Raw Recipe: Spiced Pumpkin Cupcakes with Vanilla Icing & Ginger Caramel

This is a recipe that smells almost as good as it tastes! Get in one last pumpkin based recipe before the season is over with "Raw Recipe: Spiced Pumpkin Cupcakes with Vanilla Icing & Ginger Caramel" and give your tastebuds a treat!

Raw Spiced Pumpkin Cupcakes with Coconut Vanilla Icing and Ginger Date Caramel

Makes 8 large or 20 mini cupcakes

1 cup raw pumpkin seeds (see Recipe Notes)
1 cup pumpkin puree (store-bought or homemade)
3/4 cup maple syrup, coconut nectar, or agave nectar (see Recipe Notes)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup coconut flour
1 batch Coconut Vanilla Icing (Recipe below)
1 batch Gingered Caramel (Recipe below)

Place the pumpkin seeds in a food processor, coffee/spice grinder, or high-performance blender such as a Vitamix. Pulse until you have a floury consistency. (Avoid over-grinding or you may end up with pumpkin seed butter!) Set aside.

Combine the pumpkin puree, sweetener, lemon juice, vanilla, sea salt, and spices in a food processor. Blend until smooth. Add the pumpkin seed flour and blend until smooth. Add the coconut flour and blend until well combined.

Line a cupcake tin with 8 large or 20 mini paper liners. Fill the liners with dough, pressing it down evenly. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 4 days (can also freeze for up to 2 weeks; transfer to an airtight container if refrigerating or freezing for longer than a day).

Just before serving, spread Coconut Vanilla Icing on top of each cupcake. Using a pastry bag, pipe Ginger Date Caramel on top of the icing.

Recipe Notes

• Pumpkin Seed Flour: Pumpkin seeds make a great nut-free flour for this recipe. If you prefer, you may substitute 1 cup of sunflower seed flour or a nut flour such as cashew or almond.
• Sweetener: I prefer maple syrup, but it isn't a raw food. For a strictly raw recipe, use raw coconut nectar or agave nectar.

Coconut Vanilla Icing

Makes about 1/2 cup

1/2 cup room temperature coconut butter (see softening tips)
1 tablespoon melted coconut oil
1 tablespoon maple syrup, coconut nectar, or agave nectar (see Recipe Notes)
1 vanilla bean, scraped
1/8 teaspoon sea salt

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir with a fork to combine.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Soften to room temperature before using.

Ginger Date Caramel

Makes about 1/2 cup

8 medjool dates, pitted
1/2 cup warm water
1 tablespoon ginger juice (squeezed from freshly grated ginger)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
Maple syrup, coconut nectar, or agave nectar to taste (optional; see Recipe Notes)

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. If desired, add additional sweetener to taste.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Note: You probably won't use the entire batch to decorate the cupcakes, but I find it easier to blend and pipe a batch of this volume. Use any leftover caramel on oatmeal, as a dipping sauce for cut fruit, etc.

(Images: Emily Ho)

Original Article Here: http://www.thekitchn.com/raw-recipe-spiced-pumpkin-cupcakes-with-vanilla-icing-and-ginger-caramel-recipes-from-the-kitchn-196681