With both hazelnut meal and butter, these moist and chocolatey hazelnut cupcakes are for hazelnut lovers only! Grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free and Paleo friendly.
I shared these gluten-free chocolate hazelnut cupcakes on Food Fanatic yesterday and wanted to share them over here, in case anyone is still looking for Christmas dessert recipes!
Now that it’s winter, I want to make hazelnut everything. While I don’t enjoy eating plain hazelnuts, once paired with chocolate or espresso, they become irresistible. And since I received that hazelnut meal I mentioned in my chocolate hazelnut cookie post, I’ve been using it in place of almond flour in oodles of things.
These cupcakes are kind of magical. When they first come out of the oven, they taste like chocolate mousse, which I admit sounds weird, but super delicious! But then you let them sit for a while and they firm up a little and have an amazing texture. If you want to get that chocolate mousse texture back, don’t frost your cupcakes. Instead, reheat them in the microwave for about 15 seconds and then frost.
If you don’t have time to make the frosting, a smear of Nutella would taste great! If you prefer to avoid processed foods, this homemade chocolate hazelnut butter is the way to go.
After frosting, these chocolate hazelnut cupcakes do well at room temperature, but only if your coconut oil is solid at room temperature, which it will be if it’s under 76°F. If you’re making these during the summer, definitely refrigerate them or your frosting will slide down the cupcakes. Once refrigerated, the frosting is like a firm refrigerated ganache.
Hazelnut butter is expensive so I like to make my own with blanched and roasted hazelnuts. Just process them in the food processor for about 5-10 minutes or until creamy. If that sounds like too much work, peanut butter or almond butter would work wonderfully, too. Note that the cupcakes get most of the hazelnut flavor from the frosting and not the cupcakes, so if you use another nut butter, your cupcakes most likely will taste like chocolate and the nut butter used.
Almond flour/meal or another nut flour/meal could be subbed for the hazelnut meal in this cupcake recipe. As for other flour subs, you’ll have to experiment as I haven’t had success with subbing other flours for nut flours. If you do try something else out, I’d love to hear how it goes!
This post first appeared on Food Fanatic: Gluten-free chocolate hazelnut cupcakes.
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32 comments on “Chocolate Hazelnut Cupcakes (grain-free, dairy-free, gluten-free)” — Add one!
These are delicious! Will definitely be making them again. Double bonus as most of my family doesn’t like hazelnut…they’re ALL MINE!!!! :-) So glad I found this recipe!
Haha. How awesome that your family doesn’t like hazelnuts! :D And I’m so happy you liked the cupcakes. Thanks a bunch for your feedback!
Holy cow! These look amazingly rich and chocolaty!!! Pinning! Can’t wait to try them.
Thanks! And thanks for pinning. And so sorry I just now found this comment in the spam folder! :(
Erin, you have stuck gold with yet another scrumptious chocolate and hazelnut treat recipe! Your cupcakes look divine. I agree with you…hazelnuts alone just doesn’t cut it. With chocolate and espresso? It’s an entirely different experience! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas. Wishing you and your family a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!
Thanks so much, Stacy! I’m totally with you on that. :) I hope you all have a great Christmas, too!
I literally just bought hazelnut flour today, it’s a sign that I have to make these!
Yeah, it is! ;)
Oh yum – I love chocolate and hazelnut together – and the fact that they are gluten free too…I can make these for a family member who has to be on a GF diet! He will be thrilled!
I hope you do! And I hope you’ll all love them. :)
Yes to the hazelnut chocolate combo – it is plain perfection, oh so good. I just wish that one of those little cupcakes could make its way through the screen to me right now.
Wishing you – from one expat to another -and your family a very Happy Christmas; Fröhliche Weihnachten xox
I’m sorry I was so slow to comment – I hope you had a great Christmas and New Year’s! :)
hazelnut and chocolate…oh you know…just one of the BEST holiday combos! I would have trouble just eating one of these!
Merry Christmas Erin! Hope your PJs from your hubby turned out awesome!
Erin, Saw your comment and the photo! (I deleted it after I read it like you asked haha) but it was awesome!
Haha. Yay! Thanks for letting me know you saw it. :)
Haha. They did indeed! :D
Would you just look at the deep, dark chocolate??? I’m also a nut for hazelnut!
Hazelnuts are the best! At least when ground into meal / nut butter. ;)
The hazelnuts on top of these cupcakes make them completely full of win! I love that there isn’t a huge amount of frosting on top because, who needs all of that frosting anyway?
Ugh. I know. Cupcakes with huge mounds of frosting are gorgeous but do people really enjoy all that? I think I’d get queasy. :(
These cupcakes looks packed full of flavor and fudgy chocolate goodness. I really want for breakfast.
It’s as good a time as any. ;)
I’m so intrigued that they are first like the texture of a mousse…I would have to eat one as soon as it comes out of the oven;)these look fantastic, Erin! Merry Christmas xx
Yeah, I know! It’s so weird. But very yummy. :) Happy holidays to you, too!
I would love these as I love all things hazelnut but the youngest son of mine has a tree nut allergy, boo! Bu these look amazingly delicious!
Thanks, Brenda! :)
My hubby LOVES hazelnut. I have to try these out for him!
I hope that you’ll both enjoy them if you do decide to make them! :)
These sure look yummy. I can’t justify buying the expensive flour since there is only one person I mage GF goodies for sometimes. She can’t eat chocolate either.
Aww, darn. I guess I’ll have to make a whole wheat version! Merry Christmas, Charlotte! :)
These look wonderful! Now that it is winter and my grocery store finally has hazelnuts, I have been stocking up!
I hope you’ll give up some of your hazelnuts for these cupcakes! ;)