The Best Healthy Cupcakes We've Ever Seen!

Enjoy these 11 decadent desserts without packing on pounds

You'll lick the bowl clean after whipping up any of these healthy cupcakes! We collected our favorite guilt-free recipes, which cleverly use more nourishing options to replace the fattening elements in traditional cupcakes. But don't be fooled by ingredients such as vitamin-loaded veggies and protein-rich grains—each treat still explodes with delectably sweet flavor.

10. Banana Rum Cupcakes with Rum Glaze

Eaten fresh and warm, these gluten-free cupcakes melt in your mouth. A ripe banana replaces half the butter in the spongy, moist cake, and a decadent drizzle of rum glaze makes this a practically irresistible dessert.

Ingredients:
For the cupcakes:
 25 g. Earth Balance Buttery Spread
 25 g. very ripe banana (about 1/4 medium banana)
 50 g. white sugar
 1 egg
 1/2 tsp. vanilla
 1/4 tsp. rum extract
 20 g. potato starch
 15 g. tapioca starch
 15 g. sorghum flour
 1/2 tsp. baking powder
 1/4 tsp. salt
 1/8 tsp. xanthan gum

 For the rum glaze:
 1 tsp. Earth Balance Buttery Spread
 2 tsp. water
 1.5 tbsp. white sugar
 1/2 tsp. rum extract

Directions:
For the cupcakes:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place four cupcake liners in a muffin/cupcake pan. In a mixing bowl, combine the Earth Balance Buttery Spread and the banana. Whisk together until smooth, then add the sugar and mix well. Add the egg, vanilla and rum extract and beat together. In a separate small bowl, combine the tapioca starch, potato starch, sorghum flour, baking powder, salt and xanthan gum. Add to the wet ingredients and mix well. Pour into the prepared cupcake liners and bake at 350 degrees for 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick or knife inserted into the cupcake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let sit in the hot muffin pan for another 3-5 minutes (so they don't fall apart when you take them out). Remove to a cooling rack and let cool the rest of the way. When they are totally cool, poke a bunch of holes in the top with a fork and drizzle a good amount of rum glaze over the top so that it sinks into the cupcake. Store in the fridge until ready to serve. Microwave for a few seconds before serving.

 For the rum glaze:
 Combine the butter, water, sugar and rum extract in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 1-3 minutes or until it just starts to get thick. Drizzle over the cooled cupcakes immediately (or it will get too thick to drizzle).

Makes 4 cupcakes.

Recipe provided by Gluten Freedom

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