These decadent and rich paleo chocolate brownie cupcakes have a thick cookie dough buttercream frosting with a dairy free option. They’re perfect for any special occasion or just because you feel like a treat! Kid and family approved, gluten and grain free.
We’re going on a little bit of a dessert kick this weekend! Because Sunday is my birthday 🙂
Every year I post treats during my birthday cake because it’s food blog + birthday always equals some sort of cake!
Whether it’s this classic chocolate chip skillet cookie, German chocolate cake or classic chocolate cake, I’m sensing a chocolate cake theme for my birthday!
And these chocolate brownie cupcakes with cookie dough frosting fit right in with my birthday theme. So let’s dive in!
What You Need To Make Brownie Cupcakes with Cookie Dough Frosting
The ingredients are separated into two groups – the cupcake batter and the frosting. If you’ve made my baking recipes before, you’ll find all the ingredients very familiar!
Here’s everything you’ll need to prepare the cupcakes:
Cupcake Batter:
- eggs
- coconut sugar
- pure maple syrup
- coconut oil, melted
- almond milk
- pure vanilla extract
- blanched almond flour
- raw cacao powder
- baking soda
- fine sea salt
Cookie Dough Frosting:
- grass-fed butter, or palm oil shortening or ghee, at room temperature
- maple sugar
- maple syrup
- arrowroot flour
- fine sea salt
- vanilla extract
- almond milk, if needed
- mini chocolate chips
How to Make Brownie Cupcakes with Cookie Dough Frosting
Preheat your oven to 350° F and line a 12 well cupcake pan with parchment liners. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, coconut sugar, maple syrup, coconut oil, almond milk and vanilla extract until very smooth. Stir in the almond flour, cacao powder, baking soda and salt and whisk until a thick smooth batter forms.
Use a spoon to fill the cupcake liners 3/4 of the way full to make 12 cupcakes. Bake in the preheated oven for 16-19 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center of one cupcake comes out clean or with a few crumbs.
Cool on wire racks completely until cupcakes are cool to the touch.
While the cupcakes cool, make the cookie dough frosting. With an electric hand mixer or stand mixer, beat together the butter or shortening with the maple sugar and maple syrup until smooth. Add in the flour, salt and vanilla and continue to beat. Beat in the milk only if the frosting is too thick. Once smooth and creamy, stir in the mini chocolate chips. Chill the frosting in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes.
Spread or pipe the frosting on the cooled cupcakes before serving. Enjoy!
How To Store Brownie Cupcakes
The cupcakes store very well in the refrigerator. The cake part remains moist and the frosting thickens into the texture of cookie dough.
Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can also freeze these cupcakes for up to 2 weeks. If you freeze them, make sure to defrost in the refrigerator before serving.
Tips for Making the Cookie Dough Frosting Dairy Free
If you can’t use grass fed butter for the frosting, you have a few options.
Vegan butter will work very well since it’s the same consistency and texture as actual butter. That said, it’s difficult to find vegan butter that’s also paleo friendly.
For a completely paleo friendly replacement for butter in frosting recipes and other recipes, palm oil shortening works very well.
This is the base I use for my dairy free buttercream frosting, as well as in pie crusts. I use the Grain Brain brand or Spectrum.
You can also use ghee for this frosting, at room temperature. Even though ghee is technically dairy, it is mostly butterfat and is tolerated by many people who otherwise can’t eat dairy (including myself!)
I hope you’re ready for a seriously delicious treat that’s perfect to make anytime you’re craving something truly decadent!
Grab your ingredients and preheat your oven because it’s time to bake – let’s go!
Brownie Cupcakes with Cookie Dough Frosting {Paleo, Gluten-Free}
Brownie Cupcakes with Cookie Dough Frosting {Paleo, Gluten Free}
Ingredients
Cupcake Batter:
- 3 eggs at room temp
- 3/4 cup coconut sugar
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp coconut oil melted
- 1/4 cup almond milk
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups blanched almond flour
- 2/3 cup raw cacao powder
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
Cookie Dough Frosting:
- 1/2 cup grass-fed butter or palm oil shortening or ghee, at room temperature
- 2/3 cup maple sugar
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 3/4 cup arrowroot flour or tapioca flour
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1-2 tsp almond milk if needed
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 350° F and line a 12 well cupcake pan with parchment liners. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, coconut sugar, maple syrup, coconut oil, almond milk and vanilla extract until very smooth. Stir in the almond flour, cacao powder, baking soda and salt and whisk until a thick smooth batter forms.
