Festive Carrot Cupcakes

The holidays are a time of hustle and bustle, but it's also a time to be creative and do those once-a-year things. For me, I've been looking forward to making cupcakes and decorating with a festive, holiday.  I decided to make paleo carrot cupcakes and decorate them as snowmen. It was SO much fun decorating them and despite mildly deformed frosting faces, everyone thought they were the cutest things ever!!  In retrospect, I should have gotten thin pretzel sticks for the snowman arms, but it seemed silly to buy a bag of (non-paleo) pretzels that I didn't even want to eat just for the sake of a snowman. So, I went with chopped carrot instead.

This cupcake would make a good muffin if the frosting was left off.  For a traditional cupcake, you can certainly frost the cupcakes and forego the snowman decorations. Here's to carrot cake all year long, paleo style :P

Carrot Cupcakes

CAKE:
10 dates, pitted & soaked in water for 30 min
3 tbsp coconut milk
4 egg whites
1/4 c coconut oil, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 c coconut flour
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3 carrots, peeled & shredded

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Put dates & coconut milk into food processor. Pulverize until smooth (some chunks are fine).
3. Combine wet ingredients in a medium-size bowl: date mixture, egg whites, coconut oil, & vanilla.  Push to the side of bowl.
4. In the other side of the bowl, add the dry ingredients: coconut flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda & powder, salt. Then mix the wet and dry until thoroughly combined.
5. Stir in shredded carrots. Pour batter into 12 greased muffin molds, 3/4 full.
6. Bake for 18-20 min or until toothpick from the center of the cupcake comes out clean. 


CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
8 oz of low-fat cream cheese
1/2 tbsp vanilla extract
Enough maple syrup or agave to your liking (I used about 1/4 c)

Directions:
1. Allow cream cheese to come to room temperature.
2. Using an electric mixer, beat all ingredients until smooth.
3. Spread on cooled cupcakes.


SNOWMAN DECORATIONS:
Head: Donut holes! For the sake of time, I cheated and went to Dunkin Donuts (yes, I know! Please leave all hate mail at the door). You can certainly make your own paleo version and I do encourage you to do so. No, I did not come up with a recipe for that yet so don't ask. Smear head with frosting and plop onto cupcake 3/4 of the way back. Alternatively, melting white chocolate and rolling the donut hole in that would make the head a ton smoother.

Hat: 1/3 of a York peppermint pattie

Nose & Arms: Expertly cut-up carrot pieces :)

Scarf: Trader Joe's dried fruit strip, cut into a thin strip and used a knife to make the fringe

Eyes & Buttons: Mini chocolate chips 


**Decorate serving plate with mini holiday ornament balls, confectioner's sugar for "snow", and graham cracker crumbs for good measure :)