ChocoNanaBerry Cupcakes with Whipped Cream Frosting (grain-free : primal : gluten:free)

At the request of a young houseguest, I recently made some cupcakes.  We combined chocolate chips, strawberries, and bananas to make a new cupcake recipe that was very tasty.  Topped with a very simple whipped cream frosting, these cupcakes were a hit!

ChocoNanaBerry Cupcakes
Makes 12 cupcakes

• 1/2 cup butter or unrefined coconut oil 
• 1/2 cup mild-flavored honey
• 3/4 tsp celtic sea salt 
• 6 eggs, preferably pasture-raised
• 1.5 tsp vanilla extract 
• 1/2 tsp almond extract 
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 cup coconut flour
• 1 ripe banana, mashed
• 1 cup chopped frozen strawberries*
• 1 cup mini chocolate chips**

1. Melt butter or coconut oil in a small saucepan over low heat. Turn off heat and allow to cool slightly.
2. Meanwhile, combine the eggs, salt, vanilla extract, almond extract, and baking soda in a large bowl.  If using an immersion blender, pulse a few times to combine. Otherwise, mix to combine with a whisk or mixer.
3. Add the honey to the butter (or coconut oil) and stir slightly.  Pour this mixture into the wet ingredients and blend well with immersion blender or mixer.
4. Measure out the coconut flour.  Since coconut flour clumps, it will need to be sifted*** if you are not using an immersion blender. 
5. Pour the coconut flour into the bowl with the wet ingredients.  Use an immersion blender or mixer to thoroughly combine all ingredients, making sure there are no lumps.  (Since coconut flour does not contain gluten, there is no worry of over-mixing it).
6. Add mashed banana and mix to combine.  Stir in the chopped strawberries and chocolate chips.
7. Line a muffin tin with paper cups.  Scoop the batter into the paper cups.  I like to use a 3-Tb scoop for this, but you could just use a large spoon.  The cups will be quite full, and the batter will be fairly thick.
8. Bake cupcakes in 325 degree oven for about 40-50 minutes, until cupcakes are set and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
9. Remove from oven and cool completely before frosting.  Store these in the fridge, else they will be a tad crumbly!

*Do NOT thaw the strawberries all the way!  If you choose to use fresh strawberries instead of frozen, they will probably not meld into the cupcakes, but will be a bit more chunky.  I find that, unless it is local strawberry season, frozen strawberries have far superior flavor to the ones you can by fresh at the store.
**I use dairy-free, soy-free chocolate chips, but they are still not GAPS-legal. To make this recipe GAPS-legal, you may have to omit the chocolate chips or try to make your own using honey as a sweetener.  Or, you could replace a little of the coconut flour with cocoa and have the whole muffin be chocolate-flavored.
**If you use an immersion blender to combine the ingredients, you can skip the step of sifting the coconut flour.  This also gives you less dirty dishes!


Whipped Cream Frosting

• 2 cups raw cream
• pinch of fine-ground celtic sea salt
• 1/2 tsp organic vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup raw mild-flavored honey*

1. Beat the cream and salt together until the mixture starts to get thick and fluffy.  I like to use my Kitchen-Aid stand mixer with the wire whip attachment, but you could also use a hand mixer.
2. Add the vanilla extract, and drizzle in the honey while the mixer is running.  Alternatively, you could drizzle in the honey a little at a time and mix between each honey addition. 
3. If you're using a stand mixer, use a silicone spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times to make sure you don't have any clumps of honey at the bottom.  
4. Continue to beat the frosting until it forms stiff peaks.  Store this in the fridge in an airtight bowl, and don't frost the cupcakes until immediately before serving**. 
5. To frost the cupcakes, either spread on a thick layer with a small spatula, or you could use a plastic baggie to pipe the frosting on (as I've done in the above photo).  Since this frosting is very fluffy, I find that a rather small hole in the baggie works best.

*If your raw honey is very crystallized, place it over a bowl of warm water to make it a bit runny.
**If you need a frosting that can be applied ahead of time, try this buttercream frosting.