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Use a spoon to fill the cupcake liners 3/4 of the way full to make 12 cupcakes. Bake in the preheated oven for 16-19 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center of one cupcake comes out clean or with a few crumbs.
-
Cool on wire racks completely until cupcakes are cool to the touch.
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While the cupcakes cool, make the cookie dough frosting. With an electric hand mixer or stand mixer, beat together the butter or shortening with the maple sugar and maple syrup until smooth. Add in the flour, salt and vanilla and continue to beat. Beat in the milk only if the frosting is too thick. Once smooth and creamy, stir in the mini chocolate chips. Chill the frosting in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes.
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Spread or pipe the frosting on the cooled cupcakes before serving. The cupcakes store very well in the refrigerator. The cake part remains moist and the frosting thickens into the texture of cookie dough. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can also freeze these cupcakes for up to 2 weeks. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Shop Products and Ingredients:
Want More Paleo Cupcake and Cake Recipes? Try One of These!
Vanilla Cupcakes with Dairy Free Buttercream Frosting
Apple Spice Cake with Dairy Free Cream Cheese Frosting
Carrot Cake Cupcakes {Nut Free}
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHELE!!
I wish I could give you THE WORLD, as you have brought such a joy of cooking all things PALEO to our household! Your recipes are ALL AWESOME as I have made many and not one of them is terrible! THEY ARE ALL GREAT and you have become my GO TO gal for my baking and cooking needs! THANK YOU so very much! Blessings your way!
Please make sure to only use Certified Sustainable Palm Oil!
Hello! Looks delicious! Curious about the Nutrition Facts – what is the serving size? Is that for one cupcake or all 12?
I love your recipes and use many of them! In this cupcake recipe can Swerve be subbed in to replace the coconut sugar? My husband has diabetes and swerve works great for him in many recipes.
These look amazing!! Question, don’t have maple sugar, can I use coconut sugar instead?
I used coconut sugar when I made them this weekend and they turned out great! My coworkers all loved them!
I need to make these as MINI cupcakes.. Should I HALF the cooking time?
Oh my gosh these are so delicious!! Husband approved as well! Plus side is that they are easy to make, too!
For some reason, a rating appeared in my comment, so I’m doing a separate comment with my real rating. 🙂 These were fabulous and everyone loved them. A coworker commented that she’d never know they were paleo if I didn’t tell her. I’m already getting asked to make them again.
Is there a way to make this nut free? My coworkers loved them, however, one couldn’t due to having an allergy to tree nuts. I would LOVE to make this again so he can try it!
These are so delicious! I am thinking about using this recipe as a two- or three-layer cake. Do you think the batter will be able to fill two 9-inch cake pans?
Looks like a great healthified version. Yum!
They simply look amazing!!!
looking to make them for my daughters bday.However,we have a nut allergy.
What would you substitute the almond flour with?
All of the cupcakes were perfectly moist and tasted amazing. I had a little trouble with the icing but that could have been something I did. I will definitely be making them again.
Pure deliciousness! You nailed it on the cookie dough frosting although the brownies were perfect too.
So excited about these forget to send you the stars 🙂
Could solid coconut oil be used instead of the butter/ gee/ palm oil?
This recipe is the bomb . It was given to me by my daughter . OMG delicious 😋
Is there a substitute for maple sugar?
The flavor of the frosting was sopt on!! Everyone loved them!!
Could one use Tigernut flour instead of almond in the cupcakes? Excited to try but sometimes I don’t love almond flour texture without tapioca or arrowroot mixed in.. I just LOVE your recipies! Your paleo “buttermilk” pancakes are my fave!
Oh my word! These taste even better than I imagined!!! Wow! The chocolate cupcake is so moist and the icing is simply decadent.
Could I use monkfruit sweetener instead of coconut or maple sugar? I don’t have those so was wondering if could use what I have.