Gluten-Free Almond Joy Cupcakes

Happy Friday, everyone!

And happy anniversary to Fiesta Friday!

Today I have something a little special for you. Gluten-Free Almond Joy Cupcakes.

These have the perfect balance between a sweet, sugary top and a milder cake.

For the base I used this cupcake recipe, and just substituted 1 1/2 tsp almond extract for the vanilla.

Start by lining your muffin tins.

Cream the butter and sugar.

After adding the eggs…

And the rest of the ingredients.

Take a large spoon and scoop batter into lined muffin tins.

Then bake.

The lovely finished cupcakes…

Then, as the cupcakes cool, mix together 2 cups shredded coconut, 6 Tbls (1/4 C+ 1/8 C) sweetened condensed milk, and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract in a medium sized bowl.

Scoop spoonfuls of the coconut mix onto cooled cupcakes and press gently with the palm of your (clean) hand to get the coconut to stick and spread out.

Do this until all the cupcakes are topped with coconut.

Make chocolate ganache by heating 3/4 cup whipping cream on medium heat until almost boiled. Mix in a 12 oz bag of dark chocolate chips. (Sorry for not having pictures of the ganache.) Remove from heat, and stir until chocolate is melted.

Dollop ganache over coconut, and spread just enough that it starts to drip over edges.

Top with sliced or slivered almonds, and enjoy!

Of course, I’m sharing these with my friends over at Fiesta Friday. Why don’t you go whip some up and share them with some friends of yours? They’re bound to love it!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! 🙂