vegan eggnog cupcakes with dandies and spiced chai frosting!

Diet failed. Time for some cupcakes instead! (Who cares about being healthy in the holidays anyway?) I decided to spent my whole afternoon baking, and made a crust as well as a frosting for these cupcakes, although I'm sure that either are omittable!

Serves 12

the cupcakes:
1 cup Almond Noel nog (or any vegan eggnog)
1/2 cup rum (+more to drink with leftover eggnog whilst baking)
1/4 cup oil
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp nutmeg
pinch of cinnamon, cardamom, cloves
1 cup sugar
1 1/3 cups spelt flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
dandies (vegan marshmallows)

the crust:
3/4 cup nuts (pecans, cashews, walnuts, almonds)
1/4 cup soaked dates
1 tbsp molasses
1 tbsp honey/agave (if needed; or additional molasses)
pinch of nutmeg, cardamom, cloves
1/2 tsp powdered ginger
coconut flakes (optional)
1/4 cup candied ginger (optional but recommended)

the frosting:
1/4 cup Earth Balance buttery spread
2 tbsp eggnog
1 tbsp rum
pinch of nutmeg
2 1/2 cups icing sugar (or more, if needed)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup powdered chai tea


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In your food processor, grind the nuts, then add the remaining crust ingredients and process until it is like a paste. Push 1 or 2 tbsps of the "crust" into lined mini-muffin tins.
Combine first 4 ingredients of the muffins in a small bowl, and combine the others in a large bowl. Whisk the wet into the dry (the mixture will be fairly runny), and add coconut flakes if desired. Spoon a little less than 1/4 cup measures of the mixture into lined muffin tins; add one marshmallow (or more) to each cupcake and cover with remaining mixture. Bake for approx. 15 minutes, until the cupcakes spring back at the touch and a toothpick comes out clean when they are poked. Be careful not to overbake; the crust may burn slightly (though it will not necessarily taste bad, it will be very hard).
Meanwhile, prepare the frosting by combining all the icing ingredients in a blender, food processor, or electric whisk. 
When the cupcakes are cooled, use a toothpick to claw little wormholes through their middles and spoon the frosting into them, as well as glazing the muffin tops. Next, if you still have cupcakes left ( and haven't eaten them all up in the process like I did), eat 'em up!

Note: Recipe can also be made into an "eggnog pie". Simply spoon the crust, muffin, and frosting batters into a pie pan instead. in the same order as above. (Being ambitious as I am, I made both cupcakes and a pie! Deeeelish)