Cupcakes + cats? Count me in.

I grew up with oreo cupcake cats every Halloween, it was our Briones family holiday tradition. So much so that everyone at school would expect it at our yearly celebrations, and boy did we make sure to always deliver 😉

The source of this recipe? A good old Nabisco Oreo Box from when I was about 2 years old. Really, this started about 20 years ago, it’s really hard to believe. Unfortunately, we misplaced the original recipe cutout that my mom had saved all of these years, but the memory is so vivid in my mind that it was no longer needed to recreate this treat.

The original recipe used a prepackaged frosting and cupcake mix, artificial orange stuffed oreos, candy corn, licorice, jelly beans and, well, very unhealthy ingredients. But you guys know me, I had to healthy this up before sharing. Using my homemade healthy oreos, vegan chocolate cupcake + chocolate avocado frosting recipes, homemade candy corn and dried fruit, I successfully made it happen.

There are a few components to making this recipe, and although it is not going to be one that is fairly quick, if you were going to make all of these components from scratch that is, I promise it is well worth it. Making your own will allow for you to ensure optimal nutrition and a flavor profile according to your preference, as you can adjust ingredients to taste. And the best part about vegan baking is that you can taste the batter raw, as it does not contain any eggs or nasties that can get you sick 🙂      After frantically calling Whole Foods, Organix LA, and scowering the internet, I gave up on finding a store bought vegan candy corn and tried my hand at making a quick recipe. I found this original recipe from Chocolate Covered Katie and messed around with it according to what I had at home, and it worked, with a small bit of struggle. The coconut butter melts easily, so I had to set it back in the fridge a few times to make it easier to work with, but I was happy in the end. These are only meant to mimic candy corn in appearance. They don’t taste like them, but they are delicious in their own way!

For this recipe, I tested out a Raw Vegan Chocolate Avocado Frosting, and it ended up pairing well with one another, and was the perfect consistency to frost as well as act as a glue for the Healthy Gluten-Free Oreos I topped them with. You could also just eat it by the spoonful as pudding, I won’t tell 😉

Lastly, this recipe also features my Healthy Vegan Oreos! Fluffy vegan, gluten-free chocolate Cookies stuffed with a  creamy dreamy coconut filling. Your favorite childhood snack just got a makeover, and it was a damn good one too! My ingredients are not only simple, but also contain whole food ingredients, stuff that you can pronounce, identify, and benefit from consuming.

Assembly?

The assembly process for this recipe is a lot of fun, and great for kids, too! It does take a bit of effort, but well worth it in the end, just look at the cuties above! I recommend decorating the oreos prior to placing onto the cupcakes, it is easier to work with that way and allows for less error/mess. To decorate, use frosting to stick the ingredients onto the oreo. The dates are the whiskers, the goji berries the nose, dried mango and cacao nibs the eyes, and candy corn as the ears. Remove the baking cups from the cupcake, top with frosting, then add the completed oreo cat on top.

Make sure you tag me on Instagram @sweetsimplevegan or twitter @sweetsimpleveg and hashtag #sweetsimplevegan if you recreate any of my recipes, I love to see your photos!

Halloween Oreo Cupcake Cats w/ Chocolate Avocado Frosting {gluten-free + fruit toppings}

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• Author: Jasmine Briones / Sweet Simple Vegan
• Total Time: 32 minutes
• Yield: 20

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Ingredients

Wet:

• 1 1/2 cups almond milk
• 1 cup applesauce
• 2 tbs white vinegar
• 2 tbs maple syrup
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp almond extract

Dry:

• 3 cups oat flour
• 2/3 cup of cacao powder
• 1 cup coconut sugar
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder

Healthy Vegan Oreos

Raw Vegan Chocolate Avocado Frosting

Healthy Coconut Candy Corn*

• 2 heaping tbsp coconut butter*
• 1/4 cup vegan powdered sugar
• Carrot Juice
• Turmeric powder

Decor

• Dried mango, cut into circles
• Goji berries, rolled into nose shapes
• Cacao nibs
• Medjool dates, cut into strips

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Instructions

Cupcakes

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and line a cupcake pan with baking cups.
2. Sift and mix all the dry ingredients together into a large bowl. Set aside.
3. Whisk all of the wet ingredients together, then pour into the dry ingredients, mixing until smooth.
4. Spoon the batter into prepared cupcake pan, about two thirds full for each.
5. Bake for 22-24 minutes or until the cupcake slowly springs back when pressed with a finger.
6. Be sure to completely cool before frosting.

Candy Corn

1. Mix the first three ingredients together in a bowl until it becomes a crumbly dough. Transfer into a Ziploc and smush around into a smooth ball. Remove from the bag and separate into three parts. Add some turmeric to one third, and carrot juice into another. Massage each, one at a time, until uniform, adding as much as needed. Make sure to do one color at a time and wash your hands in between handling to prevent mixing. If the coconut butter starts to become to liquidy, set in fridge for 2-4 minutes to set for handling.
2. Roll balls into skinny strips—the skinnier the strips, the smaller the candy corn. Press together side by side. Set back in the fridge to stiffen if needed. Cut into triangles (see photo).
3. Store in the refrigerator as these melt easily.

Assembly

1. Decorate the oreos prior to placing onto the cupcakes. To decorate, use frosting to stick the ingredients. The dates are the whiskers, the goji berries the nose, dried mango and cacao nibs the eyes, and candy corn as the ears.
2. Remove the baking cups from the cupcake (optional), top with frosting (once cooled), then add the completed oreo cat on top
3. Store in a cool spot if not serving immediately.

Notes

• The Candy corn recipe is adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie.The original recipe uses cashew butter, which melts less easily, and is easier to work with. The only downfall with that is the color will be more beige than white. These are only meant to mimic candy corn in appearance. They don’t taste like them, but they are delicious in their own way!

• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 22 mins
• Category: Dessert, Halloween
• Cuisine: Vegan, Gluten-free

Keywords: Dessert, Halloween, Kids, Vegan, Gluten-free, Cupcakes