Chocolate Covered Strawberry Hi Hat Cupcakes are one of my favorite cupcakes to make and eat! My kids love helping me make them too. This version is gluten free.

One of the first things that comes to mind when I hear the words " Valentine's day" uttered is chocolate covered strawberries. It is the quintessential Valentines day treat and I took it one, okay like three, steps further with my chocolate dipped strawberry hi hat cupcakes.

Its February. Its valentines month. Its chocolate and candy month. I was SO good last month making healthy recipes like my Wintertime Ceviche, Easy Shredded Chicken Tacos and my Roasted Carrot and Butternut Squash Soup. January was a healthy month. February is starting off with chocolate covered strawberry decadence.

Oh and better yet? Besides my recipe for Valentines day - there are 13 other insanely amazing treats from your favorite bloggers besides myself of course, because its Holiday Food Party time!!!

Check out all these amazing treats! We make Valentines look ( and taste) gooooood.

1. Chocolate Covered Strawberry Hi Hat Cupcakes (Gluten Free) from Pineapple and Coconut
2. Frosted Cream Cheese Cutout Cookies from Magnolia Days
3. White Chocolate Mousse with Frangelico from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
4. Chocolate Caramel Pretzel 'n Chip Tart from Gotta Get Baked
5. White Chocolate Cherry Brownies from The Messy Baker
6. Chocolate Champagne Cupcakes from The Girl in the Little Red Kitchen
7. Sugar-Free Blueberry Yogurt Truffles from What Smells So Good
8. Strawberry Cheesecake Heart Pie from Hungry Couple NYC
9. Red Velvet Heart Sandwich Cookies from Jen's Favorite Cookies
10. Chocolate Cannoli Cones from Created By Diane
11. Cherry Cheesecake Stuffed Cupcakes from Chocolate Moosey
12. Nutella Brownie Cheesecake No-Churn Ice Cream from Cupcakes and Kale Chips
13. Valentines Smores Hearts from Kelly Bakes
14. Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies from Roxana's Home Baking

The strawberry. So perfect and sweet. My kids eat them by the handful, I once picked 18lbs of them at a U-Pick farm and I made a ton of strawberry jam out of it. Well, sort of, one batch burnt. I didn't stir it enough. Oops

I actually made a version of these a few years ago. I made a dark chocolate cupcakes with a strawberry Italian meringue buttercream. I had a few mishaps with the frosting falling off the cupcake when I held it upside down to dip in the chocolate. So this year I decided to do a variation of traditional hi-hat cupcake frosting, seven minute frosting, and I am glad I did. Perfect for these cupcakes.

I wanted to do a cool dipping the cupcake shot but I was afraid to hold the cupcakes upside down for too long, plus I am not coordinated enough to hold the cupcake, focus the camera, and take a picture while dipping the cupcake. So I employed my 5 year old to help me. Payment = a cupcake.

Such a good helper. She loves helping me. Especially when cupcakes are involved. And chocolate covered strawberries.

I love hi-hat cupcakes. Think yummy cupcake crossed with a chocolate dipped ice cream cone. Oh and that surprise ganache filling? Amazing.

A few notes before the recipe:

These cupcakes are a little more time consuming than regular cupcakes but the extra effort is worth it. Make sure you read over the instructions a few times and have all your ingredients set out and ready to go.
These cupcakes have a surprise ganache filling that is place in the cupcakes after baking for a little bit. Make the ganache first then chill it. Scoop into balls and keep chilled until ready to add to the cupcakes.
You can swap out the gluten free flour blend for any all purpose flour of your choice - regular wheat, whatever brand of gluten free flour you like. Just don't use self-rising flour since there is leavener in the recipe. I haven't tested these with self raising flour. IF you do and have success with it, please let me know in the comments
The frosting is a strawberry marshmallow fluff like frosting. Make it as the cupcakes are cooling so once they are cool they can be frosted and dipped.

Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Hi Hat Cupcakes (Gluten Free)

Shanna

Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Hi Hat Cupcakes (Gluten Free) Makes 20 cupcakes

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Prep Time 40

Cook Time 18

Additional Time 30

Total Time 1 28

Servings 20 cupcakes

Ingredients

For the cupcakes

1 cup all purpose gluten free flour see notes
¾ cup granulated sugar I use Zulka
½ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon baking soda
4 ounces dark or bittersweet chocolate chopped
½ cup cocoa powder not hot chocolate mix
½ cup water
½ cup strong coffee
2 large eggs room temperature
⅓ c coconut oil melted
3 teaspoon white vinegar not white wine
1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

For the ganache filling

4 ounces dark chocolate chopped
4 ounces heavy cream
¼ c strawberry jam
⅓ cup fresh strawberries finely diced

For the Frosting

3 large egg whites
1 ½ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
¼ teaspoon salt
⅓-1/2 cup strawberry puree see notes

For the chocolate coating

12 ounces dark chocolate chopped
3 tablespoon coconut oil

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 Deg. F
Prepare two cupcake pans with 20 cupcake liners

Make the ganache

Place the chopped dark chocolate in a small non-reactive bowl ( preferably stainless steel) and set aside. Heat the cream until small bubbles form on the edges, but not boiling. Pour the cream over the chopped chocolate and let sit for 5 min. Stir until all the chocolate is melted and the mixture is very smooth. Add in the strawberry jam and diced strawberries and stir again. Chill until firm enough to scoop spoonfuls, about 30 minutes.

Make the cupcakes

In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, salt and baking soda. Set aside.
In a small bowl add the chopped chocolate and cocoa powder. Heats the coffee and water until steaming and pour over the chocolate cocoa mixture, stir until all the chocolate is melted, and set aside to cool a few minutes. In a small bowl whisk together the eggs, coconut oil, vinegar and vanilla. Add this to the chocolate mixture and mix well. Combine the wet mixture with the flour mixture and mix until well combined. Let sit for 5 minutes. Scoop out 20 rounded teaspoon sized balls of the ganache and set aside.
Divide the batter between the prepared cupcake pans, about ⅔ full. Bake for 8 minutes, the tops will still be liquidy, and quickly open the oven and without removing the pans, place one ganache ball in each of the cupcakes and push it in slightly. Bake for 10 more minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pans for 5 minutes. Remove from the pans and let cool completely before frosting.

Make the frosting

Set a pan of water over medium heat and bring to a simmer. In a bowl of a stand mixer combine the egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar and salt. Set the bowl over the pan of simmering water, making sure the bottom doesn’t touch and whisk the mixture for 7 minutes or until 160 Deg F on a candy thermometer.
Place the bowl on the stand mixer and whisk for 2 minutes on high using the whisk attachment. Add in the strawberry puree one tablespoon at a time until you reach desired flavor. Whip again on high 2 minutes or until stiff peaks form.
Quickly add the frosting into a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip and pipe swirls onto the tops of the cupcakes, about 2 inches high. Place the cupcakes in the freezer to firm up the icing.
In a double boiler or microwave, melt the chocolate and coconut oil and mix until smooth. Place in a small deep bowl. Dip the frozen cupcakes one at a time, just enough that almost all of the frosting is dipped. Place on a tray and repeat with remaining cupcakes. Chill in refrigerator or freezer until ready to eat. Serve at room temperature.

Notes

Make sure you read the recipe notes in the post for extra hints and tips for cupcake success

For the gluten free all purpose flour I used my own blend but you can use any blend you like. Cup 4 Cup works really well. You can also substitute regular wheat all purpose flour to make these not gluten free. Both ways work well.

For the strawberry puree you can blenda cup of fresh strawberries with a little sugar, about a teaspoon and a tablespoon or so of water until you get the consistency you want. You can also do this with frozen strawberries. Just thaw then blend. You can keep the remaining puree for drizzling over oatmeal, yogurt or even ice cream.

Chocolate covered strawberry goodness in cupcake form. Happy Valentine's Day!