These Gluten-Free Cupcakes Have a Surprising Ingredient

It’s National Gluten-Free Day and we’re celebrating with cupcakes. Vanilla lavender cupcakes, to be specific, and these are not made from a store-bought mix. No, these cupcakes call for a special protein-packed flour that you might not have baked with before. Can you guess what it is?

It’s chickpea flour! I’ve seen chickpea flour used in plenty of savory dishes, like socca or falafel, but these cupcakes prove that it can be used in sweets as well.

To strike the right balance of texture and flavor, the chickpea flour is mixed with brown rice flour and arrowroot starch. Once you bake the cupcakes, you top them with a delicious frosting made with coconut cream, maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla extract, and dried lavender.

Between the perfectly moist cupcakes and the rich, floral frosting, you won’t believe these cupcakes are gluten- and dairy-free.

→ Get the Recipe: Vanilla Lavender Cupcakes from The Vanilla Bean Blog