Salted Cocoa Nutella Cupcakes

1. 1

   Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. 2

   In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.

3. 3

   In another medium bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, instant coffee, vegetable oil and Nutella. Mix until smooth (with an electric mixer or wooden spoon), about 2 minutes. Add the almond milk and mix again until fully combined.

4. 4

   Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until just combined. Avoid over mixing.

5. 5

   Grease, spray or line a 12-cavity cupcake pan and spoon batter into each mold until about 1/3 full. If you're left with excess batter, distribute it evenly among the cavities.

6. 6

   Bake on the middle rack for about 15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cupcakes comes out clean.

7. 7

   Let cool for 5 minutes, then move to a wire rack to finish cooling. When the cupcakes have come to room temperature, place a sheet of parchment or wax paper under your cooling rack, dunk the top of each cupcake into the Dark Chocolate Nutella Sauce (recipe below), and move back to the rack.

8. 8

   To finish, sprinkle each cupcake with a pinch of sea salt. You can serve these while the sauce is still warm, or you can allow it to set up a bit. If your kitchen is cool enough, these can be left out to set, or you can refrigerate them for 10-15 minutes before serving.

9. 9

   Sauce: In a small pot over medium heat, combine the dark chocolate, Nutella and coconut oil. You can use a double boiler for this to prevent scorching, but if you don't, be sure to watch the mixture closely and stir constantly until it's almost fully melted, about 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir to melt the rest of the chocolate. Allow the sauce to cool for a few minutes and thicken slightly before dipping the cupcakes.

* Per serving · 4 servings · Values may vary.