recipe.
- Vanilla frosting
- I used Simple Mills vanilla frosting, and I love the flavor and the ingredients they use.
Healthy Hostess Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcake
- 1 cup gluten free oats flour
- ⅔ cup cocoa powder
- 2 tbsp coconut sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup almond milk
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
Ganache
- ½ cup vegan dark chocolate chips I used Lily's
- 1 tsp coconut cream
Frosting
- ½ cup vegan frosting I used Simple Mills vanilla frosting
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together your gluten free oat flour, cocoa powder, coconut sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk everything together, and make sure there are no lumps.
- Then add you almond milk, maple syrup and coconut oil. Fold your dry ingredients with your wet ingredients until everything is combined thoroughly.
- Spray a muffin tin with some cooking spray, and fill the muffin tins 3/4 of the way full with the batter.
- Bake the cupcakes at 350F for 15 minutes.
- In the mean time, prepare your chocolate ganache by microwaving you chocolate chips with the coconut cream. Microwave in 20 second intervals, with stirring in between, to ensure the chocolate does not burn.
- Allow the muffins to cool before using the back of a wooden spoon to press down the center portion of each cupcake.
- Fill each cupcake with 1 tsp of frosting.
- Use a butter knife to top each cupcake with a layer of chocolate ganache,
- Finally swirl on some fronting on top of the chocolate ganache. I filled a zip lock bag and cup the bottom corner off to pipe on the frosting.
